"Talking 88MPH: A Conversation with Lea Thompson" By Jason Anders

Lea Thompson is an actress, director and producer known for her roles in some of the most iconic films of the eighties including Back to the Future (1985), Howard the Duck (1986), All the Right Moves (1983), Jaws 3-D (1983) and Some Kind of Wonderful (1987).  She also starred in her own television series, Caroline in the City (1995), which ran for four seasons on NBC. Today, she's proudly sporting a glowing flux capacitor pin and ready to answer some of my rapid-fire random questions. 

 Jason Anders: What is the most bizarre question you've been asked so far?

Lea Thompson: Oh gosh, that's hard to say. Honestly, people ask mostly nice stuff. Sometimes if they get a little personal, that's bizarre.

JA: I heard you recently filmed a pilot?

LT: Yes! It's called Uncle Nigel and it was for TBS, it's about a good cop and a bad cop - the good cop is my brother and the bad cop is my son, and they're partners.

JA: Does it make you nervous when your car hits 88 mph?

LT: (laughs) Yes.
(Publicity photo for Back to the Future - 1985)
JA: Do you remember the first car that you had?

LT: Yes, a Gremlin that didn't work very well.

JA: How old were you when you got your first car?

LT: Sixteen, it was handed down.

 JA: Do you have any phobias?

 LT: Heights kinda freak me out.

JA: What was your first job?

LT: I was a ballet dancer.
JA: How old were you when you started, and do you still dance?

LT: I was ten, and I still dance.

JA: If you could star on any television show of the past, which role would you take on?

LT: One of the disposable girlfriends in the first Star Trek. I would do anything to kiss Captain Kirk.

 JA: I'll be sure to send this to William Shatner. Do you make your bed in the morning?

LT: No.

JA: Do you play chess?

LT: Yes.

JA: Do you collect anything?

LT: Yeah, Roseville Pottery.
(Publicity photo for John Hughes' Some Kind of Wonderful - 1987)
JA: What do you do when you can't sleep?

LT: Write in my diary.

 JA: What is the biggest purchase you made this year?

LT: My daughter's college tuition.

JA: What are three adjectives you would use to best describe your personality?

LT: Hard-working, family-oriented and animal lover.

JA: Do you have a favorite virtue?

LT: Humility.

JA: Do you have any weird habits?

LT: Making out with my bird.
(3-D glasses used for Jaws 3-D - 1983)
JA: What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?

LT: A Barbie® from my brother when I was a little girl.

JA: Do you prefer hot or cold?

LT: Hot.

JA: What are your three favorite movies of all time?

LT: Harold and Maude (1971), Back to the Future (1985), and Gone With the Wind (1939).

JA: Do you prefer to work in film, theater, or television?

LT: Television - there are better parts for women.
JA: Do you have any nicknames?

LT: Mini-Pork.

JA: Where did that come from?

LT: My sister (laughs).

JA: What was your fondest memory of filming JAWS 3-D?

LT: When I got on top of the three-tier pyramid of girls. It took about two weeks of training, but it was quite a feat.
(Publicity photo with Tom Cruise for All the Right Moves - 1983)
JA: Name three actors whose work you love.

LT: Meryl Streep, of course. Gene Hackman and Christopher Lloyd.

JA: If you had to sum up your life with just one word, which one would it be?

LT: Well that's really hard. It would have to be "Lucky."
(Jason Anders & Lea Thompson)
Follow Lea Thompson on Twitter at @LeaKThompson