THE GOODBYE GIRL

Well, I was raised at a time when a woman wasn't supposed to have a career. She was supposed to get married and have two children. My self-esteem needed to grow. I needed to think that I was worth equal money before I could ask somebody to give me equal money. I'm the person who said in Life magazine back then, "There will never be a woman head of a studio in my lifetime." And I believed it. Today I'm convinced there will be a woman president of the United States in my lifetime.

The Hollywood rumor mill worked you over pretty hard in the early days. For years people gossiped that you got jobs from men because you were intimate with them.

There was no truth to any of that, of course. None. But if you're the first, it goes with the territory. People are always making up reasons why you got the job, rather than understanding that you got it because you worked hard. Then you get older, and no one says that anymore. [Laughs]

You were accused of never giving bad news.

I do not have other people deliver my bad news, and I never have. I actually find that insulting. Maybe it's a vestige of sexism. Trust me, I've had those tough, heated conversations. I just didn't do it in a manner that was cruel. You've always seemed comfortable being feminine. I remember the first time I met you, seven years ago, you hugged me.

[Laughs] I like to hug people. I don't hug everybody, but I like contact. Part of being in the movie business is wanting to reach out to people, to connect. Anyway, I'm glad I hugged you.