Christine Baranski: ‘Me, Meryl and Tracey Ullman called ourselves the Dynamos’
She’s the busiest of showbiz bees, currently filming the new series of The Good Wife and rehearsing for the hotly anticipated concert version of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies that will mark her London stage debut, but you won’t hear Christine Baranski whingeing about her workload.
We caught up with the 62-year-old – still in possession of the best legs in the business – for the ‘Big Gay Following’ pages of our latest issue. Given her iconic role in the big-screen adaptation of Mamma Mia!, we thought we’d give you a particularly camp excerpt:
You’ve worked with Meryl Streep twice. Is she as lovely as she seems or is there any dirt to dish there?
Oh no, she’s just an absolutely marvelous human being. I can’t believe I’ve had the singular good fortune of making two musicals with her and both of them were insanely happy experiences. With Meryl, we always have a wonderful time together and I recently discovered Tracey Ullman, who is just a fabulous lady and a magnificently talented person. The three of us together, we call ourselves the new Dynamos.
Like Donna and The Dynamos in Mamma Mia! right? Speaking of which, were you familiar with the national treasure known as Julie Walters before you made the film?
Oh my god, Julie Walters! Of course I knew about her and she turned out to be so much fun. It was such a pleasure to get to know her. I’d love it if we could do a Mamma Mia! remake, not for artistic reasons but just so we could all get together again. Just look at the success of The Marigold Hotel. The box office over here for the new one is just crazy. There’s a real audience out there for movies like that. We’re waiting for Hollywood producers to realize that the young guys they think are going to the movies are actually at home with their gizmos in their bedrooms.
By the way, we love your amazing legs…
[Laughs] I have great legs, it’s true. The joke I make about my legs is that ‘If the cinematographer could only shoot me from the waist down I wouldn’t need lighting’. I’ve always felt I have a funny face and great legs. I have an odd face. At certain angles I can look quite glamorous and at other angles I look quite odd, but maybe that’s made for versatility. I had bad skin for a long time and I’d look in the mirror and feel grumpy about that, but that’s cleared up now. In many ways I feel better about myself than I ever have.
Elsewhere in this month’s issue of Attitude, with Adam Lambert on the cover and a massive 11-page special inside:
Our massive election special. We speak to every major party leader and ask the tough questions: Who’s really going to stand up and fight for LGBT rights? Plus we chat to some of the LGBT candidates seeking your vote across the country.
We speak to ex-Westlife star Markus Feehily about his return to music as a solo artist, the pressures of life in a boy band (paging Zayn!) and his battle with depression.
Former Ugly Betty actor Michael Urie is in London for the hilarious play Buyer & Cellar – he speaks to us about his time on the show and being out in Hollywood.
And we sit down for a chat with the one and only DAVID BECKHAM. He talks fitness, style, and – yes – life with Victoria.
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You can read all that plus more in the new issue of Attitude, which is available to download to your mobile, iPad or tablet device now, at Pocketmags.com/Attitude.
The issue is in shops now and you can also have it delivered directly to your door at newsstand.co.uk.
*Follies is at The Royal Albert Hall, London, on April 28th at 3pm and 7.30pm. For more information and tickets visit www.royalalberthall.com or call 020 7589 8212