"they come . . . to learn about themselves not me"

In Shirley MacLaine's New Movie, She Has 'The Last Word'
March 3, 20174:30 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
www.npr.org/2017/03/03/518391642/in-shirley-maclaines-new-movie-she-has-the-last-word
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST

Shirley MacLaine agrees that she's played a lot of sharp-tongued, difficult-to-be-around women, and that's true of her latest role in the movie, The Last Word. In her latest role, she's a woman obsessed with designing her own obituary. MacLaine talks about how she approaches acting and dodges what she wants written in her own obituary.

SHAPIRO: Shirley MacLaine told me when she does live question and answer events at theaters around the country, people almost never want to know about her Hollywood roles.
MACLAINE: No. They ask about reincarnation and UFOs and how to find one's center and how to meditate. It's all about the stuff in my books.
SHAPIRO: How could they not ask about - I don't know - "Terms Of Endearment," "Steel Magnolias," your years with the Rat Pack or on and on and on - "Sweet Charity," going all the way back to Broadway.
MACLAINE: Ari, can I call you that?
SHAPIRO: Please.
MACLAINE: They're interested in themselves. And they come to the different places that I speak to learn about themselves not me. I consider that a great compliment.