Courtney's Second Coming



Death. Drugs. Rebellion. But it's only a movie. Rocker Courtney Love talks about her riveting performance in 'The People Vs. Larry Flint.'

---

She arrives at her publicist's office on time, wearing a classy dark suit and black stockings. Neat blonde hair, perfect makeup. A big ripe pearl on a gold necklace. She seems timid, easily nonplused. "I'm sorry," She says, staring at the floor. "I'm not very good at asserting myself." She would prefer not to discuss her personal life, past or present, but a couple of phrases slip through. Acupuncture. Positivity. Meditation. Buddhist Chanting. Episcopal church on Sundays. She stares at the floor again. This woman is perfectly nice, but when does Courtney Love get here?

NEWSWEEK--I loved the bemused look you had in "feeling minnesota." It was like you were thinking, "what is WITH this movie?"

COURTNEY--It was more like, what is with this hair? Why did Cameron get the good hair? Why did you take my hair off my head and put it on Cameron, and then make my hair orange? but hey, my hair matched my dress.

NW--Did you do the cameos to prepare for Larry Flint?

CL--More to prove to the film community that yes, i, too, can rise at 5 am and get along really well with teamsters.

NW---It must have been really hard to do some of that stuff on screen.

CL--It was really cathartic. A lot of my rock friends have always discounted acting, They think that acting is a process where you say somebody elses words, usually a mans, and your directed by someone else, usually a man. I have a friend in a band and he was like, how could you? so that was how i was taught in Punk Rock ethics 101; to see acting as petty, not visceral. Well, it is visceral. I don't know if what i did in Larry Flynt is good. I can't be objective, but i know that i burned myself and that milos and wooky really got me to be fearless. It's just like good punk rock.

NW---Aren't you always fearless?

CL---Well, you know, I made sure there were SOME beauty shots in there. (laughs)But as soon as i knew those were under my belt, i was kind of like, well, Jennifer Jason Leigh would go here.: I didn't really know what i was doing. But i think i'm actually pretty good at that kind of energy. I'm pretty good at tearing down.

NW---It's hard to watch to watch you shoot up.

CL---I didn't want to do that sceen at all.

NW---why?

CL---oh, it's odvious. You only have to read your own magazine a month back.

NW---did Woody intimidate you?

CL---no. I have really good training with boys. A lot of boys are in bands, so you end up competing with them. You play a festival and you're like, "I'm going to kick his ass. Watch this!" you say. "I'm going to be so good we're going to sell more t shirts."

NW----Woody doesn't seem like someone you would get along with.

Cl---Well, we're a lot of the same thing in one room. But i love him. He's a very grounded man. He does an incredible ammount of spiritual work. He does yoga. Woody protects himself really well. And he kind of taught me a lot about dealing with the dark stuff.

NW---Were people nervous about working with Courtney Love?

Not after the first hour. A lot of times what you do in your creative process gets thrown back at you as if it's part of your daily life persona. but it's too easy to say," She does this onstage, so what must she be like in the kitchen? i bet she can't cook pasta!" that's just too f*cking easy. I choose to go places like where Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath went-the sort of shadowlands. but then you come back with an intact phsyce. you come back with a clear idea of what it's like over there.

NW---but it's not like your a lamb in your daily life. there was that time you swore at a stewardess.

CL---that was so minor! i barely said a bad word!

NW---- Well, your nothing if not assertive.

CL---really? is that what you think? that's soo wrong. I am soo passive. You probably think i go up and swing on the roof, or something. but i am sooo boring.

NW---Your making a new album. is it as ferocious as the last one?

CL---no, not as ferocious. But it's not polished. It's not technically fabulous. because i would rather die.

NW---Is that the worst thing in the world-being polished?

CL---Just about.

NW---Will you make more movies?

CL---I don't know. The film was like playing.as long as it can be playing-and it's not about looking superfabulous and all the other cop-outs. I have to make this record and then i have to tour. I keep getting scripts, and if one's genious i might do it, but lets see. it's challenging. Nobodys ever really intergrated these two things, especially a rock person.

NW---Your heart still belongs to music?

CL---Yeah. Can I tell you why? Every actor I've met wants to be a musician, but every musician i know is really glad they are a musician. It's fun and it's moving and it touches people. I like my job.

Newsweek, October 1996