🎙️ Hollywood Hair Magic: Behind the Scenes with Bonnie Clevering | The Final Cut Podcast

Welcome to another Final Cut podcast. And this week, it’s absolutely no cliche to say that we’ve got the the hair stylist to the stars with us. Um this is another one of our um really interesting podcasts featuring people who’ve worked in or around Hollywood. And today I’m delighted to welcome Bonnie Clevering who has had a career spanning over 50 years starting with the the the tail end of the Hollywood studio era and taking us right up to the to the present day. She’s worked in over 120 productions uh in the hair or makeup department, hair stylist. And you know it’s her her list of actors that she’s worked with is stellar. Everybody from uh would you believe Elvis Presley and Betty Davis in the in the the 60s right through to names that that are household names today like Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Keano Reeves, Hillary Swank, Al Pacino, Jennifer Aniston. Not only that, but she’s also worked with some of the most distinguished directors in Hollywood. names as as multifarious as Paul Verhovven, Oliver Stone, who she’s worked with in numerous pictures, including JFK and Born on the 4th of July. Um Brian De Palama, uh also Steven Soderberg. So, um this is a lady with an absolute stellar uh set of credits and um since 2001, she’s been a member of the Academy of Arts and and Motion Picture Sciences, i.e. the people that give out the Oscars. So, I’m delighted to welcome uh Bonnie here today and um in September, you can read all about her history in Hollywood. Uh she’s got a new memoir out called Continuity, Life Beyond the Credits, um co-written with her son, Jason, and this is going to be published uh via Punctuate Press and will be available to order online. Uh so Bonnie, without further ado, it’s an absolute delight to welcome you. Welcome to Final Podcast.

Oh, I’m so pleased to be here. Thanks for inviting me.

Thank you. And you can see you’re actually holding up your book there.

Yes.

A lovely gold colored copy by the looks of it.

Yes. Very heavy. Hundreds and hundreds of pictures. All kinds of things.

Wow.

Yeah. It it goes on and on.

Amazing. So, people can order this um online, I believe. And

yes, as you said, yes, they can. And um and it’s even by continuity bybing.com. So, uh yeah, and then they’ll have it in September.

Great stuff. Well, look, as as a sort of taster for um actually people buying and reading that that extensive memoir, let us try and take you um through some of the the highlights of your career, no pun intended, when we’re talking about hair stylings. Um so, can I take you right the way back? Um you weren’t born in Hollywood. You I think you you came to Hollywood, didn’t you? Can you maybe explain to us how how you first got into the movie business?

Hey, uh went to Hollywood in 1964 and uh I had uh a hair styling license in the state of Florida. So I knew when I if went to Hollywood, I would work in a beauty salon and have to get a California state license. And um so when we first we’re newly married and when we got there uh I started uh looking at salons and then there’s a gentleman that lived in the apartment complex we did and he said why don’t you try to see about getting in the studios as a hair stylist and I thought yeah every hairdresser’s dream to do movie stars. Well, he kept pushing me. So, I went ahead and I met Carmen Durrigo, who was the head hairdresser back then on Petticoat Junction and uh the Beverly Hill Billies. And uh so I met her and she took such a liking she referred me to the head hairdresser at 20th Century Fox. And so I got my state license and then at the beginning I just worked on big movies where I just worked on extras because I didn’t have the experience. So, I just learned from the other hairdressers and eventually had to take a union test that was two nights of eight hour nights of just showing how to apply an Indian wig, a toupe, uh a period wig, uh all kinds of hair styling tools to to use.

Wow. So to to clarify for our viewers, so what does a hair stylist do on the set and what I mean I I believe questions like continuity is very important. What what what is actual role a hairstylist?

Well uh we have uh now we have a makeup trailer where at the very beginning we always did our actors in uh a studio and then go to the stage. But basically the last many many years uh you have a makeup trailer that consists of makeup and hair stylists and uh and then the actor comes in and depending on if their hair is wet or if they don’t have to have a lot of hair they’ll go to makeup first but usually they’ll come to hair first because either I have to wrap their head properly to apply a wig later on in the morning and uh they go to makeup and then they come back to hair or if it’s a a hair stylist that a hairstyle that really needs lastm minute work, they’ll even go and get their wardrobe on, come back to the makeup trailer, finish their hair, and then we go to the set. And then where the continuity comes in is after every scene I take pictures uh and we use Polaroid film for many years and then mark the Polaroid with the scene number and the day of the script and then we’d keep those because it might be where Julia Roberts is outside. we’re filming in the rain or the snow and then she walks up to the door and it might be two months later we film the interior. So that’s why I have to take the front each side and the back of the hairstyle for every scene because I have to match that when she walks in that living room or wherever she’s walking into days or months later. And so, uh, that that’s where the continuity, you know, comes in and that’s part of the continuity of life too that I, uh, write about in my book.

Yes. Yes. Well, um, we would be remiss if we didn’t, um, touch on some of these major stars that you worked with in the in the early years of your career. um Elvis Presley. Uh how did you come to work with him and how did you find him as a as a st both as a star and as a person?

Well, I was working at MGM Studios and uh I had just finished uh a series with Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers called The Girl from Uncle and the Man from Uncle and uh and so that was up and then by the head of the department assigned me, it was more or less assigning me to the Speedway, the Presley Sinatra movie. And uh so I was in charge of Nancy and then touching up or watching Elvis because the makeup man was the one that actually did his hair in the morning. But a lot of the men just did their hair at home and then we would just watch it during. But uh but what was one of the most exciting things during the filming uh Priscilla Presley was pregnant with Lisa Marie and uh Nancy Sinatra gave Priscilla a baby shower and invited me up to her home and there were just maybe 12 women there and I at the time had an infertility problem and had a lot of miscarriages. So halfway through the shower, Nancy had Priscilla and I stand up. So what is she doing? And it’s an old Italian wives tale to rub the hands on a pregnant woman woman’s stomach. And that is supposed to bring you luck. And that was the month after about two and a half years I got pregnant with Jason.

That’s amazing.

Yeah. And so I have um a little in the book there’s a picture of the little thank you note that Elvis and I want to thank you for the gift and the return address was Memphis handwritten and I think back then it was like a four cent stamp. So that’s kind of the start. And then I did with Nancy Sinatra. Then she did a musical special which uh was uh also her father Frank Dean Martin Sammy Davis Jr. So I was kind of in that little rat pack then and then years later I’m doing Oceans 11 and Oceans 12 with the new rat pack.

Yes, that’s right. Because it’s on your CV. You you worked obviously with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, but you actually go back to the original rap pack. Amazing.

Yeah, I was the only one that on the whole set except for our producer Jerry Winthrop that had worked also with Elvis.

Yeah. So, Elvis himself, h how did you find him as as as a person or a personality?

Oh, so nice, so softspoken, but he and his all the buddies that he always had around him, they just always were playing jokes at each other. They they’re just trying to see how they could get the next one and uh but thinking, “Oh, this is real.” So, I came up with a couple jokes on Elvis that because they didn’t expect it from me at all.

Can you can you give us an example the joke?

Well, one of them most of the his guys and he smoked like a little cigar like a tipperilla or a small cigar and uh so one day I said to him, Elvis, let me light your cigar. Well, I had one of those Zippo lighters that you can add the flame going up or down. So I had it on the high flame and I went to and it went and afterwards I thought, “Oh my god, am I going to blow it off his pompador?” Yeah. And then the other thing u uh was he was complaining about how dry his hands were and around his cuticles. And so there’s a product that is uh used when you do a hair lace wing, which is a fine netting along the face, is you glue it with the spirit gum that’s uh invisible. So one day I said to Elvis, I said, “I got the best hand lotion for you or or oil.” And so what I did is I rubbed my hands first in nice smelling lotion because I knew he’s always on the alert. So what I said, “Here, let me give you some of this.” And he said, “Let me smell it.” So I let him smell my hand so he could smell the perfumey smell. And then I poured this glue and he rubbed I said, “Oh, it’s too much. Rub and rub it.” Well, his hands start sticking together. So the makeup man came with the uh rubbing alcohol and denatured alcohol to remove it. And the next day when he came to work, he said, “I sat all night in front of that TV picking out that stuff out of my cuticles and nails.” So we had a good time.

Yeah, that’s amazing. Can I ask So you work for from Stall everything from Elvis to Christ Stewart. How do you adopt your approach to fit? You know, when you work with different personalities and time period, how how do you adapt different people?

Well, it’s just at the beginning you just kind of see if they and the thing is if they want to talk a lot, if they want to use you as a psychiatrist and you know cry or if they uh you know what their interests are or they just might and everyone had a certain kind of music. So, usually in our makeup trailer after we were out of the studios, then uh we always had music going and if it was soft music, if it was rock m, whoever we were working with at the time kind of chose the music. So, it was a little rock and trailer a lot of times. But we, you know, you just kind of like when you meet someone if they’re very talkative or quiet and I just knew how to balance that.

Yeah. So the hair stylist in some ways is the is the confessor figure. You know, they can confess things to you that um they might not to others. I I mean what I find remarkable about your career is you’ve worked you you span that era from the end of the studio system right through to I think um you finished up on the working with Kristen Stewart on the the Twilight saga.

Um well I after Twilight I did uh later I did with Stu uh Kristen the uh uh Huntsman uh and but then I had retired and then a few years later Jennifer Aniston who I’d worked with before and of course I knew her through Brad in the Oceans 11 and 12 because she’d come to the set is I uh I end up uh working with her again. she called me and they took me out of retirement and I said, “Okay, I’ll come and do it.” So, that was really my last job and it’s called Dumplin and it’s on I think Netflix.

On Netflix. So, so obviously it shows the tremendous um trust and faith that that that these stars have in you that they they they called literally you were called out of retirement. Jennifer Aniston phoned you up and said h could could you help her? Can I take you back though to um another star from the the classic era, Betty Davis, who who you work beside?

Yes. Um she and Robert Wagner were very very close friends. And back in the 60s, you didn’t see big movie stars working on a TV series. And Robert Wagner was doing it. It’s called Takes a Thief. And so he asked Betty, he said, “Hey, come on.” and do a little spot, you know, on my film. So, uh, so I I did her and it was very easy and simple. She’s very, you know, not like, ooh, fix this and oh, no, no, you know, it was just like she was into her acting and, you know, her hair and makeup long as it was, you know, okay, she liked it, that was fine. So, uh, I just worked with her on on that, uh, TV series.

Just the once.

Yeah. Yeah. So, and then I worked with Sher too back then. He was uh

Yeah.

She was on uh one of the series and was in disguise. So, that’s what she had that long black hair down to her waist and I had to disguise her in a blonde wig. So I had to and the these are things that I I learned and I trained for was wrapping that hair so it was so flat against her head and it was evenly distributed. So when the wig went on there wasn’t a bulge here up here or back here. And then I put this short blonde wig on her.

All right. Sharing a blonde wig. There’s there’s a thought that

Yeah.

Um so the the changes that you’ve seen uh must be immense. Um you started in that classic era or is sort of really the the tail end of the the the old style studio system. Um then you took a break I think for about 14 15 years uh and then returned to to Hollywood. Is that is that correct?

Well, I I we went from

Yeah.

from uh LA to Indianapolis and I worked in a high-end beauty salon, right? And then in the 80s is when we went to uh Dallas, Texas, and found out they were filming. They Texas at the time had a good tax incentive, was doing a lot of filming. So, uh, I kind of I had no idea that I was going to get back in the business. And then I was working in Dallas on several things for oh, I don’t a few year more than a few years. And um, since I’d start building up a reputation and everything, my husband and I decided to go back to Hollywood. And then that’s when I started again. I feel like I almost started over then in Hollywood, but uh I was very fortunate to get a couple great films of great directors or actors and then I lost my husband. He was just 55 years old of cancer and uh my career just took off about a year a year and a half after that and it was non-stop see the world too.

Can I just ask you? So you have seen so many technological culture shift in this. How do you feel hair styling has changed when you started say in Pelvis and how how how has it developed in your opinion?

Well, if you look back even like any move old movies like Rita Hayworth in the even in the 40s and 50s, women hardly ever changed their hair. There might be a a scene with a with a night gown and robe that their hair might be down or something, but most the time that hair was like a helmet the whole film. So, um there were like when I worked with Nancy Sinatra, we had a fair amount of hair changes, but we didn’t like Betty Davis that I mean she had the same hair. So I just found through the years I that’s why I have in this book thousands of continuity pictures because if you watch any of the a lot of the movies today, you’ll see how the hair has changed. It’s down, it’s up, it’s over, it’s got a hat, it doesn’t have a hat. And uh so we’ve seen a lot of changes, a lot of more work too in a way and especially the continuity that’s so important.

Yeah. And also feeding on from that, how do you think the wider industry has changed? Um I imagine it must be almost unrecognizable between um the start of your career and when you eventually finished up.

Yeah. And uh you know everything has gotten into most things such a budget anymore and and so little is being done in Hollywood. They’re really really hurting hurting now. In fact, uh I was told the other day I had someone go to a breakfast and the proceeds of that breakfast was going to pay union members their dues so they could stay in the union. So right now Hollywood is really really hurting for film work in Hollywood because they can go other places and do it less. But of course for years they’ve been going to other places just because of the exterior scenery. Uh if it’s you know Australia they do a lot there. I mean I did a lot in even Canada because the budget was was better there. Plus for the script there were certain scenes that worked good in Canada.

So so obviously one key factor in the changes is a lot more travel. You know in the old days a lot of stuff would be shot on the lots presumably um the studio lots.

Oh yeah.

Whereas today a lot of travel and also obviously the decline of the studio system or the old style studio system uh MGM and so forth. Now of course it’s large corporations like like Sony, Disney and increasingly the tech companies uh like Amazon that that are coming in. Um, so on the whole, um, I guess you would would you say characterize it as a narrative of decline? Um, or do you think that there are advantages now that the old studio system is is no longer with us? I mean, where where do you fall on that?

Oh, I think I think there’s somewhat of a decline and it’s I find it sad for so many of the union people that have families and everything. It’s really uh and you know the budgets and their uh I mean a lot of actors even themselves they’re not getting the money that they used to and uh and I think with things moving you know to Netflix and Amazon and all of them that changes uh but as far as the old Hollywood the the class of it and the hours because like when I was well any of the studios I worked at Universal, Warner Brothers, but like I was at MGM so much that we filmed everything on stage. The only thing we we’d go to the back lot once in a while and and film some exterior things. But on Friday, we we were always home, you know, if even if it was 9:00 at 10:00 at night where my last job in uh before uh Jennifer Addison, but I was with Hillary Swank in Africa and we went to work at 10:00 in the morning and we got home the following morning at 6.

Oh my goodness.

and uh and Oliver Stone, we worked a 24-hour day one time. We were ready to wrap and it was the uh next to the last day of shooting and Oliver got the whole crew together and said except for the technicians, everyone could go home or their hotels or whatever and that come back after so many hours because they would be lighting and everything. And then we would continue and they would keep us on double and triple time and mail penalties and everything, but then we put two days into one.

Yeah.

And uh so it it’s you know they just to try to get more and more you know out of the workers out of the workers because of budgets.

Yeah. Now, um, Oliver Stone is somebody I wanted to to ask you a bit about and and to touch on your work with directors as as well as actors. Um, now you’ve you were in quite a lot of Oliver Stone pictures from Born on the 4th of July, JFK, Any Given Sunday, Heaven and Earth. Um, some absolutely classic Oliver Stone movies. Um, but from that story, it suggests that that Oliver Stone’s a little bit of a taskmaster. Is he a little bit of a military commander?

Well, he’s so brilliant and he knows what he wants and he’s a nice kind man. But you better get it right and or else you know you hear about it but uh he carried on with so many of the same crew throughout his film. So it was kind of family kind of like Stephen Soderberg. I did several with Stephen and it was just kind of family. Everyone knew how to work, what they what Stephen was expecting out of us and uh and same with with Oliver and I just but I think you know they’re both brilliant directors and human beings.

Yeah. Can I ask you something though? Um you you have worked with so many amazing people and you have had such amazing contribution to this film but your name yourself isn’t in the spotlight but your work is so unforgettable. How do you feel of being part in the invisible art of the film?

Oh fine. I mean it it never affected me or I’ve thought much about it.

Mhm. So you wouldn’t want to be a a star in yourself. I mean you must have seen so many stars. I mean we we all think about the glamour of Hollywood. But I suggest I I suspect also you know there’s a lot of u people maybe don’t want to be on the sp in the spotlight all the time. But of course when you’re a star you you you have to be 24/7 in the spotlight. I mean, um, without obviously going into to confidencies and with people you’ve worked with, I mean, have you seen the downside of of stardom and glamour?

Oh, yeah. I think uh, a lot of it is when there’s crowds and people hanging on automobiles and limousines and, you know, things like that. It’s like just almost too much.

Mhm.

But yet, I think most of everyone I’ve worked with understand why they’re why they’re there because of those people in the ticket sales or whatever. And I remember with uh Kristen Stewart and Rob Patterson, we would end up uh filming, it was at this little studio and it was so cold and rainy outside and we had fans down the road, this country road, just lined up all day. And when uh they got in the car to go back to town, they had the the driver stop and get out of the car and sign autographs for all these people that were in the road all day. And so they they really appreciated it. And so I found, you know, people most the actors are very kind about it.

Yeah. Also within your book, there are some lovely still photos of I I guess what must be the actors being kind to you. There’s there’s one image that stuck in my mind of Brad Pitt seeming to present you with a birthday cake. Is that correct?

Yes. And Brad uh it was my birthday and we were that film was the Mr. Mrs. Smith and we had a um he gave me a birthday cake and beautiful flowers and some gifts. And then when we went to the set after lunch, it was a scene where there was kind of an old ballroom in band and the women were dressed lovely and it was a women and men dancing this beautiful music and he had the band play Happy Birthday and sing everyone sang happy birthday like 150 people to me.

Oh wow, that’s amazing.

Yeah. And he’s such a great man and just such a giver. I mean, if someone if it was a driver or grip or anyone and he found out that there was some health problem at their house or someone had got in an accident or their mother was ill, I mean, he just had his assistant go over to that crew member and just that Brad wants to do something. you know, do you know, whatever, gift certificates, the grocery store, it it didn’t matter, but he was always aware of what was going on around him and everyone.

Fantastic. And of course, um uh you worked with with Brad on the the the Oceans movies as well, which also starred uh George Clooney and and Julia Roberts. Um I think you know Julia Roberts quite well. You’ve worked on quite a number of pictures with with Julia Roberts. Is that correct?

Yes. I I did 10 movies with Julia.

Wow.

And we started on Aaron Brachovich and then went through the Oceans 11, Oceans 12, all of those plus many in between. And uh we and I found with her and Hillary Swank, Kristen Stewart, they all love to cook, right? And so I I’ve I can’t tell you the different times in different countries we were in and what we cooked and what uh what we contributed to or whatever. It uh it it was fun because I love to cook myself. So I was like the mama of the kids showing them or them teaching me some new recipes.

Yeah. So, um, are you able to reveal, um, what Julia Robert’s favorite food is then?

Well, when, um, when I first started, I don’t think we were, we were just in the makeup trailer doing a makeup hair test for Eric Braovich. Somehow it came up that she loves sausage, biscuits, and gravy. And so I after living in Texas and that, you know, I got pretty good at making sausage, biscuits, and gravy. And so uh there was certain time that I got to make it and she fell in love with it. So it became a thing that my reputation got around in Hollywood about my sausage, biscuits, and gravy. And uh so we used to have uh a couple friends had weddings and then Julia had a wedding and different things. So my gift at these weddings were the brunch the next day of the sausage, biscuits and gravy. And the last time I was up to 10 and some biscuits and I think 20 pounds of sausage or something. And so there’s uh in the book is the recipe and uh I’ve uh whenever we went on location, we’d always have uh her refrigerator stocked with if it was fruit, strawberries, but we always had everything for sausage, biscuits, and gravy. So, we’re in Oceans 11 in Las Vegas, and all the actors had these darling little fac little houses down below the hotel and or they’re called villas. And so, one, Sunday afternoon, she said, “What are we going to eat tonight?” And I said, “I don’t know.” She said, “Well, let’s have the sausage, biscuits, and gravy.” I said, “For dinner?” I said, “That’s a breakfast thing.” and she said, “No, let’s because we’re going to be leaving soon and we’ve had it in the fridge.” So I said, “Well, then let’s order a big fruit tray from the hotel, something, you know, else that might coordinate with this.” And all of a sudden, she’s doing one thing, I’m doing another, and the door knocks at her villa, and it’s Matt Damon. He said, “Boy, we all smell this smell in the hallway. It smells so good. What is it?” He said, “Well, make it sausage, piss, and gravy.” Well, before you knew it, at the long dining room table, I had Clooney. I had uh Brad, I had Matt Damon, I had Don Cheetel, they were all there for for it. And then one time when she was on, Julia was on Oprah, Oprah kind of looks at her because, you know, Julie’s got such a beautiful body. And she said, “And I understand you like sausage, biscuits, and gravy.” And Julia says, “Oh yeah, my friend Bonnie makes the best.” So that’s amazing. In fact, I just saw an interview with Brad on this F1 uh and the one of the guys he’s talking to the the guys from England and he’s got the English accent and talking about his food and and Brad says, “Oh, but have you ever had sausage or have you ever had he called it gravy and biscuits?” And this guy looks at him like, “What’s that?” Brad says, “Oh, it’s a golden biscuit and then this gravy on top.” Oh, it is so delicious. And but he didn’t say it was my recipe, but I used to make it for him when I did.

Yeah. Well, you’re right to say that in the UK, they don’t really so much know about that. We we Charlotte and I know about it because we’ve spent a little time in the US. But um

Okay.

But yeah, I guess I I guess the equivalent if it’s breakfast would probably be um bacon, sausage, and eggs or something like that.

Yeah, exactly.

In the UK, you know, what they call a full English breakfast, right? Can I can I take you back to your memo memoir? It’s called you continue life beyond the credits. But um what inspired you to write this and what surprised you most during the process?

Oh, bringing up uh just so many memories. I mean naturally some of them sad but yet you know a lot of my past just in my upbringing and things that transpired when I was younger and so forth. But then of course a lot of wonderful memories and how I grew through my life and um my thoughts of life and people and everything. So, you know, it took me years back also.

Do you think you want to give back sort of to Hollywood or give back?

No. No. No. I think uh I mean Jason and I have other ideas and he’s got some fabulous ideas for other other projects and books, but um just because of my age too, I’m tired and I uh you know, I don’t have that energy either for the hours and because now I’ve got so many things coming up and interviews and television shows that uh I’m just trying to save myself that.

Yes.

Yeah, you’re an amazing woman. But can I just ask you a bit about what advice I mean if if a young person wanted to go into Hollywood and become a stylist or become what advice would you give a young person wishing to be go on your career?

I think I think it didn’t it hasn’t changed a whole lot. They definitely have to have the basic experience of working in a salon and knowing uh and then having to really study period work. And for instance, like in part of our tests were putting an Indian wig on a stunt man that would fall off a horse. And the thing is there’s certain hair pins in that in a certain direction that you put them in. So when they fall those wouldn’t protrude in the head. So there’s all these little things that they’d have to really learn by someone that very experienced because and there there are a few schools they could go to and uh in uh California that they could do that too, but it’s a very slow long process and uh and you know it’s it’s more difficult than it ever was. to to break in.

Um the um I must before we we close up this interview, I must um also discuss with you one one of my favorite films that that you that I see you’ve worked on was Insomnia um directed by Christopher Nolan um and starring Al Puccini. Uh and you worked beside Al Pacuccino. So, um I I guess an example of a of a method actor rather than a uh just a

Yeah.

Yeah. Al is just like one of the best. Edward Norton reminds me somewhat of Al also. They’re just I almost next to be geniuses and Al would uh that’s the first time I’d worked with Al and I did just Al at Insomnia in uh Vancouver and then later I did Any Given Sunday and then I cut his hair for certain things in Hollywood. But uh he’s one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with. I mean, without a doubt, he’s on top of that list.

But in terms of of the the preparation that he does, was he when you were styling him, was he in in character as it were um or or or is he just able to switch on and off a a character?

No, he would kind of start not at the very not like first thing in the morning with the hair and makeup as much. Uh, but after he’d get to the set, you could see him getting into the groove and the move and and everything that he uh that he needed to do in order to be as brilliant as he is. So, you know, kind of kept to himself, you know, that kind of thing and kept very quiet once he wherever we were, if we were outside or inside.

Mhm. Are there any particular hairstyle you’re particularly proud of? If I wowed I really I really succeeded with that one or

Well, I think probably one was the wig and I know it’s getting a lot of publicity for years is uh those wedding scene for Kristen Stewart. M I think that with the braid and the bun and this and that that as publicly has gotten more than anything I’ve ever seen. But as far as continuity goes, Julia and Aaron Brochovich, I had so many hairstyles, but not elegant, you know, but I mean, one day she’s crying, one day she’s working, one day she’s sweating. I mean it’s and then you know she had to be in court or she had to be in the office and so there was just so many different looks that I had with her but they weren’t fancy looks but it was the continuity of that show was probably one of the biggest I did.

Amazing. Um and just um to wrap up because there there’s so much that we could go into here.

Yeah. Well, we could come back someday too.

Yeah. Yeah, I think we’re going to have to do part two here. But um somebody else, a director that you’ve worked beside who imagine that that movie must have been quite an experience is is um when you came back to Hollywood, you worked with Paul Verhovven on Robocop, the original Robocop. Um Verhovven is quite a character. Um so how did you find him?

Oh, quite a character. But that was out of Dallas when I was in in the 80s, right? Then we went out of Dallas and then we did part of it in Pennsylvania. But uh I mean he knows what he wants, but I mean he’s very energetic, very outspoken, but uh good at what he does.

Yeah. Well, he makes these terrific satires and um Robocop, the original Robocop is is certainly certainly one of them. Um but you know he’s got a real cult reputation um with with movies like Robocop and then later of course um Show Girls and uh and Basic Instinct. Well look um Bonnie it’s been absolutely terrific um talking to ask you know we have one question.

Go ahead.

So if you go back and give one piece to your younger self, think when you’re 21 or what what would you have said if you if you met your 21 year old self today? Piece of advice for the future or

maybe not be so hard on yourself. Uh I think uh take take everything a little lighter and not quite so serious because you know at the beginning I you know naturally it was wonderful and that but you know I I was sweating every day I went to work and hoping that I’d please not just the actor but the director and the producers and you know it wasn’t just one person and getting along in the makeup trailer with new hairdressers. and new makeup artists. And so I think just take more deep breaths.

That’s good advice.

Yeah, that’s that’s lovely advice and great great advice to to end on. Well, um, thanks ever so much, Bonnie. Um, I’m sure this book, Continuity, Life Beyond the Credits, is going to fly off the proverbial bookshelves or online bookstores. Um, if nothing else, not just for all the these wonderful stories about the stars, but hey, for your recipe for sausage, biscuits, and gravy. I know that’s in there.

Yeah.

So, uh, good luck with it. And how can if they want to go find out more, they they can buy your book, but how else can they get in touch? You said you had a website and

well if they go use my name and then go on IMDb that’s the movie uh datab and so they just put my name and then they can see everything I’ve done. Uh it’s just a whole list of everything.

Great. Well well thanks ever so much Bonnie and

Oh well thank you for inviting me.

Yeah, it’s a pleasure and and all the best with with your forthcoming memoir.

Okay.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you.