Elizabeth Taylor, Imelda Marcos, Diane Keaton, Claus von Bulow, Ava Gardner–they`ve all sat still for an interview with Dominick Dunne, whose profiles of the famous and the infamous, originally published in Vanity Fair, are collected in ”Fatal Charms and Other Tales of Today” (Crown).
Q–You`ve profiled Taylor, Keaton, Gardner. What generalizations can you make about famous actresses?
A–None. I found each one to be totally different. There is a certain similarity, however, between Ava and Liz. They were both trained to be movie stars. Diane, on the other hand, trained to be an actress and became a movie star. It`s a problem for her. They were all guarded, but in each case they trusted me. I have a movie background myself; I was a producer for many years. These ladies check you out pretty well before they allow you to interview them. They`re placing themselves in the hands of a stranger. A very curious thing happens in an interview. You have to go through a kind of cat-and-mouse game and a getting-to-know-you stage. I knew Liz and Diane, but I didn`t know Ava. She`s been burned a lot, and she`s very guarded, but we got through that. I really liked her a lot, and we had a wonderful time together.
Q–When you like someone and that person trusts you, do you feel obligated to write a flattering profile?
A–I don`t think in terms of flattering or unflattering. I`m interested in the moments of a person`s life. I like to listen to how they answer their phone and how they talk to the maid. On the other hand, I would never, ever overtly hurt anyone. It`s not in my nature. I`ve left all kinds of things out of my stories that were quite incredible. I`ll probably use them in a novel. In the long run it helps your career because you can only do nasty stories a couple of times. After that, no one will talk to you.
Q–How did the Imelda Marcos piece come about?
A–Persistence. She didn`t want to be interviewed. She turned me down, and I just sat there in Honolulu, hoping she`d change her mind. She was touched when she learned that I had sat through five hours of her anniversary celebration in a hot auditorium on a hot Sunday. She agreed to meet me, and then the meeting turned into an interview. I think that with a certain amount of trust, almost everybody is ready to talk. I never go in and start asking questions. I get into a conversation about something that relaxes the person. It can take half an hour. I never do anything in a hurry. I never do anything like, ”Meet you for lunch at the Polo Lounge, and we`ll do an interview.”
I`m a good conversationalist, and people like to talk to me. It`s a gift I have.
Q–Whom would you really love to interview now?
A–Mrs. Onassis.
