Perhaps most famous as Eliot's mom in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Dee had starred in the werewolf romp The Howling (1981) just prior to her "phone home" experience and then followed it up as the put-upon mother held captive with her young son by a rabid St. Bernard in the frothingly ferocious fright fave Cujo (1983).
Oddly enough, such a juxtaposition is typical of Dee's career, which has ranged from The Hills Have Eyes (1977) to 10 (1979) (Picture: ) to several installments in the kid-friendly Invisible Mom movie series.
With a deluxe DVD of Cujo being issued to honor the film's 25th anniversary, Dee spoke with MrSkin.com about her one-of-a-kind journey through show business.
When you made Cujo, did you think it would endure as the cult classic it's become?
Absolutely not. In those days, especially, horror films weren't considered the kind of film that ever became a classic.How would you define the special quality that has kept Cujo so popular through the years?
I think it's a lot like The Exorcist. It's a real fear. A fear we could walk into any day. We don't have the curtain of "pretend" to protect us.Did you ever expect that you'd become a horror-film icon? How do you feel about that?
No. And I feel like I like to work a lot. I have an extensive body of work elsewhere, but people focus on this. That's okay with me. I'm a good screamer.Of all the scary movies you've been in, which one scares you the most?
Definitely Cujo. It was simply the most intense work I've been asked to do.Aside from all the horror movies, you've frequently been cast as a mom in family films. It's impossible to think of any other actress with two such distinct personas from two seemingly opposite ends of the spectrum. What's that like?
It's true. I seem to be a living dichotomy in many ways. I am currently teaching healing and doing healing privates on a daily basis. And then I come out in Halloween. Hmmm. Healing . . . Halloween. Dichotomy. I would like to believe that my best role in this life is my own role as a mother.
Tell us about your new healing book.
I'm so excited you asked. Basically it teaches you how to direct your own energy to change and recreate it so that it serves you in a conscious way. Most of us are living unconscious lives. Most of us are in reaction instead of creation and simply don't understand that we are responsible for our own lives.Your performance in the comedy classic 10 is funny, heartfelt, and very, very sexy. How was it to shoot such an emotionally vulnerable scene where you were also physically naked?
Scared the shit out of me. It was my first big studio film. I mean, Blake Edwards! You don't get bigger than that. I even went out and bought my own underwear because I didn't know how they handled it. Blake asked me at the last minute if I'd do it nude. I told him I made a living doing commercials, so if he wanted to guarantee me three more films, I'd do it nude. "Okay," he replied. "Just checking." I don't believe he really ever wanted me to do it nude. That was his way of getting me where he wanted me for the scene.You've appeared in other sexy films besides 10Secret Admirer, Shadow Play, Sex and the Teenage Mind, etc. Which one do you think is the sexiest?
Geez, if you think those roles are sexy, you need to broaden your horizons, dude [laughs]. Maybe I just reek sexuality and don't know it. If I had to answer that, I'd say it was 10 hands down.With what actorsboth classic and contemporarydo you think you'd most enjoy filming a love scene?
Anthony Hopkins, Paul Newman, and George Clooney.When I was a kid, my sister had E.T. stickers all over her bicycle, including some that were just close-ups of your face. How was the experience of being a collectible? Do you keep any of your own souvenirs?
My experience is that I'd still like to get paid the full amount for the merchandising. And yes, it's pretty cool being an icon. And no, I don't keep souvenirs.What's next for you, Dee?
Shooting a romantic comedy called Beautyrest Symphony. Appearing in a three-episode arc on My Name is Earl. (Picture: ) Finishing my book. And hoping that I Scream Man and The Ocean finally get their financing. Also helping my daughter get started in the business.
