Cher opens up on her new documentary ‘Cher & the Loneliest Elephant’; Expresses her take on activism
Around the Earth’s Day, Cher’s new documentary,“ Cher & the Loneliest Elephant is to premiere this Thursday on Paramount+. It showcases Cher’s journey from Los Angeles to Pakistan to rescue Kaavan, a 36-year-old elephant from the Islamabad Zoo last fall.
Four years back, the pop icon got to know about the animal’s plight. Along with international animal welfare organization Four Paws and co-founding her own charity, Free the Wild, she campaigned for Kaavan’s release to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia.
In a talk with USA TODAY last week, Cher, 74, she expressed the possibility of “Mamma Mia 3″.
This is an abridged form of the interview .
Question: You’ve advocated for wildlife and the environment throughout your career, as well as veterans, children and the LGBTQ community. Where does your passion for philanthropy come from?
Cher: My mom. We were poor most of the time growing up but my mom said something to me once. I was complaining because I went through my shoes so quickly and I said, “Mom, I need a new pair of shoes,” and she said, “We can’t afford them.” I said, “But I need them. ” And she said, “I was upset because I had no shoes until I saw the man who had no feet.” That was my mom’s philosophy: No matter what we were doing, no matter how we were going, there were people who (had) much less.
And then my friend Mitch Snyder.He was an advocate for the homeless in an unbelievable way. I don’t like people having no rights. This sounds self-serving, but I was on my way to (shoot a) video – totally dressed and totally Cher – and there was a man on the sidewalk with his head down. I said, “Let’s stop the car.”
I sat down on the ground with him and we started to talk. We were talking and talking, and he said, “How’s Sonny?” And I said, “Oh, he died.” And he said, “I’m sorry to hear that.” We talked some more and I said, “I have to go to work but it was really nice meeting you.” I don’t always do this, but we got him clothes and a hotel room for the night. He wanted a hamburger and we got him a satchel to keep his stuff in.
I felt that was the right thing to do. I mean, it was kind of a stupid thing to do: to get out of the car with no mask and COVID and sit on the ground with a person you don’t know. But I’ve done this a million times and usually my experiences are so great.
Q: “Moonstruck”had a big resurgence online during lockdown, from people discovering and rewatching it. Did you see any of that?
Q: Do you have a favorite line from the film?
Cher: Well, I think “Snap out of it” is pretty good. The thing that really made it better was (slapping Nicolas Cage) twice. Norman came up to me and said, “I’m not telling Nicky, but do it twice.” So I think that’s what really made it.
Q: Did you actually slap him?
Cher: Oh, yeah. (But) he was fine.
Q: “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” turns 50 this year. What does that song mean to you now?
Cher: It was a hit and I was happy people liked it, but it just wasn’t one of my favorites.
Q: Any particular reason why?
Cher: No, because I don’t know how many songs I’ve recorded. Some of my favorites weren’t even hits. Like “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”(from “Burlesque”), that’s one of my favorite all-time songs. And “Song for the Lonely”. But neither one of them were hits. I love the “Mamma Mia!” album (of ABBA covers, 2018’s “Dancing Queen”).I’m very proud of my singing. I wasn’t a very good singer back in the day.
Of course you were. Why do you say that?
Cher: I had just been making films and hadn’t been singing at all, so I had to go to a singing teacher to get my voice back in shape. But my teacher, Adrienne Angel, she changed everything. I’m such a better singer now than I was when I was young. If you listen to the songs now and the songs then, you’ll see a huge quality difference. I know people love those songs but I’m happy that I’m singing better.
Q: You told Christiane Amanpour last year that your voice is in better shape than ever.
Cher: My doctor always wants to show me my vocal cords because he goes, “See these girls? You have 26-year-old vocal cords.” So I’m praying that I’m going to be like Tony Bennett.
: You also said your next album could be your last. Is that true?
Cher: I always say really stupid things. I’m continuously saying things that put me into a box when someone goes, “You said that, what’d you mean by it?” I don’t know, it sounded right. I’m 75 years old, it’s not like I’ve got a huge career in front of me. I’m going to have to rest on my laurels.
Q: Is the new album finished?
Cher: No, I’m still working on it. It’s weird. I’ve never heard an album like this before and it’s a very hit-and-miss thing because all of the songs I want to sing don’t necessarily fit my voice. So I have to do like three or four songs to find one that’s the right one.
