I was driving down the freeway the other night, doing my usual 65 or so in moderately heavy traffic, when two guys on motorcycles sped past me with what appeared to be the same rate of speed space junk zooms by the Space Station.
They weren't wearing helmets. Weaving in and out of traffic, they leaned way over on their bikes almost to the point of kissing the pavement. They appeared out of nowhere, startled drivers and zigzagged out of sight.
I thought at the time that I'd be thinking about those guys who appear to value life so little again.
Now that it appears British actress Natasha Richardson lost her life after a slight bump on the head at a beginner's trail at a ski resort in Canada, I can't get that freak accident or the image of the motorcycle daredevils out of my mind.
How could an accident like this happen? And, of course, the bigger issue: Why, why, WHY?
There is no need to rehash Richardson's impressive résumé here. Her obituary is all over the news today: Daughter of British movie royalty (Vanessa Redgrave and late director Tony Richardson); married to actor Liam Neeson.
I sat down with Richardson in Dallas to discuss her movie "The White Countess" in 2006. Richardson had a rare ability to come across as both a refined lady and as someone very down to earth. (Read the interview)
On that day she was still mourning the death of legendary movie producer Ismail Merchant, who, along with James Ivory, produced "The White Countess."
Verbal sunshine broke the spell when Richardson talked about sharing the screen in the offbeat period piece with her mother and her aunt, Lynn Redgrave.
She laughed at the fact that her real-life mom was playing her aunt in the film, while Aunt Lynn was cast as her spiteful mother-in-law.
Actually, though, Richardson said the family reunion in front of the camera worked out quite well.
"Sometimes when you're playing a part that requires bringing up a lot of pain and emotion, that can be very cathartic and satisfying in a way," Richardson said. "I think the atmosphere on this set ranged from my aunt, my mother and I being like naughty, giggly schoolgirls some of the time to trying to look after each other."
I'm still sitting here thinking of the two crazed guys on motorcycles and a classy actress-mom who lost her life after a bump on the head during a ski trip with one of her sons.
Why?
