The Many Roles Of Geena Davis
The assassin’s eyes cooly study you. But platinum-topped Geena Davis just can’t keep her bubbly side down, and she collapses into bursts of laughter.
In “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” she plays a suburban mom who can’t always repress her past as a former CIA killer, too. The internal battle keeps the shoot-‘em-up rolling along at an explosive clip.
Davis breaks new ground here as a full-fledged female action hero. Her mottled career defies type-casting, including such diverse, quirky roles as a ghost in “Beetlejuice,” an insect’s girlfriend in “The Fly,” a spaceling’s lover in “Earth Girls Are Easy,” a baseball slugger in “A League of Their Own,” a pirate captain in “Cutthroat Island,” a debacle directed by her husband, Renny Harlin, and a feminist road warrior in “Thelma and Louise.”
“I’m amassing some weird talents,” she laughs.
Born and raised in Wareham, Mass., Davis’ statuesque beauty qualified her to model for New York’s Zoli Agency while she kicked around TV in bit parts. Her first movie break was in “Tootsie.” Remember her? She was the one in her underwear when Dustin Hoffman slipped into the women’s dressing room.
Davis, 39, got her reward when she snagged an Academy Award for her role as an offbeat dog trainer in 1988’s “The Accidental Tourist.” When her husband got the nod to direct “The Long Kiss Goodnight” and started looking at her for the lead part, Davis knew all too well what to expect - she hurried into the gym to study boxing, tae kwon do, skating and gunplay.
Whatever you do, get out of her way.
1. Is the world ready for a woman assassin?
Davis: The short answer is yes. I know the world is ready because I’ve now seen this movie multiple times with audiences and they go nuts. It’s like going to a party where people are screaming, clapping and laughing their heads off. The theater is rockin’. And I know that women are responding as well as men.
2. We must’ve missed that “Knight Rider” episode you were in. Fill us in.
Davis: Oh, jeez. I was a cat burglar. It actually had one scene where I’m in a one of those black leotard-y things with a face mask, running across roofs. And David Hasselhoff knocks me down and rips off my mask and my hair spills out. And the car is speaking. It was all very hilarious.
3. The self-appointed fashion guru Mr. Blackwell once called you “Big Bird in heels” at the Oscars. What’s it like dressing for those big bashes?
Davis: Y’know, much too much attention is paid to what people wear. Hello? It’s really gotten out of hand. When Time and Newsweek are also reviewing what people wear, then we’re really in serious trouble.
Clothes are meant to be an expression of yourself. It’s a fun way to be creative. God forbid you’re like Cher or Dennis Rodman or somebody who is incredibly expressive and creative and just having a great time. They just hammer you. Who the hell says you should only wear black Armani?
4. Is it true you sang in “Earth Girls Are Easy”?
Davis: Yeah, but you know, I didn’t really sing it. They replaced me with somebody else’s voice. I can sing, but they were looking for a different sound or something. But I had this number where I’m in my underwear smashing the house up and singing a song and destroying things with a golf club in a blond wig. It was just goofy.
5. What attracted you to some of those earlier, quirky roles like “Earth Girls Are Easy”?
Davis: You know, I have a pretty off-beat sense of humor. Actually, I think they should re-release “Earth Girls” because people might not realize that Jim Carrey’s in it, that Damon Wayans and Jeff Goldblum are in it. I definitely think they should re-release it. Oh, maybe we should do a sequel.
5-1/2. Earth Girls II?
Davis: ‘Earth Girls Are Still Easy.’ Or ‘Earth Girls Are Easier.’
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