THEnext March 12th Liza Minnelli will cross the finish line of 80 years olda birthday celebrated with the release of the memoir I, Liza (coming March 10th for Rizzoli). In an open-hearted confession released to Corriere della Serathe icon of Cabaret traces a life always lived to the fullest, among the Hollywood dreams and the darkness of addictions. Daughter of art par excellence, Liza does not hide the wounds of a legendary but painful past: «Life, for mom, hasn’t always been fun»he remembers talking about Judy Garlandrevealing an existence spent among villas on the hills and playmates like the children of Humphrey Bogart or Fred Astaire.
Liza Minnelli and childhood with Judy Garland: between golden dreams and escapes from hotels
Liza Minnelli’s first look at the world is enchanting: «Some of my memories seem like magnificent Technicolor dreams. In the house we listened to music all the time”he says, recalling the afternoons playing with Mia Farrow. But behind that golden facade built by his father Vincente Minnelli and mother Judy Garland, the emotional load was very heavy.
Liza Minnelli with her mother Judy Garland in 1965. (Photo by Screen Archives/Getty Images)
Liza Minnelli explains how, already at 5 years old, the mother treated her like a psychoanalystventing to her and confiding his fears and anger. An instability that was also economic, despite his fame: «We were broke at his concerts I don’t know how many times we sneaked out of the hotel to avoid paying the bill», he reveals to the newspaper. «I would have liked to save her from drug and alcohol abuse. He passed away at 47, too young to die.”
The success of Cabaret and the fight against alcohol
Liza Minnelli’s career is inextricably linked to Sally Bowles, the character who gave her the Oscar in 1973 in Cabaret. Yet, that very triumph marked the beginning of a personal nightmare in which reality began to imitate fiction: pills, drugs and alcohol they threatened to destroy it. “You’re always on the mend, or on the verge of death.”he confesses speaking of his sobriety which has lasted for eleven years now. A tiring path, marked by moments of extreme shame, like when she fainted on a sidewalk in New York and was mistaken for a homeless woman: “I have never been so ashamed of myself”he admits with brutal honesty.
The humiliation at the 2022 Oscars and the relationship with Lady Gaga
One of the most bitter passages of the interview concerns the night of the Oscar 2022. The diva reveals that she was forced to go on stage in a wheelchair against her will: «They ordered me, inexplicably, to use it. They told me it was due to age.”. On that evening, the presence of Lady Gaga at his side was experienced with mixed feelings. Although Gaga set out to protect her, Liza Minnelli perceived paternalistic treatment, almost considered “an idiot” to test memory: «I was treated very badly on one of the most important evenings of my life. I can forgive him but I will never forget him.”.
Liza Minnelli in a wheelchair with Lady Gaga at the 2022 Oscars. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
The “wrong” loves of Liza Minnelli
THE’autobiography it also delves into the star’s romantic failures. From the four marriages that ended badly, emerges the pain of the betrayal of her first husband, Peter Allen, found in bed with a man: «I entered our apartment and found Peter having passionate sex. With a man. In our bed! ». Then the bizarre bond with Peter Sellers, who bullied her by speaking with the voices of his characters, and the prison marriage with David Gest, who monitored her every movement and phone call. Brutal experiences that Liza overcame with the determination of a survivor.
A new phase: «I haven’t aged, I’m old!»
Today Liza Minnelli looks to the future with disarming clarity. The book is not just a diary of memories, but a message of hope for those who fight against addictions: «I hope to be useful to those who have addictions, to whom I say: get help». Despite the scars, the enthusiasm remains the same as always. Between memories of fried chicken dinners with Madonna and Tarantino and the desire to produce new projects, Liza closes the interview with a smile: «I haven’t aged: I’m old! But I still feel like the same Liza”.
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