By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Media Services
April 15, 2008
With several New York Times bestseller books already under her slim belt, actress Marilu Henner (“Taxi”) is excited about her latest self-help book: Wear Your Life Well: Use What You Have to Get What You Want (Collins, $24.95).
Co-written with her brother Lorin Henner, the book is easy to read and full of tips that range from common sense (“mascara needs to be tossed out after three or four months”) to just a tad more esoteric (“fall in love with your stress or it will kill you”).
A self-professed neat freak who loves to organize drawers, Henner also loves to travel. “There’s nothing like going to a place you’ve never been before and discovering something new,” says Henner, 56.
Fresh off her stint from “Celebrity Apprentice,” Henner talks about her favorite place to go away … Italy.
FAVORITE DESTINATION: Italy! I’ve been there at least 15 times. My first trip there in 1982 was literally a life-changing experience. Every member of my family has been to Italy, and we’re not Italian. We love it there.
TELL US MORE: I was married (to actor Frederic Forrest) at the time and we were at the Cannes Film Festival (in France). We were supposed to head from there to Bangkok where he was working on a film. But we got into a really bad argument and we needed time to cool off. I told him I would meet him in Thailand after some time alone. I headed for Italy, where a girlfriend of mine was living and we had a great time traveling around Genoa. Finally, I got on a train to Rome so I could catch a flight to Bangkok. There was a skeevy guy sitting by me and I was nervous. The train porter could see that so he kind of kept an eye on me. There was a train delay and the porter ended up taking me home where his wife and their family completely opened up their home to me. We all became the best of friends and vacation at each other’s homes. It’s the best thing that could’ve happened to me. I saw parts of Italy I had never even imagined existed.
FAVORITE MEMORIES: We took walks around the beautiful mountains, I dug up fresh porcini mushrooms with them, we made wine and I got a feel for what it was like to be Italian for a while. When they came to visit me in Los Angeles, I was divorced and there were a lot of good things going on in my life. I was dating John Travolta again at the time. I was making a movie with Blake Edwards and Burt Reynolds. I introduced my friends to them, and also took them to wrap parties for “Cheers” and “Family Ties.” They thought that was how my life was all the time! They said, “In Italy, we never imagined American life to be like this!”
WHAT YOU ENJOY THE MOST ABOUT TRAVELING: I love exploring. I love seeing how other cultures live. I don’t think you can really understand the world until you get out of your comfort zone and see things that maybe aren’t the norm. I’ve traveled a lot from a fairly young age because I did theater. I think I got the traveling bug then and I’m really grateful for that.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ITALY:
CURRENCY: Euro (1 Euro equals $1.60US).
TO TIP OR NOT TO TIP: Restaurant checks will include a service charge, so you don’t have to tip. Italians tend not to tip taxi drivers. Due to the influx of American tourists who do tip, many servers may expect a little gratuity, if they recognize your accent.
TIME ZONE: Rome is seven hours ahead of Chicago.
CAPITAL: Rome, which is also Italy’s largest city.
POPULATION: Almost 57 million people.
For more information about Italy, visit out www.italiantourism.com. To read more about Marilu Henner, go to her Website at www.marilu.com.
© 2008 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
