Kathleen Turner talks being a sex symbol, overcoming alcoholism and aging in Hollywood
Legendary actress Kathleen Turner opened up about being a sex symbol and aging in Hollywood, saying her body is "not 'Body Heat' anymore, and get over it."
Turner skyrocketed to fame as the seductress in the 1981 film "Body Heat," becoming a household name who was instantly recognizable for her deep, husky voice that continued to be one of her trademarks.
"I'm one of seven women who can sing 'Old Man River' in the original key," she quipped in an interview with ABC News' Juju Chang.
Her signature voice also immortalized the ultra-seductive, animated character of Jessica Rabbit, whom she voiced while nine months pregnant.
"The day my water broke, I was recording Jessica Rabbit," she said.
She added that people still come up to her and recite Jessica Rabbit's catchphrase: "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."
The Hollywood icon is out with a new book this year called "Kathleen Turner on Acting: Conversations about Film, Television, and Theater" -- essentially a masterclass in life, for actors and non-actors alike.
"Truly what I hope most out of this, 'Kathleen Turner On Acting,' is to have people take risks, to have them make choices and not just accept," she said.
Reflecting back on her decades-long career in Hollywood, Turner said one of her favorite moments was filming the comedy, "Romancing the Stone."
"I think it was some of the most fun I had," she recalled. "I was back in South America where I grew up."
She added that she and co-stars Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito were like "a gang of kids."
She even said that she "almost" had an affair with Douglas while filming that movie.
"I wanted to," she added. "I thought we were falling madly in love ... and he was separated from his first wife, and I was unattached. But then Diana, his wife, flew down to Mexico and made it clear that they were ... still married."
Turner even said there was a competition among some of her former co-stars, including Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas and Warren Beatty, to see "who could get me first."
"I was the new trophy in town," she said, adding that it was not something she wanted to be. "That was never going to happen."
In the mid-'90s, Turner's movie career stalled when she was diagnosed with severely painful rheumatoid arthritis, and she ended up turning to alcohol.
"Oh, I abused alcohol," she said frankly. "Because it's a great painkiller, let me tell you."
In the years since, Turner has developed a thriving stage career and worked on the occasional movie project.
She said she specifically chose to take on a role in the new film "Dumb and Dumber," to send a message: "That I had changed and aged."
"And my body was not 'Body Heat' anymore, and get over it," she added.
