Liza Minnelli Opens Up in Rare Q&A with Interview Magazine

"Now, what does Interview want to know?" asked Liza Minnelli to her good friend Michael Feinstein in the latest issue of Interview Magazine. Ms. Minnelli has long been a favorite of the magazine, which was founded by her good friend Andy Warhol 55 years ago. To honor the occasion, she appears on the cover of the latest issue, along with a Q&A session with Feinstein.

"I was on the cover a few times." she tells Feinstein. Actually, he says, three times, first in 1972, the year she won the Best Actress Oscar for "Cabaret." Asked how she would describe her friend Warhol, she answered: "Three words: Genius. Trust. Generosity." Adding, "He made me see myself and my parents differently. He found emotional colors that I'd never noticed before. I will always cherish what Andy captured. I see his brilliance every day and it lives right here. [Pats her heart]."

In the interview's introduction, there is a quote by Warhol about Liza: "Liza is always on and I am always off. Liza has what Diana Vreeland calls 'built-in show biz.' Whenever Liza walks into a room, everything stops and people wait for the act to begin." That act is full display in the upcoming documentary "LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story," which is scheduled for release early next year (likely for Oscar consideration).

At a screening of the movie last summer at the Provincetown Film Festival, the director Bruce David Klein was asked why he included so much footage of Liza from the 1970s, and he answered that he wanted to erase the unfortunate image of her looking frail and disoriented in the wheelchair when presenting an Oscar with Lady Gaga at the 2022 Academy Awards. For some from Gen Z, it may have been the first time they were seeing Minnelli, and Klein wants to show what a vital talent she was in her prime. Of course, they need only stream "Cabaret" or "New York, New York," or her television special "Liza with a Z" to see why she is a legend.

A good portion of the interview looks at her relationship with her parents – both legends: Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli. Theirs was a tortured marriage that ended when Liza was still a child. And while she acknowledges they did not get along, she is generous in praising both. Klein's film examines these relationships with some detail, especially with Garland, whose insecurities led her to feel threatened by her uber-talented daughter.

"He was so proud of me," she says of her father. "So was Mama, but Mama was Mama. Everybody's mother has things that they adore about their kid and things that drive them crazy." When Feinstein says that Garland could be awful to her, Liza responds, "Yeah. Ten minutes later, she'd come in and say, 'Let me give you a hug.' She was kind of a normal mother in an extraordinarily talented body."

Having famous parents led Liza to be aware of the press – and bad press – from an early age. "My dad would never let me see any of the stories written about us. And if I heard some story, he'd take me aside and say, 'You know that's not true, right?' So I learned that early on from him. But they both gave me a strong sense of being myself. Mama would say, 'You've got two very famous people as your parents.' So I learned that if people start trying to drag you into talking about who did what and where, forget them. My life is just as interesting as theirs were, believe me."

Media has been kind and hard on Liza, which has led to many misconceptions about her. "They read trash and tripe and don't know that my life is really beautiful. It's filled with loved ones, laughter, creativity, and emotional as well as financial safety. People weaponize crazy stories, it's a friggin' bore. I don't think people understand what a close family we are. My sister Lorna and I get together and giggle. She has the family courage. I love each of my siblings. My brother Joey, my sister Tina [from Vincente Minnelli's second marriage]. Her kids were here with me for a few days and the press did not find out. Ha!"

Liza is one of the elite members of the EGOT club, having won four Tonys, two Grammys, an Emmy, and an Oscar. Which meant the most to her? "Each one is equally important for different reasons. I never thought I'd win that Oscar. I was sure Diana Ross was going to get it [for 'Lady Sings the Blues']. One lasting gift is that when I won, my father was sitting next to me, and he screamed so loud in my ear I had tinnitus that never went away."

And she's still working, currently with Tiffany & Co.'s [creative director] Christopher Young on a fresh way to celebrate the Italian jewelry designer Elsa Peretti, who died in 2021. She is also collaborating with Feinstein on a new album. "You didn't ask, but I have one piece of advice: Take care of your body 'cause you might live longer than you expect to. I just keep replacing parts and moving forward. You just deal with it and be happy, and as Dick Van Dyke sang and taught to me, 'Put on a Happy Face.'"

Asked how she wants to be remembered, Liza says: "I made my own lane. I worked and still work as hard as anyone can, and I love each person who supported me and cares about me for me. I love performing. I still take dance lessons, and when I sing to people in the theater, I'm not giving a performance – I'm sharing my love with each individual person. I'm asking, 'This is how I feel. How 'bout you?' My work is real."