HOLLYWOOD -- A cold fact of Diane Lane's life is not lost on her in these mothering days. When Lane was six approaching seven -- her daughter's age -- she worked for a living as an off-Broadway stage actress.
Perhaps that's why Lane was excited and relieved to report she had just landed the co-starring role in The Glass House with Leelee Sobieski. Sure, the part was a good one. But the best thing is Lane will be shooting the thriller at home in L.A. starting in a few weeks.
For this single mother, divorced from actor Christopher Lambert, home is where her heart and soul are.
"It means so much for me to be here with my daughter and be able to make a living, too," says the 35-year-old actress at a Beverly Hills Hotel.
More good news? She was able to take daughter Eleanor to her latest movie, My Dog Skip. In the picture, Lane plays the thoughtful mother of a lonely boy (Frankie Muniz) who gets a dog called Skip for a companion. The comedy-drama, also starring Kevin Bacon, is set in Mississippi during World War II.
"My daughter has seen the film a couple of times, and she loves it," Lane says. "She's very proud of me."
Lots to be proud of, since Lane brought her usual energy to her portrayal, ignoring the warning against acting with dogs or kids. Or for that matter Kevin Bacon. He was available for only a brief period of time during the shoot in Mississippi. That meant Lane had to accommodate his schedule, the dog's sometimes finicky behaviour and Muniz's limited 14-year-old shift.
"I was kind of the sacrificial lamb," jokes Lane, who adds that the part was worth every time compromise she made.
"Traditionally, I guess you'd expect the 1940s mother that I played to be the protective one, the don't-let-the-son's-heart-get-broken one," she says. "I guess I was an exotic parent."
And a patient actor to work with the Jack Russell terrier? "The dog was very good," suggests Lane, smiling mischievously. "I bonded. I knew if I was close to the dog, I might be more in the movie. I'm kidding."
Okay, what about Muniz, the young TV star of Malcolm In The Middle? "I can't believe him, and what he was expected to achieve, and how gracefully he breezed through it."
Lane can relate. After seven years of child star stage work, she was hired for her breakthrough role in A Little Romance. She was 13, acting opposite Laurence Olivier. "All I had to do was cry in front of Olivier, but not carry the movie like Frankie."
By 14, Muniz's age, Lane confesses that she burned out.
"I felt sort of mid-life in those days," Lane recalls wistfully. "And then I realized I had a lot more ahead of me."
In Lane's case, that meant some ups as the female lead in The Outsiders and Rumblefish, and downs starring in the debacle that was The Cotton Club. Her '90s career has been defined by outstanding performances in some forgotten film and TV productions.
Although the self-deprecating Lane won't admit it, she's entering the millennium on a career high. There was last year's '60s homage, A Walk On The Clouds. This year there is the family tearjerker, My Dog Skip. Later this summer, Lane co-stars with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg in the special-effects driven blockbuster, A Perfect Storm. It's a strange mix.
"My mind is always on autoscan for what's different, fun and innovative," says Lane, explaining her sometimes quirky choices. "As long as I'm drawing breath in this business, I've got to have creative fantasies in my head."
To work close to home is apparently good, too.
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