Orange Coast Magazine

Andie MacDowell

August Issue

May 1, 2006

By Kyra Kirkwood

No one "found" her in waiting for the subway. Nor did an agent approach her at the local ice cream shop one summer. No, Andie MacDowell is proud to claim she discovered herself.

Nearly three decades ago, a statuesque 20-year-old with a head full of raven-colored curls left the small town of Gaffney, South Carolina, and walked herself alone through the doors of New York City's Elite Model Management. So powerful was her impact, all the agents could say was, "when can you move here?"

She went home, told her dad she was leaving and two weeks later, began her new life, ready or not.

"I was so naÔve, I was fearless," says MacDowell, currently starring in Paramount Pictures' animated summer flick "Barnyard," directed by Steve Oedekerk ("Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius"). "I learned as I went along. There comes a point whether you sink or swim—I was a good swimmer."

This current of Southern-honed strength still runs thick through actress/model/mother MacDowell, and has helped her not just swim, but thrive, in both her personal life and multi-faceted professional career that encompasses everything from magazine covers to box-office smashes for the past 28 years.

"[When I was young], I wanted to do exactly what I'm doing [now], which is pretty amazing," says MacDowell, 48. "I'm really, really lucky. The great thing is I have the time to be a full-time mother. I have the opportunity to devote myself completely to my children. It's good for them, but it's also good for me. So when I finally have the opportunity to devote myself to me, I'm like, OK now it's my turn. Now I get to be creative and think about me."

MacDowell first hit the public's eye in her early 20s, scoring her inaugural magazine cover on the front of Women's Wear Daily. After a few years of lucrative print and runway modeling, a 23-year-old MacDowell easily made the transition to the big screen as a lead in "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes." Yet so thick was her Southern accent, her voice was completely dubbed over by Glenn Close.

"I can mark that one up to experience," says MacDowell without a trace of anger or bitterness. "It was so long ago, a long time."

From there, MacDowell earned a small role as Dale Biberman in 1985's "St. Elmo's Fire," overshadowed and surrounded by the "Brat Pack" of the 1980s: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy.

It wasn't until 1989's groundbreaking film by Steven Soderbergh, "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," that MacDowell became a force to be reckoned with, and one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors for years to come.

"If it had not been for 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape,' I wouldn't be here," she says. "It changed my life. I could hardly get a job before that. And then it changed everything and I became very much in demand. So I am going to always be thankful for that."

MacDowell clamored for a slot in this film, despite the fact that it was semi-controversial and made on a low budget (about $1 million) by a then-unknown director. As in true MacDowell fashion, she fought for the role that spoke to her, and "Sex, Lies, and Videotape's" Ann Bishop Mullany was screaming for her attention.

"Nobody else wanted it." She waits a beat, then laughs a pleasant, deep chuckle, "No, Iπm just jokingä.[But] it's not like a bunch of people were knocking down the doors to get the part. Except for me. I knew I wanted it. I wanted it really bad. It was an amazing character, just a phenomenal character."

A quick reading with Soderbergh earned MacDowell the part, and she was thrilled, figuring this was exactly the type of film casting directors would see and make note of. She had no idea it would become all the rave at the Cannes Film Festival that year, or go on to be nominated at the Academy Awards for best screenplay, or wind up grossing millions of dollars at the domestic box office.

Having just given birth, MacDowell was not in France for the Cannes festival, but Soderbergh made sure she knew about the phenomenon happening over there. Or tried to, at least.

"Steven calledäto tell me that it won the Palme d'Or (the highly-lauded Golden Palm award, the highest honor given at the festival) and I said, 'well, does that mean it will be distributed?' And he just laughed," says MacDowell. "I had no concept at that time what was happening."

What was happening was MacDowell's career.

From then on, MacDowell could be seen in scores of huge box-office blockbusters, many of them romantic comedies. With her Renaissance-like curls and polite Southern charm, MacDowell became the darling of the big screen. She ranked up screen time in blockbuster films such as "Green Card," "Four Weddings and a Funeral" in 1994, "Multiplicity," "Michael" and the 1993 classic "Groundhog Day." MacDowell has shared the camera with the likes John Travolta, Bill Murray, Hugh Grant, Michael Keaton and scores of other leading men and women. She's also done her share of dramas, like "Harrison's Flowers" in 2000 and "Tara Road," which screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April 2006.

Last summer, she paired up with Queen Latifah, Alicia Silverstone and Mena Suvari

in the comedic "Beauty Shop," part of the popular "Barber Shop" franchise. MacDowell played a rich Southern belle in need of hair care and down-home cooking.

As long as a film has a good script, MacDowell is game, she says. Some of her favorites have been those that both challenged and enriched her, even if they were smaller movies. One example is Diane Keaton's 1995 "Unstrung Heroes," a coming-of-age piece about a boy, his dying mother and two crazy uncles.

"I thought it was a beautiful movie, and I thought she was a great director," says MacDowell.

She even graced the television screen in an episode of "The Practice," as well as in the drama " Riding the Bus With My Sister," directed by Anjelica Huston.

This summer, MacDowell can be heard, if not seen, as Etta the Hen in the CGI flick "Barnyard," a lighthearted look at what really happens when the farmer's back is turned. MacDowell recorded the film not far from her home, allowing her to spend time with her family. Although sitting in an audio room solo and recording her voice was new and slightly scary for her, MacDowell thoroughly enjoyed the ride, she said.

Just completed filming is the comedy/drama "Funny Farm," with MacDowell playing a therapist in drug rehab center. The name may change, but the quirky plot and rich characters, played also by Colm Feore and Jennifer Tilly, should stay the same.

The screen, both big and small, is where MacDowell is comfortable. But she has done some local, small-scale theater work, and once considered performing in London stage shows. Yet the thought of being away from her family for half the year kept her on home turf, she said. So for now, she's sticking with screenplays and cameras.

As long as the good roles keep pouring in, MacDowell is game. Just don't ask her to rank her own work.

"I think it's really hard—I know if I watch a movie on my own, I can't judge myself, I can't really judge the movie," she says. "I have to watch it with an audience. I have to hear how they react to it becauseäI'll be too analytical. I'll analyze it and be too hard on myself. I have to see it with an audience, otherwise Iπm clueless as to weather anybody's going to like it or not."

She's nearly 50, still looks almost identical to the MacDowell of the 1980s, was named one of People Magazine's "World's Most Beautiful People" twice (1991 and 2000)— and she's in no hurry to slow down. With age comes wisdom, and MacDowell utilizes her intellect to help her choose which projects she'd like to fill her plate with.

"I just want to continue to work with good people," MacDowell says. "I love to work. I think I appreciate it more now than ever because I've been through so much. And also, [since] I devote myself so much to my children, when I'm given the opportunity to be creative and to have my turn, to be my own self, I really appreciate it."

As she does with her modeling work. Having outlasted supermodels like Christy and Cindy, MacDowell can still be seen on magazine covers and in cosmetic ads both inside the glossies and on TV. There's hardly a prime-time slot that goes by in which viewers don't see MacDowell swinging her hair and heralding the praises of L'Oreal beauty products during the commercial breaks. In fact, she's been one of L'Oreal's international spokespeople for 20 years.

But this multi-faceted success almost didn't happen. When MacDowell first arrived in New York to model, she suffered from culture shock and almost went back home. She needed to find other like-minded folks who shared her nesting-type beliefs, and to discover a way to keep her career from becoming and absorbing her life.

"I am not a party person. I'm really kind of boring. I am," she says. "I'm a homebody. I went to work, I did my job, I came home. It wasn't a lifestyle. It was never a lifestyle for me. I wasn't interested in partying or going out."

This unwavering sense of balance has continued throughout MacDowell's life. Choosing to live close to her roots in the mountains of North Carolina, MacDowell throws herself into her work when she's working, and her family when she's not. As a dedicated single mom of three kids (spanning ages from 18 to 11), MacDowell believes firmly in the principles of family and the joys of motherhood.

"[Kids] grow up fast and then it's done. And you don't get them anymore." MacDowell says. "Then they go, and they leave."

She takes pride in her children, teaching them from the start about respect and communication—tools she feels are essential in helping create a wholesome family foundation.

"My kids are so appreciative because I've taught them to be appreciative. I do think it's communicationäintelligent communication. And also showing respect for each other. I respect them and they respect me," she says. "Turn the TV off, sit down and eat dinner and talk."

Through example, MacDowell is also teaching her children about what matters most to her in life.

"I look at myself, or my life, as this is my journey. I don't want to waste my time," she says. "I don't want to waste my time being obsessed over something stupid. I don't want to waste my time with regret, I don't want to waste my time not enjoying what I have, enjoying the place where I am, enjoying today, making today the best day I can make it."

Taking care of one's own backyard is also a life principle MacDowell lives by. She's heavily involved with her community, hosting various fundraisers at her house and doing her part to raise awareness or funds for a variety of causes (ovarian cancer, humane societies, the United Way, the arts).

"I try to stay involved in my community because I think it's where I can have more of a one-on-one experience," she says. "I think it's real important to be involved in your community because that's where you are."