PORT TOWNSEND — Cloris Leachman, the 10th annual Port Townsend Film Festival’s very special guest, definitely commands a room’s attention.
The 83-year-old Academy-award winning actress also knows how to get laughs.
Leachman pulled no punches during a Friday-morning discussion with 70 Port Townsend High School students, one of three question-and-answer sessions scheduled for her this weekend.
She talked about making out with Hollywood stars, an upcoming role in a comedy as a venereal disease and why she hates smoking tobacco — and that other stuff.
“Well, not that other stuff you know about,” Leachman said, as the students burst into laughter. “The fake tobacco they put in cigarettes for actors. That stuff.
“Wait a minute, show of hands, how many of you don’t smoke pot? I need to know.”
As the students kept their arms down while they contemplated the phrasing of her question, Leachman moved on, not missing a beat.
‘High Anxiety’
“Show of hands, how many people have seen ‘High Anxiety?’ she asked, referring to the 1977 Mel Brooks movie in which she played Nurse Diesel.
About half the students in the room raised their hands.
“How many haven’t,” she asked, watching as the other half put their hands up.
“You brats.”
Leachman encouraged students to watch the comedy-thriller tonight, on the last night of the three-day festival. It will show for free at 7:30 p.m. at the Taylor Street Outdoor Cinema.
“It’s a great movie. Everyone should see it,” Leachman said. “Let’s move on.”
Today, other movies will begin at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Uptown Theatre at Lawrence and Polk Streets, the Pope Marine Theatre at Water and Madison streets, and the Rose Theatre and Rosebud Cinema at 235 Taylor St.
Films also will be shown at the Drop-In Theatre at 714 Washington St., running continuously from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for free in the community center.
Leachman — who has worked in film and television for more than 60 years, winning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, one Daytime Emmy Award and eight Primetime Emmy Awards during her career — answered questions for about 45 minutes on topics ranging from specific scenes in movies to television roles.
“I made out with Jack Black in ‘The Office,’ John Stamos on the roast of Bob Saget and what’s his name again on ‘Two and a Half Men’ oh, it’s Jon Cryer,” she said.
“That’s always funny.”
Leachman also took a moment to teach a valuable lesson.
“[In an upcoming movie by the creators of ‘Beerfest’] about Plato and Socrates going to the Olympics — it’s a comedy — they told me I had a role with them,” she said.
“They told me I’m going to play Chlamydia. You all know what that is? It’s a social disease.”
Leachman began laughing just as hard as the students.
“Who learned something today at school?” she asked between laughs.
Leachman also talked about her role as the terrible grandmother in the “Malcolm In the Middle” television show, which resonated with students.
“That was a great show,” she said. “They had me show up and told me to just do whatever accent I wanted. So I chose German because I had done it before.”
Then Leachman immediately went into the story of the making of the 1974 Mel Brooks movie, “Young Frankenstein,” — in which Leachman plays Frau Blücher with a German accent — which turned into a story about the making of “High Anxiety,” which turned into a story about how she got voted off of “Dancing with the Stars” last year.
The students listened intently, with their quiet attention broken only by fits of laughter.
“You guys all liked me on ‘Dancing’?” she asked the group.
As they responded with a group “yes,” Leachman interrupted.
“Then where were you in week seven when they kicked me off?”
More laughter.
Saturday appearances for Leachman included an informal afternoon gathering on Taylor Street and A Very Special Evening at the Uptown Theatre, after the screening of the 1971 film, “The Last Picture Show,” featuring her Oscar-winning role as Ruth Popper.
Tickets for today’s movie screenings can be purchased at the Eisenbeis Condos Hospitality Center, 830 Water St., between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Tickets for the general public are $12 per film, $10 for film festival members.
Rush tickets, which will be sold 15 minutes before the lights go down for a film — if they are available — are $8.
For more information, see the festival Web site at www.ptfilm fest.com.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsula dailynews.com.
