HOLLYWOOD KIDS: How did you land a contract with Universal at the tender age of 17?
PIPER LAURIE: When I was 16, I lied about my age saying I was 18 so I could study witha professional actors group. I got an agent and then a screen test at Warner Brow. playing Veda in a scene from Mildred Pierce, the role for which Ann Blyth had been nominated for an Oscar. That test was shown to Universal and they tested me with a young actor they were considering, Rock Hudson. After that, I was signed.
Q: What other soon-to-be-famous stars were around? Tony Curtis, who I met and dated a couple of times before I signed with Universal.
Q: Didn't you get into trouble dating a man 20 years your senior on your first film, Louisa, in 1950? Yes, I had a few dates with Ronald Reagan, who was playing my father. The producer called me into his office and said, "This doesn't look nice."
Q: Did you listen? No. Between the studio and my parents, I didn't have much freedom, but you could always hide awy and do whatever you wanted.
Q: What was the studio protocol at the time? Full makeup for all appearances, no photos with a cigarette or a cocktail, and an occasional date arranged by the studio.
Q: Name one of the latter. George Nader.
Q: What's one thing that is always in your refrigerator? Soy milk.
Q: What comes to mind about your first real starring role, in 1951's The Prince Who Was a Thief? I hated it when I saw it, but it made Tony Curtis and me into stars.
Q: What made you break your contract with Universal? I was frustrated when (Italian director) Vittorio De Sica wanted me for a film but the studio would loan me. Then the studio sent me a stupid script, which I threw into the fireplace. I called my agent and said, "I've got to get out of this"- I didn't care that I had years left to go or that I was making a lot of money at the time. I was fed up.
Q: You moved to New York, acted off Broadway, and later landed a role in The Hustler. Were you excited when you were nominated for an Oscar for that? I thought it was all nonsense. I didn't even attend the ceremonies.
Q: Then you took a 15-year hiatus from film. In '76, you returned as the religious fanatic mother in Carrie. Did you have to audition? No. I went to meet with Brian De Palma and, after reading the script- which I considered to be a satire of some sort- I few to California for rehearsals. I remember while rehearsing one scene with Sissy Spacek, Brian stopped me and said, "Piper, you can't do that- you're going to get a laugh!" I was too embarrassed to say a word, but to satisfy him that I was taking it seriously, I ddid it just a hair different. But I still think I was terrifically funny in Carrie.
Q: What is the first thing that comes to mind after these stars' names? Victor Mature? A surprisingly sensitive man. Sandra Dee? I felt sorry for her, she was such a tiny thing, they had to make a bodysuit just to make her look like a woman. Jean Simmons? I love her. We were neighbors when I lived in Santa Monica. We'd go on long walks, talking about our ex-husbands, whose homes we would pass. [laughs] No, we were not stalking them. Richard Chamberlain? A very decent person.
Q: What was the best part about making "The Thorn Birds"? Shooting in Kauai. It was lovely.
Q: You're friends with several gay actors who've remained in the closet. Who do they refuse to admit the truth? Maybe they want the paycheck more than the freedom.
Q: In The Grass Harp, you were reunited with Carrie costar Sissy Spacek- playing her sister! Any moment of deja vu with her? Yes. She played my tough, mean sister and one day, while discussing the scene, she said, "How am I ever going to say this awful thing to you?" I said, "Just remember when I was pulling you around by your hair in Carrie." Then she was fine!

The article was accompanied by a color photo of Piper Laurie, wearing glasses- PIPER LAURIE is an exemplary Hollywood vet. She was a teenage starlet, won an Oscar nomination for the The Hustler, dated Ronald Reagan, helped "bring the house down" as the mother in Carrie, and starred as part of teh unsavory adult population of "Twin Peaks". We applaud her endurance.