Bette Midler on Wanting to Star in ‘The White Lotus,’ Why She Turned Down ‘Sister Act’ and Being Honored at the CDGAs
variety.comMarc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Bette Midler had her first professional wardrobe fitting when she made her Broadway debut in 1967 playing Tzeitel in “Fiddler on the Roof.” “I remember the clothes had layers and layers so that they had weight and so they moved when you danced,” the two-time Oscar nominee recalls on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “They would curl themselves around your feet.
It was so beautiful.” Since then, Midler has been transformed on stage and screen by countless costumes. “I’ve worn them all,” she says. “I have been an old lady, a young lady, a witch, a mermaid, a showgirl, a stripper, a bad lounge singer.
I’ve run the gamut. And I have to say, it’s been a blast.” Her decades-long work with costume designers will be celebrated Feb.
27 when she’s presented with the Distinguished Collaborator Award at the Costume Designers Guild Awards in Beverly Hills. Below, Midler speaks with Variety about performing at the Continental Baths, wanting to star in “The White Lotus” and why she won’t run for office. Do you own any of your costumes or wardrobe? I kept everything, but I sold a lot of it a few years ago at Julien’s Auctions because the storage became overwhelming.
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