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Harrison
Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, the stars of this summer's domestic thriller
What Lies Beneath, are virtually bulletproof when it comes
to the critics and the sometimes fickle movie-going public. Each in their
own way harkens back to a more "civilized" Hollywood era, before
gross-out gags and irony.
 There's
no doubt that Ford was born under the right Sun sign to be a mega movie
star in the late twentieth century and early twenty-first. Cancer men
dominate this field: Sylvester Stallone passed the baton to Tom
Hanks, who still holds onto it, along with Tom Cruise.
And who would've guessed back in his rainbow suspender-wearing "nanu
nanu" days that Robin Williams would be an Oscar-winning sentimental
favorite of the public?
Ford is a
double Cancer, with his Sun very close to his Moon. With the Sun representing
more outer qualities and the Moon inner, it's no wonder people often
get the impression that what they see with Harrison Ford is what they
get. Ford also has a charming Libra rising, which gives him his classically
pleasant appearance, and his ability to maintain our attention while doing
seemingly very little.
Pfeiffer was also born under the right Sun sign for an "aging"
Hollywood actress. She's a reliable and steady Taurus, just like her Witches
of Eastwick co-star Cher. Pfeiffer, it seems, has picked up the
baton that was passed off from 80s superstars who are now losing a little
steam (the shelf life of women is a lot shorter than that of men in Tinseltown)
like Jessica Lange, Shirley MacLaine and Barbara Streisand. Interestingly,
most of these Taurus ladies are as well known for their singing as their
acting. Physically, Taurus rules the neck and throat, and this earthy
sign is associated with the gift of "voice." No wonder Pfeiffer's
early success came as a chanteuse in The Fabulous Baker Boys.
In addition,
Pfeiffer has her Moon in Virgo, another earth sign, which only deepens
our perception of her as somehow "pristine" (Virgo is associated
with an inner purity). It also makes her craftsmanship as an actor so
invisible that we may take her for granted. It's rare that she gets an
attention-grabbing role that any actress would die for (like Julia Roberts
in Erin Brockovich or Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry.)
Super-Chemistry
in a Supernatural Blockbuster
It's rather
surprising that Ford and Pfeiffer weren't matched up on the screen earlier.
Their aspects together are smooth like butter. Ford's Venus in light,
sibling-esque Gemini (sign of the twins) is loosely conjunct (same sign
at close degree) Pfeiffer's Gemini Ascendant. The Ascendant is linked
to body image and how the world sees us. This connection suggests that
Ford's respectful appreciation of Pfeiffer's beauty (aesthetic, as well
as her Gemini-influenced intelligence) makes the actress appear even more
attractive. Clearly her recent leading men, including Treat Williams in
The Deep End of the Ocean and Bruce Willis in The
Story of Us didn't have this aspect with her. Those movies didn't
quite click for Pfeiffer’s career the way this one has.
Pfeiffer’s
Sun in Taurus also makes a close sextile to Ford’s Jupiter (planet of
good fortune and expansion) in Cancer. A sextile is an easy, harmonious
aspect. It works so well that we hardly notice it. But therein lies the
rub. Although, these two stars had a major hit in the summer of 2000,
and could certainly go on to have more, there isn't a lot of intensity
or tension between them. Ford and Pfeiffer's aspects may be a little too
cozy to inspire Oscar nominations or a deeper sense of respect from critics
and audiences alike.
Major
Changes Ahead for Two Cautious Types
Cancer and
Taurus are probably the two signs that most appreciate predictability
and safety over drama and major risk-taking. But Cancer Ford and Taurus
Pfeiffer may have to brace themselves for a 2001 in which both their respective
charts are very active!
Ford's second
Saturn return occurs right before his fifty-ninth birthday next summer.
This is the time in life when a person must face his spiritual self and
"let go" of qualities and patterns he has outgrown. Ford's Saturn
is in his philosophical (and internationally-minded) Ninth House. Perhaps
he will pull back away from predictable leading man roles and spend more
time doing work to benefit the environment, or some other more "worthy"
endeavor. He is already heavily involved in ecology-related charities,
and has expressed how strongly he felt about his role in The Mosquito
Coast as a man who turns his back on corrupt western values.
As for Pfeiffer,
lucky Jupiter will cross her rising sign in May 2001, followed by serious
Saturn. This will be a real new beginning time for the star. In the last
couple of years, these major planets have been hanging out in her heavy,
mysterious (and sometimes depressive) Twelfth House. It has seemed as
if she has lived in the shadow of her husband, producer David E. Kelly,
and his success. She has also had to grapple with the reality of fewer
quality scripts for "women of a certain age" and with ugly rumors
about her husband and the star he created in Calista
Flockhart. In 2001, it's likely something will hit the
fan, but that Pfeiffer will emerge with even more admirers, and more respect
than she's ever had before.
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