Actress Enjoys Those Off-the-Wall Romantic Comedies
Chuck Davis, The Oklahoman
LOS ANGELES In the film, \
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Oklahoman
LOS ANGELES In the film, "Love at Large," Elizabeth Perkins plays private detective Stella Wynkowski.

Stella is following another detective, Harry Dobbs (played by Tom Berenger). Dobbs, in turn, is following another man, who has a wife and family in one town and another wife and family on a ranch in the country.

Trouble is, Dobbs is following the wrong person. And Stella and Harry fall in love.

Sound confusing? Well, the off-the-wall romantic comedy found in a film such as "Love at Large" is just the kind of movie Perkins is looking for.

Every time.

"(Director) Alan Rudolph doesn't impose his sense of reality into his films," Perkins says. "He just films in a romantic style because he emanates it.

"I had no problem visualizing my character, because it's very much the way I am in real life. (Laughs) I'm an Alan Rudolph fan.

"I ask to be in his movies, even if it's as a walk-on. I like his movies. I like the way he shoots movies, his fluid shots. I notice he listened to Mark Isham's score on a headset while working to keep himself in the mood."

"Love at Large" opens soon in the Oklahoma City area.

"Stella is like me," Perkins says. "I just guessed from (reading) the script that he (Rudolph) wanted me for Stella, because I was always the one, the kid in the restaurant, who stared at people when they were eating, rather than enjoy the food I had myself. That's what Stella would do.

"I'm always looking for myself. And my sense of humor is very much like hers. I laugh at things nobody else laughs at.

"Alan comes in the side door with his movies; so do I." Perkins made her film debut in 1986 with "About Last Night ..." starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. She followed that with "From the Hip," with Judd Nelson and with "Sweet Heart's Dance," with Don Johnson, Jeff Daniels and Susan Sarandon. She also was in "Big," opposite Tom Hanks.

During this interview, Perkins wore a black blouse, a black and gray skirt, black stockings, black shoes and her hair was done like it was in the film.

"The one reason I wanted to do this movie is because I got a chance to smoke," she says. "People don't smoke any more.

"Both Tom and I do smoke, and we had that chance in the movie. It was set in a past era, and we were glad of it.

"Did you know that they have to pump smoke into nightclubs for atmosphere these days, because none of the customers are smoking?

"Stella loves the idea of being a detective. She's not about to let a little thing like a total lack of aptitude deter her."

Born and raised in Vermont, Perkins was at school in Massachusetts when a visiting representative from Chicago's famed Goodman Theater School convinced her to enroll in its three-year course. She appeared in various theater productions in Chicago before moving to New York in 1984.

"I don't get the same satisfaction from movies that I do from my stage work," Perkins says. "But I do like working with an unusual director.

"If there is going to be an "About Last Night ... 2" nobody asked me. Actually, I'm not sure it would work. It doesn't reflect today's morality. It won't work unless they update the script.

"I would never direct, produce or write. Acting is what I do, and acting is what I will do.

"My next movie is called "Enid's Sleeping.' I'm also making Barry Levinson's "Avalon.' " Right after this interview, Perkins left for El Salvador. Not to star in a movie, but ...

"I'm going to El Salvador to learn a lesson," she says. "I'm on a peace mission for the Salvadorans. I want the Salvadorans to know that there are Americans who don't agree our current foreign policy.

"A lot of the people going with me are UCLA students, people involved in the medical profession as well as professional fund-raisers. No other actors or actresses.

"I got involved with political causes when I met Susan Sarandon when I worked on "Sweet Heart's Dance.' I learned how ignorant I was about such issues as the homeless and humanitarianism.

"I don't want to give you the impression that I'm involved with social issues just because I'm in the acting profession.

"I would be involved, even if I was not an actor." BIOG: NAME:

Archive ID: 421983