ALI MACGRAW

With 1970's Love Story, Ali MacGraw found herself the most famous actress in the world and an imminent Oscar nominee for best actress. Soon after wrapping her next film, The Getaway; she and producer Robert Evans divorced, and she married her new co-star, Steve McQueen. Then, at the height of her fame, she made a Garbo-like retreat from the movies. Author of the memoir Moving Pictures and narrator of the documentary The Fire of Yoga, MacGraw takes center stage to report on her love for Rilke, the postcollege tour, and death in Venice

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE

What is your greatest fear?

That human beings will completely destroy our once perfect planet.

Which living person do you most admire?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Fresh flowers.

What is your favorite journey?

The ones in my mind.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

Age.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Every kind of hyperbole.

What is your greatest regret?

Not having lived in Europe after college.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My son, Joshua.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I would love to have real musical talent.

What is your current state of mind?

Although I am in despair about the state of most of humanity, I choose optimism and love.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?

I wish my parents and brother were still alive.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Surviving Hollywood.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

One of my animals.

What is your most treasured possession?

A specific letter from Joshua.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Not having any choices.

Where would you like to live?

I am trying to figure that out right this minute!

What is your most marked characteristic?

Optimism.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Generosity of spirit.

What do you most value in your friends?

Loyalty.

Who are your favorite writers?

Dostoyevsky, Rilke, F. Scott Fitzgerald.

What are your favorite names?

India, Joshua, Lucca.

What is it that you most dislike?

The "flavor of the month."

How would you like to die?

Asleep in a gondola in Venice.

What is your motto?

"There is undoubtedly a bigger picture."