TIPPI HEDREN: A CLASSIC, AS AN ACTRESS AND ANIMAL ACTIVIST
POP CULTURE CLASSICS: Are you still working on legislation to prevent illicit trading and breeding of exotic animals? TIPPI HEDREN: Yes, I don’t know what’s going on in Washington. I don’t know if anybody knows. But the bill was introduced a year ago, July, and it just still sits there. And why? I don’t know. It’s titled “Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act.” Now, this is dealing with human beings and their lives. And not one more person has to be killed or maimed, adult or child. And this bill would be eventually stopping all of it. So why does the bill still sit there? The fact that the big cat is a big business. It’s a huge business. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife, it’s on a par with illegal drugs. So our government says, “Well, it’s such a big business. We ought to think twice about stopping it.” Where is the logic there? I don’t get it. I really don’t. PCC: Yet the public must respond dramatically to all the horror stories about the human victims and the animal victims. HEDREN: And they do. Yes, they do. PCC: When and how did you first become fascinated with large cats? HEDREN: Always a love for animals... born with it. And not just a love for them, but I admire them. And I’ve always wanted to know about every species on the planet. But I did two films in Africa in ‘69 and ‘70 and during those years, environmentalists all over the world were telling us, people of the world, that if we didn’t do something right then to save the animals in the wild from encroaching civilization, sport hunting, poaching and all that, then by the year 2000, all of the wild animals would be gone. So there was a lot of awareness going out. And my then husband was a producer and we thought, “Let’s do a movie about the animals in the wild.” So that’s what opened the whole can of peas. Kicking around ideas, we had to decide, should we focus on one animal, should we focus on the group, what should we do? And on the Gorongosa game preserve in Mozambique, on a photo safari, we had seen this house that had been abandoned by a game warden, because it flooded during the rainy seasons. And he moved out. And a pride of lions moved into that house. And they just lived there. We couldn’t count them, because they were always in motion, but there must have been more than 25 lions of all sizes living in that house [laughs]. They were sitting in the windows, like great portraits. They were camping on the verandahs, going in and out the doors. The cubs were playing out in front. Two lions were having a fight up on top of the flat roof. It was absolutely candy for your eyes. Of course, you couldn’t go near that house. I guess you could - once. So anyway, we chose that platform for our movie [“Roar”] - perfect movie set, animals which most people are enchanted with... or are scared to death of... or want to take them home and tickle their tummies. Anyway, the script was written according to what we saw. And we gave the scripts to the various trainers of these animals - because we were going to have acting animals, and have a nine-month shoot, over and out - well, the trainers read the script and said, “This can’t be done, because instinct dictate to fight a cat they don’t know. I don’t want my cat hurt. I don’t want to be hurt. Get your own animals.” Well, that’s a romantic notion. But that is how it happened - one little cub, the first one. And the time grew and we got to know these animals and how dangerous they are, They’re predators. And their job, out in the wild, is to take out the old and the sick and the young. And that will transfer over to humans, as well. If there is a human, who is crippled or sick or whatever, it is the cat’s instinct to take that being out. That’s why mother nature is so pristine. It’s because of these animals. That’s their job. And this is what we were learning. They’re volatile and lovable and funny... and deadly. So we were not only trying to do a movie, but we were learning very quickly how dangerous these animals are. And our nine-month shoot turned into five years. The first scene we did, my then husband who was playing the role of the scientist who was sent to Africa to do a comparative study of the great cats, because no actor in Hollywood would take on the role [laughs], surprise... so anyway, the first scene, he was bitten in the hand and we had to stop filming for six weeks, because there was the possibility of it getting infected. So anyway, life went on and we kept accepting more and more animals and, as the years went on, I’m thinking, “Why aren’t there laws to prevent these animals from being bred and sold as pets or for financial gain?” There were no laws. And so I took a bill to my congressman, Buck McKeon, sort of a baby step in 2003, to stop the interstate traffic of these animals, just slow it down a little bit. This was a baby step to the bill that I was planning on introducing to stop the breeding. And he was hesitant at first. And I said, “Look, this is a life-and-death situation. This is insanity, what’s going on here.” And I showed him the four-minute video I had put together. And he got it and he said, “Absolutely, I’ll help you.” And that bill, The Captive Wildlife Safety Act, I testified for it. And you have five minutes in which to get your point across. So I watched everybody and the previous speakers all had their papers timed to five minutes. And it was boring. And the committee was sort of bored. I thought, “I’m not going to do that.” So I put my paper down and I thanked them for inviting me and I just spoke about 18 accidents, starting with a seven-and-a-half-year-old boy, who had his arm ripped off by his uncle’s pet tiger in Texas. A little girl, 11 years old, went in a tiger’s cage with her stepfather, to groom the tiger. He closed the gate. The tiger jumped the little girl, bit her in the neck and she was dead. An 18-year-old went with a group of her friends to get a really cool picture for their yearbook - with a tiger. They all went up, had their pictures taken. She went up. The tiger moved, stepped on her foot, she screamed. The tiger jumped her and killed her. I mean, I could go on for the next two weeks with accidents that are just horrific. And that bill passed unanimously in the House and Senate. Bush signed it on December 19th of 2003. But this bill to stop the breeding, just sits there. I don’t know - what is it going to take? How many of those people in our government would allow their child to go sit with a lion or a tiger for a photograph? Would they let their child, their grandchild, their wife go do that? Probably not, because you never know what’s going to happen.
PCC: The cats you’ve sheltered at Shambala, are they mostly animals that the owners are no longer enchanted with, as well as discarded circus animals? HEDREN: There’s all kinds of reasons why each one of them is here. Most of the time it’s because they either hurt somebody or the owners can’t handle them. There’s a myriad of reasons why they come here. But yes, we have had circus animals. Sometimes the owners don’t even have a good place for them and they’re confiscated by the different state commissions. Or the people themselves say, “I can’t handle this animal. Could you take it?” Which we’ve done over and over again. In the 80s, we had 150 animals here, that we had rescued. PCC: Circuses using animals - and using them up - do you think we’re outgrowing that concept? HEDREN: Well, I certainly hope so. The circus is one of the biggest problems, because of it being such a big business. The Ringling Brothers is one of the biggest. And Kenneth Feld’s family have owned that circus forever. And he is now accusing me of trying to stop his family business. Well, you know what? I am. The fact that these animals are brutally beaten into doing the stupid tricks that they have to do - the big cats and the elephants - it’s shameful that our country allows this. Absolutely shameful. And the only way that we can stop it, really, right now, is if we can’t get laws passed, don’t go to the circus, if it has wild animals in it. Just don’t go. PCC: And what’s your feeling on zoos, the animals being confined out of their native habitat? HEDREN: Well, I think it’s senseless for all of them - I mean, to breed these animals specifically to be put behind a fence. And they call it conservation! Conserving for what? To put that poor thing behind bars for the remainder of its life? It’s cruel. Absolutely cruel. PCC: And hunting? Would you agree that, in modern society, hunting is intrinsically wrong? HEDREN: I don’t see how anybody can kill. I don’t get that, when they look at those beautiful eyes and that beautiful animal and then take a weapon. You know, they’re all psychopaths, those hunters. That’s really what they are. And they get great glee out of it... They plan for it. They dress for it. They buy special weapons to murder these beautiful animals. And for what? A head on the wall? A rug on the floor? A photograph with their foot standing on a dead animal? Oh, it makes me sick. The human being is one of the cruelest species we have. PCC: Do you feel that animals should be treated as fellow creatures sharing the planet with their human brethren, rather than as pets? HEDREN Isn’t that what they should be doing? Of course. PCC: What have you learned from your years of experience with the cats? What have these animals taught you about life?
HEDREN: Oh, I think, if you don’t learn about life, I think you’re dead. When you think about all of the different animals and when they are out in the wild, and the lives that they lead, with training their own children, their cubs, their whatever, they’re with them for several weeks, teaching them how to live in the wild. And it’s a beautiful, beautiful thing to see. And it’s a great thing that we have. And these hunters - murderers is what they are - will take them out. They don’t care how many they kill. That’s a notch on their wall... and cruel. PCC: On another subject, congratulations on being pictured on a commemorative envelope and stamp, depicting “The Birds.” That must have been a cool honor. HEDREN: Very cool. PCC: There’s such enduring admiration for the films that you made with Hitchcock. Even though it was such a psychological ordeal for you, is there still a great deal of satisfaction, to be an integral part of these classics? HEDREN: Well, it just shows a good story and good direction. There are films that are really artistic. And I was lucky enough to be involved with two of them that have been highly successful, “The Birds,” especially. But “Marnie” was my favorite film, because it was such an incredible story. People weren’t aware of what happens to a child who has a traumatic experience, if it isn’t dealt with on a psychiatric basis and given some solution for that child. As with Marnie, the mother was so thrilled, so happy, when her daughter forgot about the murder that she committed, the killing. And, of course, the question is - how does all of that manifest itself later in life? And that’s the story of “Marnie.” And people weren’t aware of that sort of situation, when the movie first came out. They are now. Whereas the people, the critics, especially, didn’t understand the movie then. And now they call it one of Hitchcock’s greatest films. PCC: For you, it must have been fun to play a part that was so complex and challenging. HEDREN: It was an amazing gift. PCC: What do you think it was about Hitchock’s approach that made him so effective as a director? HEDREN: Well, I think that, too, is a gift. He certainly had that gift, to be able to choose the stories that he wanted, to make people aware of different situations, the complexities of our brains and how they work and how deadly we can be and how really terrifying humans can be. And I think people have an interest in watching that kind of thing. Obviously they do. Hitchcock was one of the most sought-after directors. People would flock to see his films. Opening day of a Hitchcock film was a studio’s delight. He was really awesome. And the actors that he chose were always perfectly cast. His whole thought pattern was unique, in the way he would find a story and then have the script written. And he worked very closely with the writers on all of his movies. PCC: The HBO film “The Girl,” for you, was that cathartic, was it validating, difficult to watch? HEDREN: Well, you know, when I was approached about them doing this movie, I said, “Well, I think it’s a story that should be told.” I wasn’t the first one that he laid all of this on. But I was the first one who talked about it. And I said, “I do want to be a part of the writing of the script, so that it is accurate.” And they said, “Absolutely.” So I was really relieved about that, because a lot things could be made up. And I didn’t allow any of that. PCC: What were your initial impressions of Hitchcock, when you had your first meeting with him. HEDREN: Well, he was absolutely delightful. I mean, there was the great master. And it was such an incredible experience to be chosen to be under contract. And when I went under contract, I had no idea what was going to be and what was going to happen. I was under contract before I even met him. They had asked me to leave all my commercials and my photo books over the weekend. And when I came back Monday morning to pick them up, they still didn’t tell me who the producer was. And it wasn’t until Tuesday, I was asked to go to MCA, and meet with one of the agents there. And he said, “All right, here is a contract. I want you to read it carefully, understand it and sign it. And we will go over to meet Alfred Hitchcock.” [Chuckles]. PCC: So prior to that moment, you didn’t even know Hitchcock was involved.
HEDREN: That’s right. So I was under contract to him before I even met him. PCC: At what point was there that extensive auditioning process, doing scenes from his earlier films? HEDREN: I didn’t do any auditions for him. I did a screen test. It was a huge screen test - three days. Bob Burks was the D.P. [Robert Burks was Hitchock’s favorite cinematographer] Edith Head did my clothes. And of course, Alfred Hitchcock was the director. We did scenes from “Rebecca,” “To Catch A Thief” and “Notorious.” It was an incredible experience. And, of course, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma were my drama coaches. That’s what happened during the entire filming of “The Birds.” After the screen test had been assembled and everybody looked at it, they invited me to dinner at Chasen’s. And Mr. Hitchcock placed a very beautifully wrapped package in front of me. And I opened it and it was a gold and seed pearl pin of three birds in flight. He said, “We want you to play Melanie Daniels in “The Birds.” It was a total shock to me. I thought I would be doing the television show that he did, you know, “Hitchcock Presents.” And to be given this gift was stunning. Absolutely stunning. But he also gave me the encouragement that I could do it, that I would be able to do it. PCC: Your experiences modeling, did that help prepare you, in terms of being comfortable and confident in front of the camera? HEDREN: Well, certainly the commercials, because I did a tremendous number of commercials. So I was totally comfortable on the set, in front of the cameras and all of that. So that was not a problem. I didn’t have to deal with that. But how do you break down a script? How do you become a character other than yourself? How does all that work? And Hitchcock led me through that. PCC: What an education. Were you fascinated by all the different facets of filmmaking? HEDREN: Of course. And I loved it. And I worked really hard. I wanted to absorb everything, every word they said, everything I possibly could. PCC: The opening scene in “The Birds,” with a man reacting to you as you walk by, on your way to the shop, and your responding expression, that was an echo of a commercial Hitchcock had seen you in, the one that first attracted his attention? HEDREN: Yes. Yeah, it was a Pet Milk product, called Sego, a diet drink [liquid meal replacement]. And it wasn’t just holding up a product. It was sort of a little acting thing with a young boy. And he sees me get out of the car and I walk down the street and he whistles at me. And I look and smile at him. It was cute [chuckles]. So Hitchcock and his wife had seen it and said, find out who the girl was and where she is. And I had just moved back to California with Melanie. I wanted her to have some kind of independence. She was four years old and not able to go out and play, because we were in the middle of New York City. And my career was changing, because I’d been a model for 10 years, which is a long time. Anyway, it was an incredible time in my life. And I was relieved, because, when I moved to California, I rented an expensive home in Westwood and I thought my career would go on, as it had in New York, and it wasn’t going so well. And I was thinking, “What am I going to do? I don’t type!” [Laughs] And then Friday, the 13th of October, I get this call, asking if I was the woman in the Sego commercial. And it changed my life. And “The Birds” changed my life. Even though the relationship with Hitchcock blew up. Before “Marnie” was even over, I said, “I have to get out of this.” The demands he was making on me... I don’t know if you know anything about being the object of anyone’s obsession, but it is a nightmare. Every day, it’s, “What am I going to have to deal with today?” and “How do I get out of these situations?” It’s just awful. And he had me followed. It was awful. PCC: And yet you’ve said you maintained some empathy for him, despite all the horrible things he put you through. Was it seeing this tragedy of a controlling man having no control over his own obsession? HEDREN: He really didn’t have any control. And that’s tragic, yes. That is tragic. PCC: Shooting the scenes with the real birds was so grueling and dangerous, were there moments when you weren’t sure you could get through the film? HEDREN: No, I knew I would. It was that last scene, where the birds were thrown at me for a week - completely exhausting, that’s what that was. PCC: Did you enjoy working it with Rod Taylor? HEDREN: Oh, I had great leading men! Rod Taylor and then Sean Connery. I mean, what better actors could you have? I just talked to Rod the other day. He had a hip problem. So every now and then, we check in with each other and see how we’re doing.
PCC: Any other cast members you keep in touch with? HEDREN: Well, I haven’t... Suzanne Pleshette died. And Jessica Tandy died. Sean lives in the Caribbean... and is very reclusive, I guess. I haven’t seen him in a long time. We have such a great time when we do meet again. It’s just really wonderful. PCC: What are your thoughts on a “Birds” remake, which has been talked about recently HEDREN: Oh, you know what? They talk about that all the time. I mean, they really cry wolf with it. And I hope it doesn’t happen, because it would all be CGI and it would just be so kind of ho-hum. When we did it, we used real birds. PCC: And it’s never a good idea to tamper with a classic. HEDREN: I don’t think it is either. But I don’t think they’ll do it. I really hope they don’t. PCC: So moving on to “Marnie,” it was such a complicated part. Was it difficult with all that extraneous harassment from Hitchcock to maintain the focus on your work? HEDREN: It was horrendous. And I kept saying, “Why is he doing this? Why?” And from what I understand, when somebody is subject to obsessions, they can’t control it. And it’s a sad, horrible thing. It’s terrible for them, I’m sure, to be constantly after someone who is just shunning you and trying to get out of any... It started out with, “Mr. Hitchcock would like to have you come and join him for a glass of champagne after we wrap today. So I went. Fine, we had a glass of champagne. But then it became like it was going to be the norm that I was going to do that. And I said, “No, I’m not going to do that. I can’t. I have a daughter. This isn’t what I’m being paid here to do.” And it just got worse and worse and worse. PCC: Having the strength and resilience to stand up to that and move forward with your life, was that just in your nature, something you were born with? HEDREN: No, well, I don’t know. I suppose you were born with a lot of it. But I think it also has to do with the fact that my parents had extremely high morals. And they taught my sister and me what morals are. And we were staunchly involved with the Lutheran Church. I went to Sunday school and was confirmed. And the people I was going to church with and to school with, they were my friends So we all had a high standard of who we wanted to be. And all of those things did very, very well for me, all of my life. All of those teachings worked very, very well, with business, with relationships, all of it. PCC: For those couple of years, after “Marnie” and before Hitchcock finally sold your contract, while he was preventing you from working, did you think maybe the career was over? HEDREN: Oh, well, he said that he would ruin my career. When I demanded to get out of it, he said, “Well, you can’t. You have your daughter to take care of, your parents are getting older.” I just said, “They wouldn’t want me to be in a situation in which I’m not happy. I have to get out.” And the demands he made on me then, I am too embarrassed to tell you what those demands were, it was so awful. And I said “No. After we wrap ‘Marnie,’ I am done.” And he said, “I’ll ruin your career.” I said, “Do what you have to do.” And he kept me under contract, kept paying me my $600 a week. And after I got out of “Marnie” and “The Birds,” if I do say so myself, I was hot as an actress. Directors and producers wanted to use me in their films. But to get through to me, they had to go through him. And all he said was, “She isn’t available.” Easy for him. So, you know what? I did what I needed to do for my own mental health and respect. And I have never regretted getting out of that contract. But, at the same time, I know that, if it hadn’t been for “The Birds,” I wouldn’t be doing the work with the animals that I’m doing now. So I just, a few months ago, paid homage to “The Birds” and had the jungle gym - you know the scene? - where I sit in front of the jungle gym and all these ravens are gathering in back of me [laughs], I had that built on the reserve. And it’s an exact replica. PCC: After all of the lost opportunities, it must have been great to work with another legend, Charlie Chaplin, on ”Countess From Hong Kong.” HEDREN: Oh, yes, and that was just pure delight. That was really wonderful. And it was such fun working with Charlie, because the way he directed was so amusing. Marlon Brando wanted to quit, because when Charlie directed, he would act out all of our different roles. And Marlon was a method actor [laughs], so that didn’t go over well with him at all. But it was such fun on the set. Charlie would become Sophia Loren’s character. He would become my character. And Marlon’s character. And it was just delightful to see it. Fabulous to watch him. PCC: And in more recent years, you’ve worked with some of the great young directors on “Citizen Ruth” and “I Heart ‘Huckabees.” Did they make a big impression on you? HEDREN: Yes, they did. They were both wonderful. PCC: In terms of the acting portion of your life, what have been the most rewarding aspects for you? HEDREN: I think probably, being given a responsibility that was huge, and I think I handled it well. I was amazed with the understanding that I got from Alfred Hitchcock through his direction. I wa amazed that I was able to comprehend how to become another character, another person. I kind of felt like maybe I’m a natural. Maybe I really get it, how to do this incredible career. So it was an amazing time for me... a frightening time, a time to be amazed at the gifts that life had presented me. Pretty stunning. PCC: And what was your reaction, when your daughter Melanie wanted to go into acting? Were you worried about her? HEDREN: Well, I was surprised she wanted to do it, because she knew that this is not all red carpets and klieg lights. This is five in the morning and a huge responsibility to be the main character in a major motion picture. I mean, the responsibility is gigantic. And you’re always talked about, you’re talked to, you’re told. It is not an easy job. And you’re always looking for a job. You finish one and then you’ll be looking for another. So it’s not easy. PCC: Yet now your granddaughter is involved in acting, as well. HEDREN: Indeed she is. PCC: You must be proud of them. HEDREN: Yes [little laugh]. Well, they’re both strong women. So that’s a wonderful thing. PCC: And though you continue to work in film and television, the work with the animals is your primary focus. HEDREN: I’m trying desperately to do what I can with the celebrity that I have. And that’s amazing, because I know there’s a lot of things that I would not have been able to do without that celebrity. I mean, just the fact that people always say, “Tippi Hedren, ‘The Birds,’” which is a gift-and-a-half. It really is, because it gets me into doors I probably never ever would otherwise have been able to get into - or at least would have had great difficulty. It’s been an amazing time for me. So I’m very grateful for all of that. PCC: And you’re based on the Shambala Preserve, in the high desert, north of L.A.? HEDREN: People always say to me, “Tippi, don’t you miss living in the city?” And I just look blankly at them. [Laughs] I look out my bedroom window and I see three magnificent tigers in three-quarters of an acre, romping around. And across from them, there’s a lion pride. And it’s just so beautiful. I look out at these animals and say, “Oh, God, if they could just be living free.” At least we don’t put them in little cages. They’re in big areas, so they’re, I hope, more content than they would be in a zoo or whatever. We’re open to the public one weekend a month. You go on a tour and you learn a lot about these animals. And then we can sit around the lake and have a picnic. I talk about the animals a little bit more. I can go in depth into my relationships with the animals. People ask questions. It’s a really wonderful afternoon. Shambala means a meeting place of peace and harmony for all beings, animal and human. PCC: With so many facets to your life, do you think about legacy, how you’d most like to be remembered? HEDREN: Oh, you mean write my own epitaph? [Laughs] Well, I think I would like to remembered for the success that I had with the two Hitchcock films... and the Charlie Chaplin film. And the supreme honor it was to work with all of those very, very talented and highly respected people. But if I can get this bill passed to make a real difference for a lot of whole animals and the safety of a whole lot of humans, that would be my great reward. It’s so disappointing to know that this could happen and that it will be such an important piece of legislation and yet they just don’t get it... or just don’t care. I’m trying to get people to write to their Congressmen. People can look at our website and form their own opinions. You can learn more about Tippi Hedren’s The Roar Foundation, donate to this vital cause and make reservations for the Shambala safari weekends by visiting wwwshambala.org. |
