Plimpton's still working hard

Even though college students might remember her best as Stef from "The Goonies," Martha Plimpton has moved on from that cult classic to a plethora of other offbeat films. Her latest, "200 Cigarettes" opens Friday.

"Basically the story takes place on New Year's Eve, 1981," Plimpton told The Michigan Daily in a recent interview. "And it's about a bunch of people who are experiencing their own separate stories, individually and together. They have one common thread among them, which is they all end up taking the same cab at some point in the night. And they're all slowly finding their way towards this New Year's Eve party, which my character is throwing."

Propelled by her desire to do a comedy and working with a talented young cast, Plimpton hooked up with casting director-turned-director, Risa Bramon Garcia. Despite her desire to be in the film for the actors, Plimpton didn't really get to meet many of them. "We shot all of these stories separately, so each couple of people, or three people, or four people, who have their one story line shot for one week or two weeks, then left. So I only worked with those people who I'm in the scenes with."
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Martha Plimpton sees in a new year. > Aside from the limited interaction with the cast, Plimpton noted that the cast didn't spend much time reminiscing about the '80s, even though the film uses the period as a backdrop. But even in the climate of the "me" generations' beginnings, she explained that "the film really isn't about the onset of Reagan-omics ... we don't really address those issues in the movie."

The film derives its light nature in part because it's an MTV film (known for such thought provoking films as "Joe's Apartment" and "Varsity Blues"). Nevertheless, Plimpton notes that the "me" attitude of the '80s infects the characters' behavior.

"I would describe (my character) as sort of desperate. She's very self-absorbed as all these characters are in their own way," Plimpton said.

Much of Plimpton's recent film work (she's recently completed an onstage stint) reflects a more independent minded actress. But that doesn't mean Plimpton rejects the Hollywood studios: "I'd love to say I do these things because I don't want to make millions of dollars, but that would be a lie." In her honesty, Plimpton reveals, "I would love to make millions of dollars and be nominated for all kinds of fancy awards. But no one asks me." This hasn't created any hindrance for her though, because, "The interesting thing is letting go of that has brought me more opportunity than I've had than when I was actively pursuing some type of career star thing."

And despite roles in popular films such as "The Goonies" and "Parenthood," Plimpton hasn't achieved the type of success that her "200 Cigarettes" co-stars Ben Affleck ("Shakespeare in Love") and Christina Ricci ("The Opposite of Sex") have achieved. Instead, she has worked with more quirky directors such as John Waters in "Pecker," and finds herself more proud of the smaller films she's done.

Despite the fact that it didn't get any significant distribution, "Eye of God" holds a special place in her heart. "I think, film-wise, 'Eye of God' is the film I'm most, more recently, proud of."

With "200 Cigarettes" opening this week and a stage run in Chicago recently completed, Plimpton doesn't have anything on her plate. She does, however, have an idea of what her dream projects would be. "I want to do a Western. And I want to do a crime thing with a hard boiled, noir-y kind of thing," she said.

02-24-99