domain of discourse

"It seemed to be you . . . . "

A youg ingenue plays a siren, a sexual mature woman plays a siren, an old lady plays a siren.

An actual person is interviewed as the real [hidden] counterpart to a fictitious character - "Alexis".

St Tropez in the south of France, and an audience with the legendary Joan Collins. What could possibly go wrong ? She’s a star who emerged from the golden age of Hollywood, a gentler era, a style, a grace. But remember Joan made her greatest mark playing one of the nastiest bitches in television history – the scheming Alexis Carrington of Dynasty.

78 years of age she can still muster her inner Alexis, and has even created a stage show dishing the scandalous dirt on her former co-stars. What I didn’t count on as we sat down for a cosy chat was ending up in the firing line.

“This car is um magnificent.”

We’re driving Miss Collins through the south of France.

It’s so perfect”

Like an old Hollywood movie it’s a glimpse of a more glamorous age. But I soon learn old and age are not words to be taken lightly.

“You still do the splits”

“Yes”

Come on

Yes

Really ?

Yeees

I can’t do the splits now, let alone at 78

Well men can’t do the splits. You don’t need to keep on mentioning my age. How old are you

Oh sorry

How old are you ?

Fifty

Fifty ?

Yeah

It’s a good age How do you feel about it ?

Er er, mixed.

Mixed ? yeah Well Imagine how I feel about it

In a career spanning six decades it was her role as superbitch Alexis Carrington in the mega-soap “Dynasty” that made Joan Collins an icon.

“Dammit you did this to us.”

Do you think a lot of people still see you as Alexis

Yes , of course.

You comfortable with that ?

Absolutely, yes it was a great pinnacle of my life, it brought me all kinds of success,

It also seemed to be you.

Yeah

The glamour, the big hair,

Well, the glamour, the big hair, is that how you see me ?

Well

Glamour big hair

Well I see you in blue jeans and a yellow jacket

Joan Collins revels in the life of a Hollywood legend, and has never been coy about sharing the juicy details.

“there was this young guy who stood outside, who was in the er mail room, and it was Nikon ?

Really

Yeah, and he asked me for a date one day

She’s onto her fourth memoir, and brings her spicy stories to life in a one-woman show coming to Australia in November

My life’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, more ups and downs than Joan Rivers face.

And then at the end, um, I’ll take questions from the audience

Ah very good,

Yes

Questions without notice

Yes

That’s very brave

Yes, like  I am with you

I’m I’m very friendly

Yes I know

Joan trained as a classical actress in London, but at 22 she left England’s priggish shores for Hollywood. It was 1955

Implicit explicit, redirecting the desire shown towards her in the past towards what she is promoting in the present.]