Q&A: Rose Mcgowan Charmed by Classics

Rodney Ho - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Over the years, Turner Classic Movies' "The Essentials" has been hosted by legends such as Rob Reiner, Sydney Pollack, Peter Bogdanovich and Carrie Fisher.

But a one-time guest host last year intrigued the powers that be: sexy and smart 34-year-old actress Rose McGowan, best known for her stint on the TV series "Charmed" and the recent "Grindhouse" films. Now she's this year's co-host with Robert Osborne, starting Saturday with Billy Wilder's classic "The Apartment."

"I love that she's not an obvious pick," said Tom Brown, head of original programming for Atlanta's TCM. "Rose is a classic movie fan. Her knowledge blew us away. She was like a teenager meeting a rock star when she met Robert."

McGowan doesn't deny that. Last fall, she flew into Atlanta to shoot commentaries for about 40 different films, from Laurel & Hardy's "The Music Box" to Steve McQueen's "The Great Escape."

Here are excerpts from two separate interviews:

Q: What reaction did you have when you got this gig?

A: When my manager told me I was going to be a guest programmer, I squealed. That's not a sound that comes out my mouth very often. He paused for a second. 'You know what's really sad, Rose,' he said. 'I haven't seen you this excited about getting a film.' The problem is I find shooting films fairly torturous. It's not how I would prefer to spend my time. But it's my job. So there's the quandary."

Q: Yet you do love watching films, right?

A: Yes. This is basically my dream job to yap about movies I love.

Q: How did you prepare for this?

A: I have a great ability to cram stuff in my head for immediate use. Especially about old films. The rest of my life, I couldn't tell you what I did yesterday.

Q: Did TCM pick most of the films?

A: Yes. But of the 40, I had seen 32 of them. Many of them over and over. But there were some I had never seen and probably had no great intention of seeing before this. Like "Paths of Glory," a 3 1/2-hour war film starring Kirk Douglas. I'm not normally a big war film fan. Then I saw it. It's about the human condition. It left a big impression on me.

Q: So where do you like to watch TCM?

A: In my bed. I call it command central with my TiVo and 46-inch TV. With the writers' strike, I had a lot of time to sit there and watch movies. I take a trough of Rice Krispies in a bowl best used for mixing. I have a big thing for cereal.

Q: What was it like working with Robert Osborne?

A: He's just such a joy. We cranked through those movies. My jaw was sore the next day. I was worried I was too sedate and came off boring. But I saw still photos and in every one, my hands are waving all around. I was clearly moved to passion!

--

ON TV

"The Essentials" with Robert Osborne and Rose McGowan airs Saturdays at 8 p.m. on TCM.

----

More movie news

Copyright 2012 by Atlanta Journal Constitution