Courtney Love: The baby doll dresses have been replaced by a figure-hugging black ensemble
imprisonment. But mostly there's lilynt‘s loving btit tragically co-dependent relationship with Althea.
Love was assiduous in her preparation. unearthing photos and filmed l'ootage. gathering anecdotes and losing Ztllbs tor the role. Forman has paid tribute to her utter commitment to the lilm. 'l‘hrough a series (it outrageous wigs and even more distressing costumes. l'rom under age stripper to l‘lynt’s right-hand girl to ravaged Aids sullerer. l.o\‘e rocks.
‘l‘ve always been attracted to this kind (ll. role.’ she says. 'l knew il'l was going to have a shot at anything large it would be something that depicts that kind (ll. archetype. as well as I’m really interested in this downward spiral lrom top to bottom. I like that idea.’
Prior to her career in Hole and as rock gossip column loddcr. l.o\e auditioned l‘or Lust lit/I 'lii “Hulk/XII. .lcnniler .lason Leigh got the gig. Belorc that. she narrowly missed out on the part ol‘ doomed drug-addled groupie punkette Nancy Spungen in Sir/Am! Mun-v.
'l'he parallels between Spungen and Love
haven‘t gone unnoticed. Neither have the
similarities in Love‘s and Leasttre‘s (V's. Alter
spells in rclorm schools. the teenage love spent si\ months in Japan working as a stripper. love is no stranger to drug dependency either as well as her own tribula- tions. she had to contend with the Ialal o\crdose ol' llolc‘s bass player Kristin l’l'al'l'. And. as a result ol' the sullocating attention and speculation attached to her marriage to and the suicide til ultimate Wis t'tiek icon ('tibaitt. lane is also no stranger to media court battles.
‘l liaye taken iournalists to court and I’ve
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COURTNEY lOVE
won.’ she says. ‘but it‘s a dil‘l’erent issue to satire. Anybody has a right to do that. but these people were committing libel which is illegal.‘ So as one who has had her lingers burned by the media. what are Love‘s opinions on l'reedom ol. the press and pornography"? lot a leminist and like any good leminist I‘m a little taken aback by [lust/(’1'. but when I see /’/(t_\'/m_\' I get more ol‘l'ended because they're publishing Barbie submissive pictures — which I find more hostile because women get more dictated to by Play/my. Whereas no woman wants to be in [lust/('1' because it‘s just disgusting. But that‘s just my personal judgement. The film is about what happens when we open the door to allow censorship to come in. and as the film points out. having this kind oldenigration and very gross images is the obvious price ol' me being able to express my opinion.” litilike the ottt-ol—control l.easurc. Love has put the brakes on soon enough and lives to express those not inconsiderable opinions. Her most recent ‘revclations' have been ol an ‘l‘m a mum and I need to act more responsibly" nature. What kind ol a declaration is that'.’ Next. she’ll be swanning around in a crinolene in a Merchant Ivory l'iltn . . . ‘l‘ni actually having lunch with James lvory next week.‘ You wouldn't actually consider . . . '()|i. she'd have to be a deranged character. otherwise I don't think I‘d ptill it oll.‘ l’hcw? l-‘rock'n’roll.
The People vs Larry Flynt goes on general
release on Fri 11 Apr. l I . § Nl _ - . r.
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Spread 'em: Courtney Love and Woody Harrelson talk creative freedom in The People vs Larry Flynt
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