When I did promotion for the film, we had a moderator on stage and she said, "What was it like to work with Meryl Streep?" I said, "Frankly, she was not my first choice." Everyone in the theater just cracked up, except two young girls sitting in the front, and one of them said, "Well that wasn't very nice."Įven for a brilliant comedian like Lily Tomlin, there will always be someone who just doesn't get the joke.įor more information on Grandma visit the film's website. When I got the part, everyone was saying, "What is it going to be like to work with Meryl Streep?" My own mother was saying that to me. Just because the rest of you assholes call a woman a douche bag!" I was just emphatic about it and Bette said, "Lil, lighten up." I said, "How would you feel if Sophie goes to see this movie in 15 years and she hears these guys calling their mother a douche bag?"Ī Prairie Home Companion: Working with Meryl Streep was so exciting. Lucy!īig Business: I had a big falling-out with the producers because they had the gay characters calling Bette Midler's character a "douche bag." I said, "You cannot have the gays calling her a douche bag, it makes them seem like woman haters. Who were some of the female performers who inspired you while you were growing up? Only your seasoned readers will know them, but I was inspired by the old television stars - Gracie Allen, Imogene Coca, Gale Storm, Ann Sothern, Jean Carroll, who was a stand-up. Having Jane Fonda, Kate McKinnon, Reba McEntire, and Jane Lynch - such a funny quadruple group of people - and Jane Lynch saying she used to do my routines when she was a kid. What was it like at the Kennedy Center Honors to see just a few of the many female performers who you've inspired pay tribute to you? That was the best part. So many people asked me, "When are you and Jane gonna get married?" so I finally said, "We're thinking about it." Once I opened that door it was like a barrage of "When are you and Jane gonna get married?" So we did. Why, after 42 years together, did you decide to do it? It was just kind of like 'cause we could. Speaking of marriage, congratulations on yours. Absolutely! I was asked in the press who's the most important gay person of the last decade and I said, "Ellen, because she came into everyone's home and she was this likable, adorable, funny person who just took over." They may not realize it, but they've been the beneficiaries of that activism, like my friend Vito Russo and what he endured, and he's not really here to see it.Īnd now she's the darling of every housewife in America. I want to say it's because of everyone who came before them who did whatever they tried to do. This generation has been out of this world. But what's it been like to see the changes in LGBT equality and in media depictions of gay characters from then until now? The last 10 to 15 years it's been sort of stunning. You've always supported gay projects such as appearing in And the Band Played On and narrating The Celluloid Closet. In 1969 you became an overnight star on Laugh-In the same year as the Stonewall riots and the beginning of the gay liberation movement. I felt that Paul understood the character and knew what he was doing. I wouldn't have been able to start the movie if I had. I felt that this was true and authentic and I was comfortable with that. Hearing the news, the other set of twins. Did you feel any responsibility playing a gay character when we don't see many in major motion pictures? I always feel responsible for the person I'm going to play on the screen. Now, some 40 years later, the wealthy pair (Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin) are involved in a business deal to buy and close down a factory in Jupiter Hollow. You played a lesbian in the film Tea With Mussolini, but in Grandma you're the central character. Lily Tomlin is an American actress and entertainer who has had various performances on stage and screen throughout a career spanning almost seven decades since 1965 various of which earned her recognition and honor.Were there any moments or scenes that were challenging? Only my hair. Big Business : Bette Midler, Edward Herrmann, Lily Tomlin, Michele Placido, Dori Pierson, Marc Rubel, Jim Abrahams, Steve Tisch, Michael Peyser:. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) ( August 2015) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations.
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