‘I’m still having a good time’

LOS ANGELES—“You’ve got me fresh out of the gate,” Susan Sarandon said with a smile as she sat down for this press conference. “I haven’t been worn down yet.”

Lucky for us, because the Oscar-winning Best Actress for “Dead Man Walking” opened up about her post-Tim Robbins life, her family, career, and screen icons, Vanessa Redgrave and Bette Davis.

Told about a magazine’s description that she is “winsomely sexy at 65,” she laughed and said, “I don’t know what that means. But, it sounds like it errs on the good side.” But, the actress is indeed looking more beautiful, with those big eyes still among her best features. “See the guys back there,” Susan said as she pointed at her stylists sitting in the back of the room. “Oh, the hours they slaved to make me look like this!”

Susan stars with Jason Segel and Ed Helms in “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” which chronicles a day in the life of two brothers—one a pothead still living with his mother, and the other who is just a bit more put-together. The Duplass brothers—Mark and Jay—direct this comedy.

Excerpts from our press con:

Can you talk about being single now with grown children? How is that after such a long relationship?

Any time you go through a significant life change, it’s simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating. Even if I didn’t suddenly find myself out of a relationship that was a very long and meaningful one, just the fact that my kids are older, I’ve had to regroup and re-examine my relationship with them.

My daughter just got married, so probably, I’m going to be a grandmother sooner than you think. All of these are welcome changes, but they certainly come with a bit of unease, because you haven’t been there before. It was pretty significant to be with somebody for some 20 years. Then suddenly, you’re not with them anymore. It’s been a little bumpy, but it’s also been great.

How important is that, like in the movie, somebody gets you?

It’s everything. I try to make my sons better listeners. I keep saying, “You don’t have to be amusing. Don’t worry about that part. Just listen to the girl, and you’ll be a huge hit. Know how to cook three meals—breakfast, lunch and dinner—and listen. You’ll have it made.” That’s what everybody wants.

What happens in long relationships, not just with a partner, but even with your family, is that everybody gets used to each other. It takes big events like what happens in the movie to see them again and break the patterns and assumptions that happen over time. You want someone who actually sees you.

Can you confirm the reports that you have a 33-year-old boyfriend (Jonathan Bricklin)?

He’s not 33-years old, for one thing. I won’t confirm, but he’s not 33. He’s 35. I hate the word boyfriend. I have someone who’s my collaborator in a lot of different areas.

Who do you look up to among the actresses?

Vanessa Redgrave is amazing. She’s still kicking butt in “Coriolanus.” I love her because she’s so humble, honest and brave. I believe in anything she does even when she’s totally miscast (laughs). I like the fact that she takes a chance to speak out when she feels there’s injustice.

How about Bette Davis? You have Bette Davis eyes, as the song goes.

Thank you. I have been approached on a number of occasions to play Bette Davis.

What do you think of her?

Bette Davis was a pisser. She was pretty consumed with alcohol and not too happy. So, I don’t want her life. But, she did some amazing work. She took on the studios at a time when nobody did. I admire her for standing up contractually. It was hard at that point to keep working as long as she did. She did “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” when she was probably 20 years younger than I am. It was a last-ditch effort.

What’s interesting is that, in those days, there was a very little chance for women in the business to be supportive of each other. They were pitted against each other, or they allowed themselves to be competitive against each other. Now, women in the business who survive like the people I know—Sigourney Weaver, Jessica Lange, Meryl Streep, Ellen Barkin—we encourage each other. You don’t see people badmouthing each other.

I think the business has changed. People have families. They don’t have to choose between a family and a career. Bette Davis lived at a time when the studio protected you. Nobody was going to put stuff in the press unless the studios let them. But, at the same time, Bette had to give up so much.

We always read and hear from actresses that there aren’t many roles for women over 50. But, you have about eight movies coming out.

They’re not huge parts. In the spirit of diversifying my portfolio, if some of my stocks crash (laughs), I have all these movies coming out, where I have little parts. I filmed a few weeks here, and a few there. But, they’re fun parts. I don’t mind not carrying the entire film. And, some of them are for new directors. It’s fun when you see these movies, because you’re surprised by the rest of it because you haven’t been there for the entire filming, as opposed to “Dead Man Walking,” where you’re in every single scene. It’s fun. I’m still having a good time.

The one for (Robert) Redford (“The Company You Keep”) was a favor to him, because he’s an old friend. Female actors have less of a problem doing supporting parts than aging male actors (laughs).

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