THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 12, 1995 TAG: 9510120013
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Profile
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 106 lines
A BAD WOMAN HAS been hard to find in the movies lately.
At least, that was true before Linda Fiorentino came along last year in ``The Last Seduction.'' In one film, she double-crossed her husband, ran away with his cash, seduced a good ol' boy and moved into the big house. She made Thelma and Louise look like angels of mercy.
Now, Fiorentino has grabbed herself a piece of ``Jade,'' the expensive new thriller directed by Oscar-winner William Friedkin (``The French Connection''). She's again a loose woman in a tight dress - only this time it's either a chic designer gown, or no dress at all.
And Fiorentino is about as threatening to the press as she is to all those male victims in her films.
She doesn't like answering questions, especially about herself. She also doesn't like ``Jade'' being compared to ``Basic Instinct'' or herself being compared to Sharon Stone.
``I hope you're not comparing me to Sharon Stone,'' she haughtily informed one reporter when he tried to compliment her.
``But I know 10 men who would leapfrog over Sharon to get to you,'' he countered.
Pulling a sheet of paper out of her purse, she threw it at him and said,
``Write their names down, and don't forget the phone numbers.''
``Why are you usually cast in these roles? Do you, personally, regard yourself as a strong woman?'' she is asked.
``I don't usually regard myself at all,'' she countered.
Silence followed.
In ``Jade,'' Fiorentino plays Trina Gavin, a sophisticated San Francisco socialite who may or may not be the notorious woman known as Jade. By day she is a clinical psychiatrist, married to a prominent lawyer (Chazz Palminteri), but she's a prime suspect when one of the city's wealthiest men is murdered. David Caruso plays her college boyfriend, who is now an assistant district attorney investigating the murder case.
Fiorentino liked her character ``because she is truly complicated. She is in conflict with her dark side. We all have a darker side.''
The sex scenes are explicit enough to have sparked another furor over making enough cuts to get an R rating.
Her co-star, Palminteri (Oscar nominated for ``Bullets Over Broadway''), expressed doubts about the love scenes he did with her. ``I haven't done very many love scenes,'' he admitted, ``but Linda would just shed her clothes.''
When she learned of the statement, she glowered and said, ``I didn't know Chazz was such a virgin or I would have been gentler. I always try to be gentle with virgins.
``Are you asking if I run around nude all the time? Is that what you're trying to ask? Well, yes, I did - back when I was 6. If you notice, in this film, the only time I'm nude is when I'm by myself. It's an illusion. The audience thinks they see more than they do.''
She adds, though, that there were scenes in ``Jade'' that she wondered about later. ``It's a job, but when I get home at night, I think, `I did that?' ''
Fiorentino was the controversial missing link in last year's Oscar race. After she won both the New York Film Critics and British Academy Awards as best actress for ``The Last Seduction,'' she was considered a front runner for the Oscar. ``The Last Seduction,'' though, was declared ineligible for the Oscars because it was shown on cable television prior to its release in theaters.
Fiorentino claims she barely noticed all the furor. ``I wasn't involved, directly,'' she said. ``I was filming `Jade' at the time. I had to send my sister to pick up the New York award. All of us have to deal with competition so much in our lives. I don't know that I really needed that.''
Unlike ``Last Seduction,'' which was directed by John Dahl on a shoestring budget, ``Jade'' is rumored to have cost $40 million.
``My background is in independent film,'' the actress said. ``I like that. They will take more risks when the money isn't as big. I like risks. This film felt like an independent film, only with more money. We were up in San Francisco, away from the studio, and we were left alone, mostly.
``I've never been asked to be this afraid before, and it was acting, because I wasn't afraid at all.''
One of eight children from a middle class Philadelphia family, Fiorentino majored in political science at Rosemont College.considered law school but after being encouraged by a teacher, went to New York and studied at Circle in the Square Theater.
Her movie debut was in the wrestling melodrama ``Vision Quest'' in 1985. ``I hated everything about it, but how many choices did I have?''
She played an offbeat sculptor in Martin Scorsese's ``After Hours.''
For independent director John Dahl, she auditioned for ``Red Rock West'' but didn't get the part. When she read the script for ``The Last Seduction,'' though, she went to Dahl's office and said, ``This is my role. No one else can play it.''
He agreed.
Next, she's again being directed by Dahl in ``Unforgettable,'' with Ray Liotta.
``There are so few roles for women, but I'm sure everyone has heard that by now. How can I make choices when there are so few choices?'' Fiorentino said. ``Women have the unfair burden of trying to do something with nothing roles. I'd rather not be working than go through that.
``I'm not in the business of `planning' some career. I'm not in it for the money and, especially, not for fame. I can make enough to live. I don't run around with people who worry about who is `in' and who's not. Who cares?'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Paramount Pictures
Linda Fiorentino is a murder suspect in William Friedkin's expensive
new thriller, "Jade," co-starring David Caruso.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE INTERVIEW by CNB