She nearly gave up

Press, 4 July 1985, Page 19

She nearly gave up

After receiving devastating reviews for her role in “The Winds of War” Ali MacGraw thought carefully before accepting her new “Dynasty” role. Lady Ashley. Ali MacGraw shot to stardom in “Love Story,” but in recent years has taken a pounding from the critics. She received disastrous reviews for her 1970 s movies such as “Convoy” and “Players,” and more recently was rubbished for her performance in the television mini-series, “The Winds of War.” She was devastated by these reviews and seriously thought about giving up acting, going as far as working in Los Angeles for a year as an interior decorator. “I was proud of ‘Winds of War.’ I don’t know why they came after me. I can understand some of the knives for my role in ‘Convoy’ and some of my other films, but not for Winds,” she said. She decided to risk a comeback because as Lady Ashley she would be playing

a woman of her own age for the first time. “I’ve been playing girls 15 to 20 years younger than me and it’s loaded dice,” she said. “At last I am no longer an ingenue. I’m allowed to play a real grown-up with real dilemmas, a woman in a relationship with difficulties and resolutions.” Dynasty screens on Two at 8.30 p.m.