Publication Date: Friday Dec 15, 2000

Not just a pretty face

Don't ever judge a book by its cover.

When you meet the real Erin Brockovich in person, you are immediately struck by the provocative way she dresses--snake-print bustier, form-fitting pants and high heels. At 5-feet 10-inches tall, she cuts a very sexy figure.

But this woman has brains behind the beauty. Highly tenacious, she was instrumental in spearheading a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company that forced the utility giant to pay some $333 million in damages--the largest direct-action legal settlement in American history--to more than 600 Hinkley, Calif. residents who had been exposed to toxic levels of chromium.

The story of Brockovich's solo investigation, legal triumph and personal issues were dramatized in the hit movie "Erin Brockovich." Released in March by Universal Studios, it starred Julia Roberts in the title role and Albert Finney as her boss, attorney Edward Masry.

Roberts recently received the National Board of Review's award for best actress, and there is considerable buzz about a potential Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance.

Brockovich's life story became a movie thanks to Pamela Dumonde, her girlfriend and chiropractor, to whom she confided her experiences. Dumonde, in turn, confided the story to executive producer Carla Santos Shamberg, whose husband, Michael Shamberg, is partners with actor/director/producer Danny DeVito. Brockovich then met with Carla Shamberg, who relayed the story to her husband, who--in turn--relayed it to DeVito.

"Next thing I knew, I got a phone call from from Carla, 'We'd like to buy your life rights.' I never really thought it would happen." Brockovich recalls. (Michael and DeVito served as the film's producers.)

Screenwriter Susannah Grant spent a year getting to know Brockovich, accompanying her to work and seeking her advice on the script. Brockovich was free to visit the set at any time, but only spent one day with the cast, due to a heavy workload that kept her busy throughout the shoot.

"I had total trust in Jersey Films, that they would do the film with integrity, and that's what they did," she says.

According to Brockovich, 95 percent of the film's content was accurate. And some of the movie's classic lines, like "I hate lawyers--I just work for them" and "They're called boobs, Ed," actually floated out of her mouth, she admitted.

The character of George (Aaron Eckhart) was based on Brockovich's boyfriend at the time--a tattoed, long-haired biker who was, she says, her male nanny. They went out for five years, but ended up parting on unpleasant terms and are no longer in touch.

"I wasn't in love with George, like a husband and wife (should be)," Brokovich explains.

She thinks Roberts did a great job, and was impressed by the way the superstar actress conveyed several of Brokovich's character traits.

"And I think she carries off the bustier and the high heels really well. But she didn't cuss as much as I did. I can cuss up a storm, depending on my mood."

"And I like how she interacted with the kids. That was tough for me to watch," Brokovich said, recalling the amount of time she had to spend away from her children.

The charisma between Roberts and Finney in the film parallels the close rapport between Masry and herself, she says, adding that her boss even walked her down the aisle last year when she married actor Eric Ellis.

Brockovich also had the opportunity to act in the film, thanks to director Steven Soderbergh ("sex, lies and videotape"). He told her that if she didn't do the cameo, she'd look back and regret it.

The scene, which required Brockovich to say, "Hi. Are you ready to order?" took two takes.

"I was nervous," she recalls. "It's nerve-wracking standing next to Julia Roberts. I felt very inferior. (But) what I got from Julia was genuine. She's a humble person and I felt warmth. I like that about her."

A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Brockovich spent one year at Kansas State University, and then transferred to a business college in Dallas, Texas, where she earned her associates in applied arts degree.

Ten years ago, Brockovich found herself a twice-divorced mother of three young children. After being seriously injured in a traffic accident in Reno, she hired the firm of Masry and Vititoe to handle her case. Although she received $17,000 in settlement money, it did not begin to cover her debts. Unable to find work, she soon begged Masry and Vititoe to hire her as a $1,200 a month file clerk. It was not long after she started to work at the law firm that some medical records she found in a file on a pro bono real estate case piqued her curiosity.

Brockovich's solo investigation resulted in a landmark legal victory, and she now serves as the firm's director of environmental research. She is also currently involved in other major environmental lawsuits, with 200 cases crossing her desk each week.

Asked if she would ever consider going to law school, Brockovich is emphatic in her response.

"Never," she replies. "They're boring. They're a------s. And I don't want to turn into an a-----e. There's a few I love, But there's some real egotistical people in those groups. And I don't want to be sitting in court all day."

Since the film's release, life has changed dramatically for the former file clerk. She has been a regular fixture on the university lecture circuit, and was recently one of motivational guru Tony Robbins' guest speakers at a Georgia seminar. Brockovich currently plans to collaborate with author Mark Elliott on an autobiography. She is also booked for several "Unique Lives and Experiences" engagements next year and is planning a series of TV specials.

Her life, however, recently took a turn for the worse, after discovering that her Agoura Hills, Calif. home is contaminated with toxic mold. Currently embroiled in a lawsuit against the developer, she is taking the last of her money to remediate her house.

"I'm going to roll my sleeves up and fight it," Brockovich says. "When I'm done fixing my home, I will be as poor as the day I started. And I have more understanding of my Hinkley clients today than I ever did then."

Since the case was settled four years ago, 50 of the firm's clients and 50 PG & E employees have passed away. Above all, Brockovich is grateful the movie raised the public's awareness about the environment and the liability of PG& E.

"I didn't see it being a movie about me," she says. "This is about corporate America deceiving all of us. Any one of us could have been those people in Hinckley."

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