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Q&A with Felicity Huffman - Radio Times, April 2006 |
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The Desperate Housewives star talks career and motherhood with Benji Wilson.
BW: Congratulations on your
Oscar nomination for
Transamerica.
FH: Thank you. I wish the
awards hadn't been for
another year and I
could be a nominee
for a year. […] I know
this sounds like
some silly litany
that actors say
but, honest to God,
I feel like the win is
just being nominated […].
Has your life changed in
the past couple of years?
When Desperate Housewives
went through the roof and I
knew I would have a job for
a couple of years; with the
Emmy, which was a
shock; and then with the
Golden Globe… I bear
no resemblance to my
former self. I've got a
huge head, and I'm an
a**hole now.
Playing Lynette you've
become the ultimate
yummy mummy.
I feel like I was born with
a 40-year-old body, so when I turned
40 I was like, "not bad". But I have
this team of people - I show up
looking haggard in my nightgown
and within an hour and a half I look
pretty good.
You had bulimia and struggled
with your body image for years.
What changed?
What turned it around was when
I had children. I'm not talking about
"look what my body can do", which
is amazing: grow an extra skeleton -
you try it. But I had my kids and
I was 20lb heavier than I am now,
and I turned around and went,
"I look fantastic." I don't know
what it was - the grace of God? -
but something switched.
Do you think Desperate
Housewives made being 40 sexy?
I think what's interesting is it took a
gay writer […] to say women in their 40s are
sexy and viable and worth telling
stories about. But my experience is
that gay men appreciate women on
a sensual level far longer than
heterosexual men.
How do you balance your career
and being mum to your two girls?
I don't. I go through my day making
mistakes and fumbling and feeling
guilty that I don't know how to do it.
You caused a storm by saying
motherhood can be tough and
boring. Do you have regrets
about being so outspoken?
I don't say that stuff from a political
standpoint. I say it because it's true
for me […].
Why do you think it's a big deal?
I feel like motherhood is the last icon -
it's idealised and marginalised all at
the same time. And it's not OK to say
it's hard and awful and boring. […]
I couldn't love my kids any more than I
do, but it's the most difficult job.
Going to work is so much easier.
One final question: you play
a transsexual in Transamerica.
Do you ever wish you were a man?
The only time is during sports, as men
are so much stronger. I'll train for a
really long time running, then I'll do
six miles with my husband [actor William H Macy] and he just
kicks my butt, and it bugs me when
he hasn't even been training.
**
Now take a look at our full Desperate Housewives guide.
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