Patty Duke settles happily into her own skin

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Award-winning actress Patty Duke was in Columbia last week filming scenes with her son MacKenzie Astin for a low-budget drama put together by a trio of University of South Carolina media arts graduates.

Duke was 16 when she won an Oscar for her portrayal of Helen Keller in “The Miracle Worker.” Her popular appeal widened when her Emmy-nominated TV series “The Patty Duke Show” ran for three seasons. More television, film and stage work followed, as well as a stint as president of the Screen Actors Guild.

While her career flourished, Duke suffered privately from manic depression, which went undiagnosed for years. She co-wrote a book about the illness, “A Brilliant Madness: Living With Manic-Depressive Illness,” and became an in-demand speaker on the subject.

She continues to act, but Duke now spends much of her time talking to professionals and the public about manic depression.

When we sat down with her on the set of “The Four Children of Tander Welch,” she touched on that subject as well as acting, aging and being a mom, all with disarming candor. Her blue eyes beamed and she showed no signs of concern as a photographer clicked away, despite Duke being in thread-worn pajamas, an unflattering wig and no makeup to play a character with Alzheimer’s.

Q. You are in town filming, but you also spoke to a group about manic depression. Do you do much public speaking on the topic?

A. We dedicate the lion’s share of our time to it. It interests me that now there are so many places to go and speak. There were 30 speeches in October. The stigma (of mental illness) is not being erased, but it’s sort of dripping away. The book (“A Brilliant Madness”) came out about 23 years ago and there needs to be another one to talk more in detail about recovery and about living a life with, or in spite of, the illness. I’ve diddled with the idea, but there’s something still missing in me - either about how to tell it or how to tell it with a sense of humor. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet.

I wish Mac (son MacKenzie Astin) would write about what it was like growing up with a mom with that kind of trouble. I think his insights and his humor would be so therapeutic.

Q. You’ve been in the business more than 50 years, but Hollywood does not seem to have parts for mature actresses.

A. It’s been a painful process over the last three years. I will be 60 soon. I had to do some soul-searching. I’m going to be teaching acting at the University of Idaho this spring (Duke lives with her husband Michael Pearce and their teenage son in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho), and I tell people about my mental illness and those things have now become my passion.

Q. Where does acting fit in?

A. A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from my agent that I was expected to be in Los Angeles to audition for a TV pilot. They sent the script. I read it. It would certainly be a pleasant way to make a living. Part of you wants to say: “Hey, wait a minute. I’ve been doing this for 51 years. Why do I have to audition for a one-scene part in a sitcom?” Audition? No more. I’m tired of proving it and because I’ve been able to supplement in other, very healthy ways, the fear of saying that was greatly diminished and I was able to say it. So I said it once. Now let’s see if I can stick to it. I refuse to read for it.

Q. With two sons in the profession and a granddaughter who is eager to act, maybe you’re presiding over the start of an acting dynasty.

A. I don’t know if I’ll be the presiding officer. I have a granddaughter who’s 9 years old (Alexandra Astin, daughter of her son Sean, who also is an actor and director). And the last time I saw her in Los Angeles she was all over me. Didn’t I think she could have a career? And didn’t I think she should have an agent? My eyes were bugging out of my head. She’s done a number of amateur productions and she’s quite good. I’m so relieved I’m a grandparent. I think Sean is about to soften.

Q. Did your negative experiences coming up in the business make you wary of your sons’ pursuing acting?

A. My experience was unique. I lived with husband-and-wife managers from the time I was 7 years old until I was 18 and there were a number of abuses that went on. That’s not going to happen to Alexandra and that didn’t happen to my sons. They weren’t going to be saddled with the things I went through.

Q. Do you share similar outlooks on the profession?

A. They’re all very, very show business and I’m not. They talk about awards shows and who’s doing what. And I say, “Who? What?” So they know not to even bother. Show business gave us something to hang our hats on. We’re all very competitive. We’ll argue over who has the better vocabulary. The novelty of playing (Mac’s) mother in a subtle but brief role tickled the hell out of me.

Q. You said if pressed to pick a favorite role it would be Helen Keller. But a lot of fans remember “The Patty Duke Show.”

A. I don’t know what it is about people in airports, but they love to come up to me and sing the theme song (from the show) as if I never heard it before. But I get a kick out of it. I can’t tell you how often that happens and they pride themselves on knowing all the words.

Q. A lot of people remember the “young” Patty Duke. What should they know about the older Patty Duke?

A. I’m getting more independent. That’s one of the pleasures of getting older. The bottom line of my philosophy on life? It’s real easy. It’s the Golden Rule. That’s how I live - which is not to say I don’t have shortcomings or won’t be opinionated about something before really thinking it through.

How much I’d miss in my life if I wasn’t accessible to it every day. In the most out-of- the-way places, another person will touch my life and have something to offer and if I was stand-offish, I would’ve missed that.