SmartTalk: From A BetteHeads Point Of View (Thanks TJ)

Mister D: TJ wants everyone to know that he is not quoting Bette verbatim, but this is what he took away from Bette’s talk….this is his interpretation of it.:

Let’s see..some of what she said was quoted in the article. Some of the things that stuck out to me..hmm.

The Rose was easy for her to film (acting-wise) because she didn’t really need to act. She was almost playing herself at that moment in her life. She said her life at that time was similar to the character of the Rose. I think she even said that she even had her own dealers! Maybe that was a joke? But I don’t think so. Also, the only film role she feels she completely “disappeared” as herself in was Hocus Pocus. Otherwise, she admits that in every other film, she’s kind of playing a version of herself.

Her biggest regret was turning down Sister Act, because it was written solely for her. She didn’t accept the role because she was worried what she’d look like in a nun’s wimple. She also regrets turning down Misery because the role just “wasn’t her”, and her husband reminds her almost every day what a mistake that was. Although at the same time, she didn’t want to be responsible for bringing such a violent film into an already violent world. She questions whether she is a true actor, because if she were, she would have jumped to play those roles.

While she absolutely HATED filming Jinxed, and it was a huge flop, she actually thinks it’s a pretty good film

One of her favorite new artists is Lady Gaga. She said that she is a good songwriter, musician, and singer. And somewhere down the road, she is going to lose the crazy outfits.

The reason why she is so passionate about cleaning up parks stems from her childhood. Her parents were literally extreme hoarders. She spent most of her time cleaning and picking things up. She said it was actually really sad, and she’s never told the public before because she doesn’t want to dishonor her parents’ memory.

Most of you know this, but she had a life-changing moment when she sang God Bless the Child at an open-mic night during her run in Fiddler. But the way she told the story was so exciting, and just hearing it come from her was amazing.

She didn’t talk about her hit songs or live shows and tours..and never mentioned Beaches or much of the work she’s done.

She did spend a lot of time on the NYRP, which was nice. And yes, she brought lots of slides and the presentation went off without a hitch. There was even a little film to go along with it. A majority of the slides were before and afters of the park and rec areas she has cleaned up. The audience really was surprised. I couldn’t believe the work she has done! It really was a huge difference. And to hear her speak so passionately about each and every park, as if it were one of her own kids, made me love her even more.

The article said she spoke for 60 mins. I think it was closer to maybe 75 or 80. But she crammed so much into that short amount of time, so I was just trying to take it all in. I really wish it would have been recorded, because it was a side to her that I wish everyone could see. It really did seem intimate. The way she would get her papers in a mess and get a little lost was funny. But she’s so quick, she would just continue on. She was just”¦awesome. Well worth going and I hope she continues to do more speaking engagements. I’m sure I’ll think of something else she said, in which case I’ll post.