Michelle Pfeiffer called ‘old & decrepit’, hates the word ‘cougar’

cheri screening 160609
All too often the gossip-world is devoted to covering and following the youngest, the dumbest, the drunkest, and the most ridiculous celebrities out there. So occasionally it’s nice to cover a interesting little story about a woman of a “certain age” who isn’t mangling her face with surgery or Botox, who isn’t dating a guy half her age, who isn’t telling off some other celebrity and who isn’t flashing her lady bits to a paparazzo’s waiting camera. Such is the case of 51-year-old Michelle Pfeiffer. Michelle gets my respect automatically because she was in some of my favorite films of all time – Dangerous Liaisons (where she seduced John Malkovich on and off screen), The Age of Innocence (where she allegedly seduced Daniel Day-Lewis off-screen) and Married To the Mob (which is just a really funny movie).

Unfortunately, not everyone shares me good opinion of Michelle Pfeiffer and how cool and classy she is. Michelle recently told a story about how during some of her promotional duties, a reporter asked her “’How does it feel to have an old and decrepit body?” Not cool, douchebag reporter. Not cool:

MICHELLE PFEIFFER was left speechless during a recent promotional trip to Germany – when one journalist described the Hollywood star’s body as “old and decrepit”.

The Dangerous Liaisons actress, who is currently promoting new romantic drama Cheri, celebrated her 51st birthday this April (09) and insists she is embracing growing old gracefully.

But she was stunned when one female reporter criticised her looks in such a harsh manner.

Pfeiffer says, “She asked, ‘How does it feel to have an old and decrepit body?’ And at first I didn’t understand her, I was like, ‘Sorry, did you just say I had an old and decrepit body?’ and she was like, ‘Ja (yes). How does it feel?'”

The actress recognized the woman from a past press conference when she attacked the star’s fashion sense – and Pfeiffer responded to the criticism of her appearance by giving the reporter a telling off for her consistently rude comments.

Pfeiffer reveals, “She was the same woman who’d asked me years before, because I remembered her. She’d said, ‘Do you think what you’re wearing is appropriate?’ She was like, 60 and had on a miniskirt! And I said, ‘Well, you’re the one who asked me two years ago if I was dressed appropriate… (sic)’.”

[From Contact Music]

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the reporter was either insane, or on crack. Or both. I like how Michelle handled it though, and I hope she didn’t take it seriously, but the woman still looks amazing – and age appropriate. The reason Michelle has been giving so many interviews lately is because she’s got a film to promote – Cherie, “a romantic drama set in 1920s Paris, where the son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.” Michelle plays the older woman who “educated” the son of the courtesan, and thus, the whole cougar-hood question came out when she spoke to In Style Magazine (quotes via Page Six):

Don’t call Michelle Pfeiffer a cougar. The actress, 51, tells InStyle: “I so hate that term! Colette wrote these novels [about older women with younger men] so long ago, but even today they’re ahead of their time in the way we perceive women’s power and sexuality.”

As for her take on plastic surgery, she says, “Well, I think your face should still move. And you should be recognizable to your friends. One actress I knew years ago, a really lovely person, had some stuff done, and literally, every time I run into her now I don’t recognize her. Every time!”

[From Page Six]

Michelle gets an A-plus for a literary cougar reference. Eat that, Demi Moore. That being said, as I was researching this, I checked Michelle’s dating history on Who’s Dated Who, and her entry is epic. That girl dated some really great guys when they were in their prime. But generally, she tended to date men who were older. She doesn’t have the heart of cougar, only the looks. Currently, Michelle is married to David E. Kelley (they’ve been together since 1993 and he’s two years older than her) and they raise their two kids together quietly and happily from all evidence.

Michelle Pfeiffer is shown on 6/16/09 outside the Late Show. She is also shown on 6/17/09. Credit: WENN.com

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48 Responses to “Michelle Pfeiffer called ‘old & decrepit’, hates the word ‘cougar’”

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  1. Enonymous says:

    Michelle Pfeiffer looks wonderful, she is truly a very attractive woman.

  2. ash says:

    ditto^

  3. SixxKitty says:

    Now had the ‘nasty’ reporter asked Madonna, Sharon Stone or Rosanna Arquette that question, and you could have written for a week on the after-effects. (All different of course).
    But the beautiful and it seems tactical, Michelle managed to put the question back out there, making the asker look like it’s she, who is decrepit. (Not to mention dressed inappropriate.)
    I don’t think women like MP ever go out of fashion, at any age she seems timeless. Must be a class thing…Something that reporter had none of!

  4. CandyKay says:

    You know, getting older is only a bad thing when you consider the alternative.

    All of us will age, if we’re lucky.

    We might as well figure out how to enjoy life as we get older, and it sounds like Michelle is doing just fine.

  5. ronnie says:

    The rest of us would be happy to look as good at 20 as Michelle Pfeiffer looks at 51! That reporter has a case of the jealous, methinks.

  6. Zoe (The Other One) says:

    Wow. 51? She looks incredible.

  7. fizXgirl314 says:

    wtf? she’s gorgeous!

  8. HUH? says:

    um…yeah, she’s not “isn’t mangling her face with surgery or Botox” as Kaiser said because SHE ALREADY HAS.

    while I DO think she looks fabulous and not “old and decrepit”, she’s had a LOT of plastic surgery (when she was younger).

    “recognizable to your friends”? she’d be lucky if her HS friends recognized her.

    http://www.awfulplasticsurgery.com/michelle.php

  9. Taradash says:

    finally someone else that HATES that Cougar reference.,

    its not a compliment by any means, very de grading

    go Michelle!

  10. Kaiser says:

    HUH – I don’t get it. Those are just pictures of the same beautiful woman as she’s aging with grace. I didn’t (and still don’t) see any tell-tale signs of plastic surgery. Like, say, eyes that are suddenly pulled too tight, mysteriously “growing” cheekbones or a lack of any wrinkles anywhere.

    Face it, the girl’s just got good genes, and she takes care of herself.

  11. mandajamin says:

    goodness i pray to God i look that amazing at 51

  12. Ana says:

    She had a nose job. But really, I think she looks great. She seems to be growing older gracefully not trying to fight it with surgery and botox.

  13. Diana says:

    Not only lovely woman, but one who preferred spending time raising her family to endlessly appearing in films.

    I’d say lovely inside and out.

  14. Mairead says:

    *puts on mah kickin’ boots to put some manners on the hag who slagged off Stephanie Zinone* 👿

    (Grease 2 forever…. shut up!)

    I saw video footage of her in Miss California in the mid-70s and there’s an old German Lux ad on youtube; she didn’t look that different to Grease 2, just a broader face.

  15. barneslr says:

    @HUH-She didn’t have “a LOT” of plastic surgery. She had a nose job when she was younger, which I don’t think is quite the same thing as, say, a Janice Dickinson type who has mangled her face beyond recognition.

    Overall, she is aging very beautifully. I only wish I looked so good! She clearly takes good care of herself.

  16. dew says:

    Find out more about the reporter!

    What other actors has this reported been so rude to? And what about her career too?

  17. j. ferber says:

    I don’t believe she’s having nothing done to her face. More like the Botox was done very cleverly, leaving a few lines/wrinkles to appear more natural. Her face does look different to me. Her cheeks are very prominent for 51. I think she’s had really, really good work/maintenance done. The comments prove it.

  18. barneslr says:

    Oh, and if her face is the result of a plastic surgeon’s knife…I want his name and number so I can take out a 2nd mortgage and get me some work done now!

  19. I Choose Me says:

    Michelle; one of my favourite actresses. She’s luminous. I’d be happy to look as good at 35 as she does at 51.

  20. HUH? says:

    “Those are just pictures of the same beautiful woman as she’s aging with grace.”

    um…no. besides the nose job, she’s had a brow lift, something done to make her eyes more “almond” and less round, and lip filler (or implant). Google “michelle pfeiffer plastic surgery” and you’ll find more pictures.

    http://www.awfulplasticsurgery.com/2007/04/05/a-nice-fat-upper-lip-for-michelle-pfeiffer/

    http://plasticsergeant.com/celebrity/michelle-pfeiffer-nose-job

    actually, these pics make it look like at least two nose jobs.

    for you to say that it’s the same women makes me think you’re just a TINY bit biased.

    again, don’t get me wrong, she’s gorgeous and she still looks great, but those looks are the result of a surgeon’s knife.

  21. the original kate says:

    of course she’s had plastic surgery and botox…what actress hasn’t these days? i just wish people would admit it…not like we don’t know. but she does look great and her body is amazing. i also think that reporter is just jealous.

  22. geronimo says:

    I really want to see a pic of this journalist/reporter. Sounds just like one of those mirror-cracking hags over at the Daily Mail.

    Michelle is classy and beautiful, inside and out.

  23. danielle says:

    Yeah…I just have never met a 50 year old woman who looked THAT good. I think there has to be some plastic surgery in there. It would be nice if stars would fess up – maybe then women wouldn’t feel the need to live up to ridiculous expectations.

  24. Jan says:

    Honestly? This is a wonderful and beautiful actress, but her looks were never natural. She had SEVERAL procedures in her youth to get this look.
    Having said that, she looks great for any age.

  25. Any Mous says:

    Whether she has or hasn’t had any cosmetic work done, she looks amazing and naturally beautiful. With so many of her peers looking like freaks because they want to look like they’re 30, she should be really proud of herself. I’ve always liked her.

  26. Camille says:

    Ditto on what others have said, shes definitely had a little bit of work done BUT I think she is still gorgeous and I LOVE her. I recently watched ‘I could never be your woman’ and she was utterly adorable in it as always. Class act is MP.

    I don’t think any actress in HW has escaped the plastic surgeons knife/needle at least once…

  27. gee_gee says:

    The HELL?!? I would like to be that damn ‘decrepit’ when I’m 51. Hell, I’d like to be that decrepit now.

  28. lrm says:

    She’s obviously naturally beautiful to begin with-ie,even with her original nose and much younger,she’s beautiful.
    AND,from reading the quote,she didn’t say she didn’t have any surgery;she said the face should be able to move and you should be recognizable to your friends. That’s not denying surgery!

  29. orion70 says:

    “Yeah…I just have never met a 50 year old woman who looked THAT good. I think there has to be some plastic surgery in there.”

    @ danielle..I have. The way some people talk in here, @ 40 you should be covered from nose to toes in wrinkles and ready for the knife, or the glue factory. If you look up close at MP, she does have a few wrinkles, she doesn’t look 20. And as i’ve said , i’ve met a couple of 50 year old women who look no different at that age. It’s not unheard of.

  30. Jag says:

    She’s beautiful and classy. I do want to know the name of her surgeon/dermatologist, though, because if she’s had things done, they were subtle.

  31. Mme X says:

    love her! always have. she’s a goddess. hadn’t heard that abt Daniel Day-Lewis: is it true?

  32. c says:

    love her. Frankie and Johnny was also pretty good. Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hector Elizondo…I liked the movie anyway…

  33. c says:

    and yeah. DESPISE the cougar term. God, i totally hate it and I ream out anyone that uses it on me.

  34. Rachel says:

    Michelle is so beautiful & classy, it would be an honor to be sitting right next to her. She is as Talented as she is gorgeous. As for that “60” year old reporter who insulted Michelle – it’s called jealousy. That woman was always envious of women like Michelle & thought she could tear her down, but sike Michelle is a class act so it didn’t work!

  35. Rachel says:

    Why are so many of you stunned by Michelle’s beauty at 50? Okay she may have had some cosmetic-surgery procedures, it’s Hollywood. But really you guys act like at 40 or 50 women dry up like prunes. People always remark about how Diane Lane looks so great for her age too? I can only hope I look as good when I get to their age. Also, people please go buy a Women’s Black, Latino-Spanish, Oriental or South Asian magazines! Women in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s still can pass for women in their 20’s. Especially Black Women! Just look at Halle Berry or Naomi Campbell stunning & don’t look a day over 25. People in Hollywood are so hard on aging White Women!

  36. Best of British says:

    Michelle’s a stunner.

    I wonder if she was talking about Melanie Griffith?!!! Now that’s plastic surgery gone wrong!

  37. Frank says:

    Response to awfulplasticsurgery.

    http://timw.405.googlepages.com/home

    Give the woman the benefit of doubt.

  38. barneslr says:

    Ugh, Melanie Griffith. She wasn’t pretty to begin with, but she really ruined her face with that horrible work she had done. It’s not surprising we don’t see her in many movies any more; she looks like a freak.

    Pfeiffer may have had a few tweaks, but she looks beautiful. Griffith-she is quickly approaching Joan Rivers territory.

  39. Magda says:

    I do not know how is to you, but here, in Romania where..anyway are many beautiful woman… we call it a lady. And it is superb!

  40. Pam says:

    I hope at 51 I look that old and decrepit.

  41. cara says:

    I love this woman. She is smoking hot, blazing actually. **** Never forget her role as Elvira Hancock aka pussycat from Scarface!!!! So hot.

    (That reporter probably didn’t get beat enough as a kid. )

    And yes, this bitch DOES exude class.

  42. dark says:

    I love Michelle. I think she’s classy, beautiful and very discret about her personal life. But i dont know why the Hollywood industry is so cruel to women over 35. They still talent, they still gorgeous, but why they have to compete with this young actresses who dont have any beauty or talent at all?
    By the way, Michelle even looks better than Megan Fox, and i bet she’s more intelligent too.
    Peace.

  43. Magsy says:

    Classic beauty and I like every movie she’s in. I too hate the word cougar probably because there’s no equivalent word for men, unless you want to count “chickenhawk” but that’s a term for old gay men.

  44. tonae says:

    michelle pfeiffer bad with bull whip cracking . the spanish actress , monica van campen is the loves her leather.

  45. tonae says:

    sorry , monica van campen is loves her bull whip

  46. sonia says:

    true , the spanish actress monica van campen is the loves her bull whip cracking.

  47. MK says:

    That reporter was just trying to undermine the confidence of a beautiful (inside and out) woman. As for the cougar thing, I can tell you, as an older woman, I don’t have to go out “prowling” around for young guys, they are after the older woman! The cougar term was invented to make it seem like we are after the young guys so they don’t have to be embarrassed about being with an older woman, so that it seems we have seduced them, but in reality, they are after us! The irony is, I can’t be bothered with all that crap anymore lol. It’s very liberating. All you younger ladies, don’t worry about it!