A film icon talks about life,
her career and "her truth".
Kathleen Turner gives readers roses.

Kathleen Turner's unique blend of beauty, intelligence, raw sexuality, and drive has propelled her career. Now, in this memoir, the screen icon reveals the risks she's taken and what she's learned, both personally and professionally.

From her film debut as the sultry schemer in Body Heat to her recent craft-stretching role as Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, she shares behind-the-scenes stories of working with Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, Nicolas Cage, William Hurt, Steve Martin, Francis Ford Coppola, John Huston, John Waters, Ken Russell, and Edward Albee.

Turner also talks openly about the father she lost at a young age, her 20-year marriage (and recent separation), her successful struggle with rheumatoid arthritis, and how her life of activism reflects her deeply-held beliefs.

Here are some excerpts:

The Right Moment to Tell My Story
People say to me all the time, "Oh, you're such a regular person." And I wonder, As opposed to what? An artificial construct?

Just before I left New York for the London run of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, this book started-as many good things do-over tamales, jicama salad, and a margarita at Zarela, a favorite Mexican restaurant. Gloria Feldt, who has been a good friend since we worked together at Planned Parenthood Federation of America-she as its president and CEO and I as chair of its Board of Advocates-said she wanted to write my biography. She told me I had a lot to say. I was rather embarrassed at first by the thought of that much emphasis on myself. It seemed too egotistical.

Then I thought about something I'd heard, that the object of our lives is the growth of our souls. And I feel that my soul is finally in a place where I can contribute. This particular moment in my life is a good time to take stock of all that. So I said I would like to be the practical, regular person that I am, and share my life lessons that might be of service to others. Finally we both figured out that I couldn't share my lessons very well without telling my story too.

Send Yourself Roses is my truth as I see it. But every story has many truths. Take from mine whatever you will.

I do have stories to tell, and I believe in the power of sharing them. Many come from my film and stage work. I'll explore how my roles have broken new ground for women, how they've spanned sexuality from a femme fatale to a woman playing a man playing a woman. And I've had personal tragedies, rocky relationships, out-of-control drinking, and snarky critics to contend with. I've come back against all odds from a debilitating illness and being told I'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, to which I said, "Go fuck yourself." I've experienced the joy of motherhood and the sadness of infertility, a happy marriage that eventually became a necessary separation. I've learned from it all.

But what you know isn't enough, babe: what counts is how you use it going forward.

I like where I am now and what I have achieved. I'm doing the best work of my life. I can see all that has come before: the obstacles overcome, the risks I've taken, the choices I've made, the great, great opportunities I've had, and the lessons about life, love, and leading roles that these experiences have taught me.

I don't want to be 20 again. I'm having that creative surge women often get when we pass 50. I feel at the top of my personal and professional life. So I'll take it from the top. Not the beginning, but now, smack in the middle of my life, or so I expect, since the women in my family have good longevity. It's the perfect vantage point to look back at what I've done so far and to look forward to see exciting possibilities I might create for my future-and those that might come my way.

The Freedom to Go On
So much confidence comes simply because I have reached this very good age. Women my age today are forging new ground. Society stops defining us by our reproductive capacity, sexual attractiveness, or other traditional measures, so we become liberated from stereotype. We are freed to grow into our full selves. I couldn't have allowed myself to feel so positive in the past. When I was at the height of my film career, I didn't have the kind of respect I now have from the theatrical community. I hadn't yet proved that I have the chops for the stage. But now I have a stature I've never before enjoyed.

Virginia Woolf herself observed that when her Aunt Mary left her enough money to live on, her financial independence meant she "need not hate" or "flatter any man."1 She said this was of even more value to her freedom and autonomy than the right to vote.

True enough. I feel fortunate to be in a generation of women who have had the opportunity to support ourselves and be in control of our own finances-with or without Aunt Mary- throughout our adult lives. Our mothers might have defined themselves as working wives if they had careers outside the home. We have been working women. And I think we're much more interesting after we've been out in the world, even if we've been a bit battered by it from time to time. No, we're more interesting because we've taken our knocks and learned from them.

I feel optimistic about my life today because I've taken chances over the years. I've taken my own dreams seriously enough to act on them. But I also have a long-term idea of what I want, and then I take chances on doing the things that seem to fit my talents when they come along. I take chances that move me toward my goals.

Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on My Life, Love, and Leading Roles
by Kathleen Turner and Gloria Feldt
ISBN:0446581127 9780446581127
Hardcover $24.99.U.S. SPRINGBOARD PRESS