Reel Women & Real Women with Kathleen Turner

The Second Feldt/Barbanell Women of the World Lecture

On Oct. 23, 2003, Kathleen Turner was on campus to present the second Feldt/Barbanell Women of the World Lecture at Gammage Auditorium. Her talk, "Reel Women and Real Women," touched on her advocacy work with Planned Parenthood as well as her film career.

Kathleen Turner is the chair of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America board of advocates and has appeared in their television and radio advertising campaigns to actively lobby for the organization in Washington, D.C. She has testified before Congress on Title X, America's family planning program, and on the Equity of Prescription Insurance Contraception Coverage Act. She is passionate and outspoken about changing the current social climate in America to one that respects women's health and women's health choices.

Turner made her feature film debut in 1981 as the seductive temptress Matty Walker in "Body Heat." She earned Golden Globe best-actress awards for, "Romancing the Stone" and "Prizzi's Honor," and other industry awards for her roles in "Crimes of Passion" and "Peggy Sue Got Married." She also supplied the sultry voice of Jessica Rabbit in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" In addition to her more than 35 film roles, Turner has been on the NBC-TV hit, "Friends," as Chandler's drag-queen dad, and recently starred as Mrs. Robinson in the controversial London and Broadway stage productions of "The Graduate." Turner also starred on Broadway in Jean Cocteau's "Indiscretions," and as Maggie the Cat in the 1989 revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," for which she earned a Tony nomination for best actress. Her other theater credits include productions of "Travesties," "The Seagull" and "A Midsummer's Night Dream." She recently starred in Sandra Ryan Hayward's "Tallulah," in which she toured across the U.S.

The characters that she has chosen to portray at first blush may seem to have nothing in common, but she points out that they have a weird consistency in that each of these women has been intensely selfish. As Turner mused in her trademark husky voice, "this is probably where the drama that impels the movie or play in which each of these characters appear comes from: other people (characters) revolve around these women and not the other way around."

As Turner explained of one early stage role, the female character that she was portraying was having a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that her boyfriend was really gay. During the production one evening, Turner realized that in a scene in which her character is having a tantrum over this situation that she wasn't giving 100 percent to her performance. She had to ask herself why. After some soul searching, she had to admit to herself that she was afraid that if she portrayed the truth of this character that the audience wouldn't like her—the actress—as a person. Turner realized that she was going to have to make a choice between wanting to be liked as a person and being a good actor. She chose to be a good actor.

Turner touched upon the balancing act that women must constantly try to achieve between their professional lives and their personal lives, especially their roles as wives and mothers. She is lucky, she said, because she gets paid to play these roles in the "reel" world—roles that are often undervalued and taken for granted in the "real" world. She likes to play women who grow and learn. "They must try and they must believe that they can affect change in their lives," says Turner. "These are morally challenged women." Turner feels that our culture is afraid of strong women and as a result it demonizes them. She shared some thoughts on characters that she has played:

• Matty Walker, the character she portrays in "Body Heat," is at heart an endlessly dissatisfied and insecure woman.
• The most challenging character that she has ever played was in "Crimes of Passion." The character, Joanna Crane, is an architect by day and a prostitute, named China Blue, by night. As Turner stated, "that women really hated herself."
• Her favorite character is probably Joan Wilder, from "Romancing the Stone" and "The Jewel of the Nile." "Joan has this refreshing, of-course-the-world-can-be-wonderful attitude that really appeals."

Turner is really unhappy with the images we are seeing now in the media of what women should look like—the anorexic models, or, as in last summer's blockbuster film, "Charlie's Angels II," where strong women are shown performing lap dances. "These images are not healthy or realistic," says Turner. "Who decides what women should look like? And, why do we allow it? Real life is not like this. Let's grow up."

She also thinks that the American entertainment industry has no respect for experience or age. "This country is so youth-oriented. Can you imagine somebody in France saying to Catherine Deneuve, 'You're too old?' You know, not that I'm comparing myself to Catherine Deneuve, OK? But that's what happens in our country; we're youth-oriented."

She strongly believes in Margaret Meade's quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world: indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

Toward that end, Turner has a radio show with Grammy-nominated audio book producer, Charline Spektor, called "American Dialogue," which broadcasts weekly on National Public Radio. The show's genesis came out of their frustration with the current administration's domestic and foreign policies. So, armed with moxie and a list of phone numbers, these women rang up numerous political stars and marched them one by one into the studio, to ask them tough questions that they and countless other Americans wanted answers to—like why has the democratic voice gone eerily silent? The hour-long show creates a forum for guests to engage in a lively discussion, and for listeners across the country to gain an inside and in-depth look at today's most important topics.

Turner says that she and Spektor strive to explore timely and important topics to try to give people information about issues that directly affect their lives. She hopes that this empowers listeners and gives them ideas for ways that they can get involved and make change.

"It is so important to ask questions," Turner stated passionately. "There is so much that is wrong with the current policies guiding this nation, so much that doesn't make sense."

She and Spektor explore this on their show. Their guests share ideas about what needs to be done to make things better. Previous guests have included Congressman Charles Rangel, ranking member of the House ways and means committee, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert and Norman Lear, a TV writer and producer. "There is hope but we have to ask questions and be willing to get involved," she said.

By Stefanie Bobar, Office of Global Engagement