GQ

Piper Pours a Pint by Elizabeth Gilbert Ever dream about who would play you in the movie version of your life? Elizabeth Gilbert meets her bartending-film double, the ravishing Piper Perabo, who stars as the author in Coyote Ugly This summer the world will watch you star in the Jerry Bruckheimer bartending epic Coyote Ugly. The big Hollywood buzz is that every young actress in town auditioned for the leading role. How did you get the job? Because of my similarities to the main character. She's from New Jersey; I'm from New Jersey. She came to New York to make it big; I cam to New York to make it big. She's a bartender; I used to be a cocktail waitress. When I read the script, I freaked out. It just fit. Did you know that the script for Coyote Ugly was based on an article originally published in this magazine? I did know that. I've never read the article, though. I saw it once, behind the bar at the real Coyote Ugly Saloon. I asked the bartender if I could borrow it, but she wouldn't even let me hold the magazine, because it was her only copy. It was really old and dirty and torn. Figures. Did you know that I wrote that article? Somebody did tell me that. So is it cool if I go around town bragging that you're playing the role of me in this movie? Definitely! Do you think anyone who saw us together in the same room would believe it for a minute? Sure, why not? Because... oh, never mind. Anyhow, what's the best cocktail you can mix? A dirty martini. I spent New Year's Eve with my 90-year-old grandmother this year, and she taught me how to make one. She also took me fishing. Tell us about that name of yours. Does anyone ever mistake you for that Olympic skier? One guy used to call me Peekaboo Perabo all the time, but I never figured out why until recently. My parents named me after an old actress named Piper Laurie. Before they came up with Piper, they were planning on naming me India Star. Perabo is Portuguese. You grew up in Toms River, New Jersey. Didn't your town's team win the Little League Baseball World Series in 1998? We're world champions! One of my neighbors, Brian Julian, was once on that team. He lives two blocks from me. People who aren't from New Jersey don't often know this, but every rest stop along the turnpike is named for a famous Jersey resident. How many of those rest stops can you name? I'll get you started: Vince Lombardi, Molly Pitcher, Joyce Kilmer... The only one I can remember is called Cheesequake. I don't even know what it means, but there was always something very provocative about that word. I think Cheesequake is actually an exit on the Garden State Parkway, Piper. But there's definitely a rest stop there, Liz. Fair enough. You're also going to appear this summer in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. The big Hollywood buzz is that every cartoon character in town auditioned for that role. How did you get the job? I beat out Tom from Tom and Jerry. He was a real bastard, but I won. Seriously, who do you play in Rocky and Bullwinkle? Somebody named Karen Sympathy. Who's the sexiest actor you've worked with so far - Robert De Niro, John Goodman or Tyra Banks? I'd have to say De Niro. John Goodman plays my father in Coyote Ugly, so he's out of the running. Which person has made you feel the most beautiful in your life? My mother. She's a great listener, so when you're speaking to her she really makes you feel that she's giving your ideas serious consideration. She gives me confidence, and that makes me feel beautiful. Because beauty is really all about attitude. And great skin. Two percent great skin, 98 percent attitude. When men make comments to you on the street, do you reply or ignore them? Some comments I like. I live in a neighborhood in New York City where all the bakers and deliverymen say "Good morning" when I walk by. I think that's nice, and I'll respond. But something like "I want to eat my lunch off your butt"? No. I ignore that. I can't hear that. If you could have five homes, located anywhere on the planet, where would they be? First would be New York City. I also love the coast of Croatia. There's a small town there called Pula, a ruined hilltop by the sea, where I studied one summer. Of course, it would be pretty cool to have a place in Paris. Then Bali. I've never been to Bali, but I might pick it because I know that make beautiful theater there. The last house would be on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. If you could have one magical power, flight or invisibility, which would you choose? Can I substitute them both for the magical power I actually do want? That's cheating, but go ahead. OK. I want the magical power to have a movie sound track playing all the time in my life. Wouldn't it be great if the perfect song could always come on at the perfect moment? I wouldn't want to bother anyone else with it, so the only people who would be able to hear it would be me and whoever else was in the scene with me. Which would you rather know how to do: speak perfect Portuguese or dance perfect tango? I'll take the tango. You wouldn't use it as much, but if you hauled it out at just the right time you could really break some hearts. If you could fill out an order form for the perfect husband, what one quality would you select first: humor, kindness, brilliance, devastating good looks or unflagging loyalty? Brilliance. Which would you consider to be more of a lasting accomplishment: winning an Oscar or having a rest stop on a New Jersey thruway named after you? Definitely the rest stop. I couldn't tell you who won the 1972 Oscar for Best Actress, but I"ll never forget that Cheesequake exit. source: GQ Magazine