MAGS AND BOOKS
Date and Issue: Volume 9, Number 4, April 1981.
Pages: 3 pages.
Pictures: 3 b&w pictures.
Article: Interview.
Author: Mimi Becker.
Country: USA.
GOSSIP At her lovely home in Bel Air, California where she lives with mentor/hubby Ron Samuels, former Miss World Lynda Carter shared her feelings on work, religion, men and the women's movement with Gossip's Mimi Becker.
     Relaxed, and very much at ease in her fabulous home, Lynda Carter spoke freely about her life and her beliefs. Foremost on her mind at the moment was her upcoming trip to New York and the Maybelline commercial that she was going to shoot. Lynda explained, "I like doing commercials for Maybelline because I'm more than just a spokesperson for the company. I have a tremendous amount to do with the products and I'm also the fashion and beauty director. I test the products; it's much more of a commitment than just putting your face on the screen. I love my involvement with the company."
     Lynda sky-rocketed to fame with her Wonder Woman series. 
About the show and her character, she states, "It was thrilling for me when I first got the part. I didn't just show up for work and take the money. I got involved in the scripts -I care about all the projects I do. I'm constantly trying to improve the story lines and it was very satisfying in that respect. But after five years of doing anything, you get tired of it. When I shot the last episode it was sad, but I was anxious to get on with my career.
     There are so many things I'm involved with now that are interesting to me and I have so much more time for my home and family, and just doing things fur the house and bring a person. I loved the show, but now it's over and I'm glad I'm not doing it anymore. Wonder Wonan is responsible for all the things I'm doing now.

     "Playing the London Palladium was the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life. I played to a standing room only crowd; it was completely sold out! I really didn't know how the English audience was going to treat me. I found them very warm and receptive. I received a 15-minute standing ovation and told the audience, 'I don't know where Americans get these preconceived ideas that the British are stuffy. You've been the best audience I've ever worked for.' They loved that! I did a totally musical show."

     Lynda Carter is billed as one of the most exciting women in the world. So what excites a super exciting woman? When Gossip posed this question, Carter replied, "My specials are exciting to me; my work excites me-life is exciting. Something new is always happening. There are some entertainers who I find thrilling, like Bette Midler, Lena Horne and The Doobie Brothers. I really enjoy Barbara Mandrell's show. I think that's the first variety show that has held my interest."
     Currently working on The Baby Brokers TV-movie, Lynda says, "This is not a black and white situation; there are reasons for the problem." (The problem concerns young girls who are coerced into having babies, thereby creating a black market where infants are sold outright, thus avoiding the legal adoption agencies.) Carter continues, "It's a form of slavery because you're selling a human being. Private adoption is perfectly legal; that's why this is such a gray area in the law. I play a social worker, a real 'on fire' woman who is out to save the world. She comes from an upper middle class background and thinks she's the world's answer to humanity. A lot of doctors and lawyers are involved in this business. They encourage young girls-the average age is 13 and 14 years old-to become involved in this racket as 'baby factories.' The girls, become pregnant and then the babies are sold for $20,000 to $30,000. In the movie, a young girl says, 'I would much rather be an abused rich kid than an abused poor kid.' I think the normal adoptive procedures should be loosened up so that it's easier to adopt a child. Adoption would become an alternative to abortion. This is a billion dollar business. They take young girls off the streets and make them an attractive offer, like a nice hotel in Tahiti or wherever. When you snatch a kid off the streets, that's where the crime comes in and there is conspiracy between the doctors and the lawyers."
     Lynda is also involved in another-, more lighthearted project, a feature film entitled Rose & Violet. "It's sort of my pet project," she reveals. "I love it. It's a dramatic comedy-western. It's a lot like Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. I like to really show a slice of life in my projects. If I know the viewer is going to learn something as well as be entertained, then it's worthwhile. In this film, I really want to show what it was like for women in the West. I mean what it was really like, not what we think it was like."
     As a dedicated and professional actress, Carter finds herself naturally preoccupied with staying in shape (read: very slim). In Hollywood, a town that lives and dies by the scales (among other things) keeping fit and trim is an obsession. When questioned as to her secret for losing weight and staying thin, Lynda replies, "In order for me to lose weight, I just stop eating. I don't drink anything but water, and I try to do some exercise everyday. I love water exercises and I love to play tennis or run. I usually don't eat breakfast but I probably drink about a gallon of water a day.
     I keep water by my bed and during the night, if I'm thirsty, I pour myself a big glass. Ron and I have just started a vegetable diet; we try to eat just fresh, steamed vegetables. Basically, we're just sticking to salads and vegetables, but you have to have a little spice in your life!"
     Lynda has strong feelings about male/female relationships and feels that a man should be placed first, "but not at the expense of yourself or your self-respect," she is quick to add. Carter reveals, "I love my husband and I really enjoy being his wife. I'm for the women's movement; I think it's absurd that women don't have the same constitutional rights as men. But there is a certain amount of tragedy here, too. Housewives are getting the impression that being a wife is nothing and I really resent that. There are many women who desire that lifestyle and they're creative, exciting and stimulating people! Many are also doing great jobs of being mothers. I defend the right to be a wife. I enjoy being a wife and my husband doesn't take advantage of me."
     A born-again Christian, Carter explains, "I love the Lord and He loves me. The experience of accepting the Lord into your heart is a very simple thing to do, but it does take some effort. You must say, 'Lord, I want you to come into my life. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and I ask forgiveness.' I think there's an empty spot in everyone and I sought to fill the void I felt inside of me. Jesus Christ fills the void. It is immediate and it is a miracle. Things do change."
     As far as her future plans are concerned, Lynda admits, "Ron and I do want a family, but I don't want to give up my career. I have projects lined up for the next three years. I figure that I could take off a few months and have a baby and it would be no big deal, careerwise. It's just a matter of doing it!"
© 1981 by The Laufer Publishing Company.
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