HEART TO HEART

The Northern Exposure star on fame & family

Northern Exposure actress Janine Turner dishes on her fame, family and more.

She loved the laughs on Northern Exposure and the thrill of Cliffhanger, but what’s Janine Turner’s favorite project? “Being a mother to my beautiful baby, Juliette, who’s now 20,” the star, 55, tells Closer. “She has a great heart and is my greatest blessing.” And together they’ve discovered a new passion: Janine created Constituting America, a nonprofit that educates people about the U.S. Constitution, and Juliette serves as its executive director. “Man, you should have seen her take charge and do it all!” Janine says proudly. Now the actress, author and radio talk show host opens up to Closer about being a single mom, achieving 32 years of sobriety and her exes Alec Baldwin and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

— Gregg Goldstein

It sounds like you’re doing interesting work with Constituting America. Could you tell us a little about it?

We’re in Austin [Texas] now because we just finished our annual trip with students across the U.S. who win our contests. We were just filming them at New Republic Studios nearby and they were terrific.

What was your journey to stardom like?

Extraordinarily difficult. My father said, “You’ve made money as a child model in Dallas. You’re going to use your own money to pay for school and your apartment in NYC.” So at age 15, I paid for Professional Children’s School and modeled at the Wilhelmina agency.

It sounds like an exciting time.

I was engaged to Alec Baldwin [in the mid’80s] and would watch him get wonderful roles, but characters [I auditioned for] were always required to take their top off. It was humiliating — you feel too fat, not good enough. The rejection is just painful and it still exists. I started drinking heavily.

How did you get past it?

I’d been in love [with Alec], we broke up and I was absolutely devastated. I walked into a 12-step program, and at age 23 I stopped drinking. I celebrated 32 years of sobriety on May 28.

That’s terrific. And you dated Mikhail Baryshnikov after Alec, right?

It’s a private time in my life, but yeah, he’s a really deep soul. We were connected.

How’d you get your big break?

I auditioned for a Tom Selleck pilot in 1990 and didn’t get it. I was lying in bed with $8 to my name. I was going to move to Texas, change my name and run away from all my debt when I got a call for a Northern Exposure audition. I was so depressed, my sister-in-law flew in and said, “I’ll walk in with you” — and I got it! I was nominated for three Golden Globes and an Emmy. The lesson was: I may think I know what’s best for me, but God always knows what’s best. And don’t give up before the miracle.

What was Cliffhanger like?

Sylvester Stallone is brilliant, funny and we were very close. They offered me the role, but we were filming the Northern Exposure finale and they wouldn’t let me out to do it. I asked one of the show’s executives to flip three or four days. He said, “You can’t — it will cost $75,000 to rework the schedule.” I said, “I’ll pay.” He was floored — I was only making $100,000 for the film! They didn’t make me pay the money. [Laughs]

What was it like to film?

Many times we were in such danger! Once we were at the top of the cliff, I stepped backward and as I started to fall, Sylvester caught me and essentially saved my life.

“I’ve always had a steely determination to keep going and going. I didn’t want to go back to Texas as a failure!”

— Janine

You and your daughter, Juliette, have a great relationship. What challenges have you faced as a single mom?

Well, her father [Dallas Cowboys exec

Jerry Jones Jr.] lives near us, but I think he [last] popped in for three months about 10 years ago. Nothing has been a challenge. Everything’s been my greatest joy, and faith has been a real guide for us. Now she’s in Texas about five hours from me.

How is the empty nest?

I sacrificed being on my 300acre ranch in North Texas so I could get her to her high school in Dallas. The first year she was [at college], I was like, “Woo! I’m on my ranch!” Now it’s getting a little lonely.

What do you do there?

I love to hike and garden. I cultivate birds. I have longhorn cattle! My father passed and I inherited his tractor — I’m on it putting out huge bales of hay for them.

A real cowgirl! What’s next for you?

I just got accepted into SMU Perkins School of Theology. I don’t see my future as a pastor, but I started my podcast God on the Go, and I thought it would quench my spiritual thirst. I give many speeches and speak at schools. I’ve developed a Broadway show, I’m developing a movie and auditioning, but I don’t want to wait for [roles]. My goal is to just be of service.

— Reporting by Ilyssa Panitz