Since her work in “Grease 2” I’ve followed her career. Yes, partly because she unbelievable to look at… after all, have you seen her in “Batman Returns?” But while her beauty is obvious, I’m also a fan of the choices she’s made throughout her career - “Ladyhawke,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” “Scarface,” and “CHiPs!” (she was on one episode).

But enough of my reasons for wanting to meet her… Michelle was there to promote her work in the upcoming movie “Hairpsray.” In the movie she plays Velma – the woman who runs the TV station where almost the entire movie takes place. Here is the synopsis:

Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion – dancing.  Her dream is to appear on “The Corny Collins Show,” Baltimore’s hippest dance party on TV. Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) seems a natural fit for the show except for one not-so-little problem – she doesn’t fit in.  Her plus-sized figure has always set her apart from the cool crowd, which she is reminded of by her loving but overly protective plus-sized mother, Edna (John Travolta). That doesn’t stop Tracy because if there is one thing that this girl knows, it’s that she was born to dance. As her father Wilbur (Christopher Walken) tells her, “Go for it! You’ve got to think big to be big.”

After wowing Corny Collins (James Marsden) at her high school dance, Tracy wins a spot on his show and becomes an instant on-air sensation, much to the chagrin of the show’s reigning princess, Amber Von Tussle (Brittany Snow), and her scheming mother, Velma (Michelle Pfeiffer), who runs television station WYZT.  Even worse for Amber is the fact that it’s not just the audience who loves the new girl in town; Amber’s sweetheart, Link Larkin (Zac Efron), seems to be smitten with Tracy’s charms as well.  This dance party gets personal as a bitter feud erupts between the girls as they compete for the coveted “Miss Teenage Hairspray” crown.

At school, however, a short stint in detention and raised-eyebrows caused by the budding relationship between her best friend Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes) and Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) opens Tracy’s eyes to a bigger issue than the latest dance craze or the coolest hairdo – racial inequality. Throwing caution to the wind, she leads a march with Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah) to fight for integration and winds up with an arrest warrant instead. Tracy is on the lam now and goes underground – literally – to her best friend Penny’s basement. 

Has Tracy’s luck finally run out?  Will she miss the final dance-off against Amber and forfeit the title of “Miss Hairspray,” or will she sing and dance her way out of trouble again? 

When big hair meets big dreams anything can happen – and does – in this high-energy comedy that proves you don’t have to fit in to win.

During the interview Michelle was incredibly friendly and seemed really happy to be there. We got her to talk about making the movie, working with the huge cast, and I asked a few questions about her role in another summer movie - “Stardust.”

As always, you can either read the transcript below or download the audio of the roundtable interview by clicking here. It’s an MP3 and easily placed on a portable player.

“Hairspray” opens on July 20^th.

Question: You haven't seen each other since the filming?

Michelle Pfeiffer: We saw each other on the "Oprah" show. But you know we didn't really have time to hug and kiss and do all that.

You seem to have a whole lot of fun with this. It is obviously a musical but did the comedy side of it appeal to you too?

I sure had fun. You know Adam Shankman is ... there is nobody more perfect to be doing this movie with. He was there to help me push the envelop when I was afraid. And there to tell me dial it back a little.
I had a blast doing this.

What were you afraid of?

I'm .... I'm .. afraid of falling into doing a character like this which is chewing up the scenery. Which I think I probably failed at. He would say 'Is that a piece of the chair leg in between your teeth.' He is funny (she laughs). It is finding that balance. It is not reality but you also have to stay rooted in some kind of reality. I was constantly walking that tightrope. I am not necessarily really comfortable in this area. It is not sort of my strength. It is not something that comes as naturally to me as drama.

What about the music part? Would you be open to doing another musical after this?

Yeah! I love it. I loved it. I loved singing in the recording studio. I am not sure I would like to do like a Broadway musical. I don't my instrument is strong enough and not sure I want to put the work into making it strong enough. There is a lot of work keeping your voice trained. Getting it trained, keeping it there. But I loved it. Also, but you know, I was working with the best people. They couldn't have made it any easier. They let me, as many times as I want to go back in and - I am kind of tireless and exhausting like the Every Ready Bunny. But, as many times, I would say I could do that one better. Fine anytime up until the end, up until they locked - "we're shooting and you can't make anymore changes."

How much fun was that to do things with Chris Walken?

It was so much fun.

A lot of laughter going on?

Yeah, a lot of laughter. Also because we were so tired. It was the middle of the night, probably 4 in the morning. And, we were just punchy already and he is being so ridiculous. It was kind of where am I .. where have I landed?

This younger cast, you are a veteran. Did anyone come up to you for advice? Did you go up to them and give advice?

God, I would never, ever do that. That would be so irritating. (in a Mae West kind of voice)  Honey. Listen. You have got to (laughter obscures next word). I .. no .. and also.. these are really not kids. Compared to me, they are kids. They are all so together and grounded. Who knows what went on when I wasn't around. But they were so professional. They were never late. They had the greatest spirit and joy about the work. That's really what you were hit with them by them. Not like they were big pains in the asses. None of that was going on. There was this infectious enthusiasm that was so refreshing to be around. There are so many of them it just hits you and it energizes you.

Less than a month after this you have another film in "Stardust." Can you talk about your character in that? And also are you going to be part of the big promotional thing at Comic Con if they do something?

I don't .. First, I don't know what that is. That doesn't mean I'm not going. And I think I filmed and introduction for that.

Did you say "Welcome visitors" or something like that?

I don't know. I will be involved in promoting the movie. It is fantastic. It is totally different from this. It is one of those movies you can't really define in a sentence ... which makes it really hard to do press junkets. It is so good and that is the beauty of it. It is not the kind of film where you go it is this genre, this genre. It is kind of really special. It is a special little jewel. It is a little bit of this, a little bit of that and some how all works together. It is kind of action/adventure, magical romance, mythological epic.

Could you tell me about your character?

My character? Evil. I am about 5,000 years old. I go from my age to 5,000 years old, back to my age, back to 5,000 years old. It is a prosthetic nightmare. I am after eternal youth and I would do anything to get it. I am the bad guy. One of them. There are a number of them, actually a lot of them. There are two good guys and everyone else is bad now that I think about it. (she laughs). Claire and Charlie are the the only good guys in it.

Did you have any scenes with Robert De Nero?

I didn't. I didn't even see him. Have you seen it? Some people at the junket have seen it and some have read the book. There are different worlds going on and he is in a different world.

I was about to say, the prosthetics, you shot "Stardust" before you shot 'Hairspray."

I was not allowed to talk to John about the prosthetics....

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