By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Media Services
December 25, 2007
After winning an Academy Award for her breakthrough performance in “Children of a Lesser God,” Marlee Matlin has proven herself to be a serious actress with a deft comedic touch. But Matlin, 42, is also an accomplished author of children’s books. Her latest, “Leading Ladies” ($15.99, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing), which features a spunky young heroine who Matlin says is a lot like she was as a child, picks up where her previous books “Deaf Child Crossing” and “Nobody’s Perfect” left off. As for acting, Matlin returns to the fifth season of “The L Word” next month, and also has an upcoming guest-starring role on “Nip/Tuck”. But for now, the well-traveled actress – who resides in Los Angeles with her husband and children – reminisces about one of her favorite vacations: a Mediterranean cruise.
LAST TRIP: We took a cruise through the Mediterranean and just loved it. We toured the countryside outside of Rome and had a wonderful homemade dinner with our Italian friends. We trekked through museums in Florence. We strolled the streets of Barcelona and feasted on paella. We haggled with carpet salesmen in Tunisia. And we lazed about the pool onboard the
ship, making new friends and acquaintances. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
FAVORITE MEMORY: Watching the sun set over the island of Capri off the coast of Italy with my husband.
WHEN I TRAVEL, I ALWAYS LIKE TO BRING … A good book. Since I am absolutely useless when it comes to maps and speaking the local language, I leave that up to others, so I can have time to shop. Ha!
WHAT I BRING BACK FROM A TRIP: A nice tan and a couple of extra pounds. Seriously, I really don’t buy many souvenirs for myself. It’s more for our children, friends and relatives. If I do get something, it’s usually a small piece of jewelry. And by get, I mean I make my husband buy it for me!
NEXT TRIP: Another cruise would be great. Since I’m the godmother of Holland America’s Noordam, I’m hoping that maybe I can hop onboard and take a tour of the Greek Islands. I’d love to enjoy the fun of making friends onboard and dining in fine style one day and relaxing on some remote island beach or exploring the shops and environs of a local Greek town on another. That’s the best kind of vacation for me.
WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A VACATION: I love any island, whether it’s Lanai in Hawaii or the remote Caribbean isle of St. Bart’s or Tortola, where my husband and I spent our honeymoon. For me it’s just about turning off the TV, computer and phone, and relaxing under an umbrella with a good book in my hand. I love Europe too, particularly Italy and its wonderful countryside. What better vacation could there be than to see beautiful scenery like that outside of Florence or Rome and enjoy it with great food? But with four kids it’s not so easy to escape anymore and lately we’ve been doing a lot of Disney World vacations, where we’ve spent every Christmas holiday for the last six years. But they do it so right there. Sometimes I can imagine myself in a remote island paradise, even if I’m some place where it’s filled with Mickey Mouse ears.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE MEDITERRANEAN:
WHERE IT IS: The Mediterranean is enclosed by Europe (north), Africa (south) and Asia (east).
SIZE: The Mediterranean covers about 965,000 square miles, but its connection to the Atlantic Ocean is just 9 miles wide.
FACTOIDS: The Mediterranean Sea has a depth of almost 4,920 feet and has 28,600 miles of coastline.
© 2007 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
hi my name is samantha jane smith i am 24 years old and i am a big fan of marlee matlin since i was young and growning up as well marlee matlin has her best interpreter jack jason in marlee matlin book ill scream later it says her inerpreter jack jason is the best interpreter i n the would as well
from samantha jane smith from taunton somerset