It's not every day that one gets to talk to a genuine legend. With her tousled blonde hair, un-rhinoplasticized nose and proclivity for wearing jewels atop her white gloved hands, Miss Piggy cuts quite the swath.
In town to promote her latest film, Muppets Most Wanted, the porcine princess held court for the assembled media, this long-time pro proving to be in person everything you'd expect a diva of her caliber to be.
The following is an edited transcript of the press conference, where she opined on matters musical, moral and metaphysical. (Please note for the record it wasn't me who asked the seventh question below)
You shot this movie in
London. You're familiar with working in
London because you shot THE MUPPET SHOW there, but what are your favourite
parts of the city?
It's a real toss up between the weather and the food.[laughs]. And the crown jewels.I made a little trip to see them every day after work.
Hello, mama's here, one day I'm going to wear you.
Long days of shooting, I imagine.
Oh yeah. Extremely long
days in my trailer. I try to work as
little as possible.
But you're still making a
major motion picture with Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, a host of others. Do you ever get star-struck by any of these
people?
No, it's the other way around, usually. Some people are starstruck just being in my presence.
Then there are the others, and well, they get struck by a star when they
come between moi and the camera.
Or you and Kermit.
Yes, yes. Like a certain Miss Fey. She took her role in this movie a little too
seriously.
How did you get along with Canada's diva, Miss Celine Dion?
I had to go into the studio and double for her a couple of times, on the high notes. I don't think she'll mind, though.
You've worked with some of the world's best divas, everyone from Celine to Ozzy Osbourne. If you could sing with one person, who would you sing with and what song would it be?
Hmmmm, I don't know. I think I would love, you know, Judy Garland was known for a certain song about a certain rainbow and I would love to sing Kermit's rainbow song, Rainbow Connection, with Judy Garland, and Kermit. That would be really wonderful. I'd like to do that sometime. You know, if it were possible.
That's my dream.
How do you feel about being an international gay icon?
I love being anybody's icon.
Yes, I am everyone's icon.I am an icon to all who will have me, [but] I don't march.I'm always wearing high heels, I barely walk.
I use a car wherever I go.
Did you work with Vivienne Westwood while she was doing the designs, or did she present them to you?I thought I already mentioned that. I try not to work. I just look good.
There's always been this relationship for years with you and Kermit, and I thought that basically wasn't this all resolved in the film THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN at the end and also in the last film where basically there was a torn wedding picture of you and Kermit and then you put it back together?
[sarcastic] Ok, first of all, you have to understand the difference between reeee-aaaaa-li-ty and fiction.
What you're witnessing here today? THIS is reality. Those other things, those are mooooo-vies that you saw before.
So I did try
to pull the wool over Kermit's eyes in Muppets Take Manhattan by replacing the
actor with a real minister, but unfortunately, he'd already been defrocked for
marrying farm animals.
Apparently, it's
not legal in many States, so I don't know, it's going to happen one day, I'm
sure.
And then we'll make a documentary, not a fictional movie.
Muppets Most Wanted opens today, Friday, March 21.