Writing “Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir” gave Detroit native and three-time Oscar nominee Piper Laurie freedom to be totally honest.
“I was holding onto everything that ever happened in my life – all these secrets. I wanted to get all the family stories straight. I knew I’d write it, but I had no idea I’d ever publish it. I don’t think I would’ve written it if I knew people would actually be reading it,” says Laurie, 84, who now lives in California.
The actress – nominated for Oscars for her roles in 1961’s “The Hustler,” 1976’s “Carrie,” and 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God,” not to mention her Golden Globe-winning role on “Twin Peaks” – returns to her roots for “An Evening with Piper Laurie” at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Thursday, Oct. 20. She’ll share stories of her career and 2011 memoir following a montage of her memorable on-screen moments.
The youngest of two, Laurie – born Rosetta Jacobs – took elocution lessons as a child to overcome extreme shyness. Those lessons changed her life, and she shared the screen with many of Hollywood’s best-known leading men: Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson, George C. Scott, James Garner, Jackie Gleason, Tony Curtis, Richard Harris, Robert Duvall, Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, George Clooney … the list goes on.
“They were wonderful actors and some of them were very decent people, like Gregory Peck and Paul Newman,” she said. “There were a few that I loved, but I can’t say that I had one favorite.”
Her memoir details relationships with co-stars, including Reagan, with whom she appeared at age 18 in 1950’s “Louisa,” her first film.
“I wish I had pulled back just a little sometimes,” Laurie confesses. “My editor asked me one last time before it went to print if I was sure I was OK with everything, and I said yes. However, people have misquoted me about what they consider sensational things. That gave it a crude element I didn’t appreciate. I guess I could’ve told the same stories and not reveal twice as much. I don’t think I was crude, but I was honest. Some writers would paraphrase or invent an interpretation of what I’ve written, specifically what I wrote about (Reagan).”
Laurie also spoke about working with Newman in “The Hustler,” in which she played his girlfriend, Sarah Packard.
“It was just beautifully written. I understood her immediately. It was just an elegant script and I got to work opposite Paul Newman, and it was directed by Robert Rossen – it was a great treat,” she recalls. “(Newman) was a very dear, warm, smart guy, and a wonderful actor. He kept growing as an actor. I was astounded every time I’d go to see him (in movies). He was a real human being. He was the only actor I ever met who read the newspaper in the makeup chair in the morning.”
After “The Hustler,” Laurie stopped acting for 15 years. Parts she was offered were too similar to her character from “The Hustler,” and with the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement reaching fever pitch, acting seemed insignificant, she says. In 1962, Laurie married Wall Street Journal reporter/critic Joe Morgenstern (they divorced in 1982) and had a daughter, Anne.
“For 15 years, I was really happy,” she says. “I became a mother, a sculptor and a baker. I didn’t miss anything. Then one day, I was offered the part in ‘Carrie.'”
The 1976 film adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel marked her return to acting and a second Oscar nomination, for her portrayal of Margaret White. A domineering, abusive religious zealot, Margaret is the mother of Carrie (Sissy Spacek), a bullied teenager with telekinetic powers.
But the accolades are nothing compared to “my daughter and my sculptures” she says.
“I’m glad I had all the experiences I had, even when they were painful and sad – that’s part of life. It makes the wonderful times that much richer.”
She’s excited about her return to Detroit.
“I’ve been back many times since I left as a child – for family celebrations, birthdays, weddings, bat mitzvahs, what have you,” she says. “I haven’t been there for a while. … It’ll be great fun. I hope I still have some relatives alive there. I’m really looking forward to seeing some of my favorite places in Detroit that are still there.”
* “An Evening with Piper Laurie,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at The Detroit Institute of Arts’ Detroit Film Theatre, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Tickets are $15 at dia.org, 313-833-4005.
