Expert: Laura Brown - 8/25/2004

Question
    Hi, thanks for being such a great Janis fan. I was wondering how accurate the movie The Rose with Bette Midler actually was.  Did she have love like those depicted in the film? Also, on a more personal level, how do you feel about Pink being chosen to play Janis in the new movie coming out?  Grazie mille!!

Answer
Okay -- I'll break down your question into two parts

1) Bette Midler in "The Rose" ...okay, understand that "The Rose" was *based* on Janis' life, but by no means a biography or non-fiction.  They took aspects of Janis' persona and Hollywood-ized it.  Janis did have many lovers, but what she always wanted was real love and security.  

2) Pink is certainly a better choice than some of the other people who have been suggested over the years to play Janis.  There are actually two movies currently in production -- one starring Pink and the other starring Renee Zellweger.  I think it'll be interesting to see how both women portray Janis -- Pink certainly has the Rock & Roll edge, and I did really like her album, mizundastood, but I guess it will really just come down to whether she can play the softer, vulnerable side of Janis.

Thanks for your question!!