Michelle Pfeiffer interview: Liberated lady

They are together again for Cheri, a film based on French novelist Colette's story about an ageing courtesan (Pfeiffer) and her affair with a younger man (Rupert Friend, 27 and Keira Knightley's current beau).

The subject is ageing beauty which, Frears gallantly corroborated (and out of earshot), would mean nothing to Pfeiffer who at 50 looks fabulously well-preserved.

It's also to her credit that she's happy to play her age on screen. "If you think hitting 40 is liberating, wait till you turn 50," she says. "You dread it for years, then it happens and it's no big deal." Certainly not if you had Pfeiffer's head-start in the looks department, as shown by her appearance at the Berlin Film Festival for the film's premiere.

Pfeiffer admits she has been surprised at how liberating growing older is. "It makes you more grateful for what you have, you count your blessings and it is better than the alternative," she says.

A frequent complaint of actresses of her vintage is that decent roles suddenly become scarce, though Pfeiffer has not found that a problem. "There are fewer good parts generally, because there are fewer people in the business willing to invest in dramas these days and fewer movies being made. At the same time, the roles may be fewer but the older you get the more interesting the roles become. I have always loved doing character work. I'm also at a point when I don't want to work all the time. It pans out well for me."

Since 1993 Pfeiffer has been married to the creator of Ally McBeal, former lawyer David E Kelly, 54, and has two children, Claudia Rose, 17, who is adopted, and John Henry, 15. Pfeiffer has given up her own production company, Via Rosa (which was responsible for One Fine Day with George Clooney), because she needed to cut back.

"I'm always looking for ways to simplify life. Having two children and a production company pushed the limit of my energies. I love acting and I love making movies, but the business side of film-making was getting in the way.

"My children are old enough to understand what mommy does for a living. I take them on set whenever possible, but it's better for me if they're not there at difficult scenes. You've always got all these plates spinning in the air… it's quite hard to focus on being a serious actress again.

"I used to ring my agent and wail, 'They're putting me in hotpants again!' If nothing else, that taught me to be resilient. To survive in Hollywood you need resilience more than talent, and to be willing to work hard. There's a lot of rejection at the beginning. You have to keep believing in yourself.

"There was one point in 1986, right before The Witches of Eastwick, when I was out of work for at least a year. It was the first time I'd thought maybe I'd better look at doing something else. I don't know what I would have done."

She is now less work-oriented, saying: "Nowadays, the same thing wouldn't seem so grim. I have so many things I want to do. I like doing up the house, tinkering, fixing things.

"I come from a failed first marriage (to actor Peter Horton] which just collapsed. We didn't have an angry break-up. He even helped me pack my car when I left.

"I came into my second marriage much more aware. I was communicating better, I was more clearly developed and knew more about what I needed and wanted. Well, I think I do," she smiles.

She also has no real complaints about Hollywood's attitude to the older woman. "They do allow you to get older in Hollywood. Some of us continue to work, and this is a good example."

Referring to Cheri, her first dramatic leading role since 2002's White Oleander, she says: "It feels like society as a whole has become more youth and beauty-obsessed. At the same time, though, there are more opportunities for women. For instance, it's much more socially acceptable now for older women to be with a younger man. The older I get, the younger my leading men get. Lucky me."

Our conversation turns to any secrets she may be prepared to divulge on how she preserves her looks. "When I'm working I take really good care of myself and when I'm not, I stay out of sight and let myself go a little bit. I'm not too bothered about getting older. What am I going to do about it?"

The eldest of three girls, Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, California, where the local kids hung out at nearby Huntington Beach. Pfeiffer was no exception and the lure of soaking up the rays often took precedence over attending classes at Fountain Valley High School. "I was always at the beach," she says. "Looking back, I wish I'd had more education, but then I just couldn't wait to get out."

At 18, encouraged by her sisters, Dedee and Lori, she entered and won the Miss Orange County beauty contest. These days Pfeiffer is quite prickly about the way she looks – or, at least, she has learned over the years that being blessed with beauty can have its downside.

"People do try to compartmentalise me based on the way I look. Yes, it's frustrating. But then I've never felt better or been better. Furthermore, I'm getting really good roles now and I no longer feel I'm confined to the sexy image – which is a relief!"

• Cheri is released on 27 March.