MICHELLE PFEIFFER. Scarface. December 19, 1983. Photo by Kleo Lee
  • Industry

Michelle Pfeiffer

I can’t help but feel different once I’m cinched into that corset for Age of Innocence. I start to carry myself differently, I stand differently, I sit differently, I walk differently, and I present myself differently. Any kind of constriction helps with the filling of the character. It’s very symbolic. But, as an actress, it was really exhausting. By the end of the day I had bruised ribs. And I couldn’t eat. I never knew when to eat because, God forbid, I should eat at lunch and then can’t get back into the costume. Also, if I took it off, I sort of swelled up. And if we worked late I couldn’t eat dinner, because in the morning I’d be so bloated I couldn’t get it back on, so I had to eat in little bites and, snacks during the day.