Headshot of Bette Midler
Jonathan Pushnik
“No actor doesn’t like to chew the scenery, even if they don’t admit it.”
If you ask Bette Midler how she got her part in the new film The Fabulous Four, it wouldn’t have anything to do with her legendary status as a performer, or that she’s an Oscar-nominated actor. “I think they needed a ham, a big ole ham. So, I got that part.” Midler plays Marilyn, a widow getting remarried who rekindles a friendship with her three college girlfriends, played by Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally. “No actor doesn’t like to chew the scenery, even if they don’t admit it. So, to have the permission to pull out all the stops is always great.” What was also great was working with her three costars. “Working with these these girls…girls, girls, oh my God, we’re 100! These women! Working with these women was really an eye-opener because everybody’s process is different.” Part of what makes Midler’s performance so fun is that it gives longtime fans of hers another taste of her Divine Miss M stage persona, albeit through Marilyn. “Sometimes when I meet people, they expect me to be her, and I’m not her. I’ve got her, and then I’ve got me. And since I’ve taken a step back from that truly active life of touring and stage shows, I find myself getting quieter and quieter. I know people want her to come back. I do love her. And in a way, she’s still tweeting, but in real life, you can’t be on 24/7. You’ll die. You’ll just die.”
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Editor’s Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.
What first appealed to you about doing The Fabulous Four?
I always like working with women. And I always like working with funny women. I’ve made several pictures with female comics and I just always have a ball. And the script was excellent. Jocelyn Moorhouse had a big hand in the script, and she is the director. I’ve seen her work for years and I really, really liked her, so when I heard it was her project, I was very excited. I was not the first call, Susan Sarandon was the first call because that’s a fairly difficult role. And Susan brought Megan on. And then they asked me because I think they needed a ham, a big ole ham. So I got that part. Sissy Spacek was supposed to be in it, and then she broke her hip, so I suggested Sheryl Lee, and Sheryl turned out to be just a gem. Everybody in it is so terrific. When I watched it, I was so excited. Because you do your scene and you don’t know how much of that scene is going to make it into the picture. It’s bits and pieces.