Hefner's Childhood 'Lacked True Affection'

PopEater
posted: 210 DAYS 16 HOURS AGO
comments: 21
filed under: Gut Reactions, TV News
PRINT|E-MAILMORE
Text SizeAAA
(Jan. 5) - Hugh Hefner admits his taste for romance and blonds actually developed during his childhood. "The reality is because I was not shown affection, I escaped into an alternate universe, and it came right out of the movies," the Playboy founder revealed to the L.A. Times. "I was in a very typical Midwestern, Methodist home with a lot of repression and not much demonstrative expression of emotion. My escape was the darkened theater," he said.
Skip over this content

Hugh Hefner

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner [2nd L] Karissa Shannon (L) and Kristina Shannon [R] attend a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' and 'Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner;Karissa Shannon;Kristina Shannon

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner and Author Steven Watts attend a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' and 'Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner;Steve Watts

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Author Steven Watts attends a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' and 'Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Steven Watts

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner attends a book signing of 'Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Author Steven Watts attends a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' and 'Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Steven Watts

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner attends a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner attends a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner attends a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner attends a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 16: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and author Steven Watts attend a book signing of 'Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream' and 'Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds' at Barnes N Noble bookstore on Tuesday December 16, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Byron Gamarro/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner;Steven Watts

    Getty Images

"So much of my life traces back directly to my childhood," he said. "Love for me is defined almost exclusively in terms of romantic love as defined by the films of my childhood," said Hefner.
Hefner, 82, admits his Playboy venture (and numerous girlfriends) was a result of watching cinema. But don't believe the tabloid headlines that say he's a womanizer, he warns.
"[Producer] Brian Grazer made a comment that I was the only man who had made love to over a thousand women and they all still liked him. And I do take some pride, in fact, that I remain friends with the majority of former wives and girlfriends. I am a romantic," Hefner said.
Skip over this content

Girls Next Door

    LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 07: Illusionist Criss Angel (L) and model and television personality Holly Madsison appear at the after party for a special screening of the Lionsgate film, "Repo! The Genetic Opera" at Prive Las Vegas inside the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino during the early morning on November 7, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Criss Angel;Holly Madison

    Getty Images

    HOLLYWOOD - SEPTEMBER 24: (FILE PHOTO) Hugh Hefner poses with (L-R) Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson at the Fox Reality Channel Really Awards on September 24 2008 at the Avalon Hollywood club in Hollywood California. Co-Star of E! reality series "Girls Next Door" and Playboy playmate Wilkinson (R) has announced her engagement to Philadelphia Eagles Receiver Hank Baskett on November 7, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hugh Hefner;Holly Madison;Bridget Marquard;Kendra Wilkinson

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 14: (FILE PHOTO) Playmate Kendra Wilkinson arrives at the 2008 ESPY Awards Kick-off party held at the Playboy Mansion on July 14, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Co-Star of E! reality series "Girls Next Door" and Playboy playmate Wilkinson has announced her engagement to Philadelphia Eagles Receiver Hank Baskett on November 7, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kendra Wilkinson

    Getty Images

    GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 09: (FILE PHOTO) Hank Baskett #84 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up before a game against the Green Bay Packers on September 9, 2007 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Co-Star of E! reality series "Girls Next Door" and Playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson has announced her engagement to the Philadelphia Eagles Receiver Baskett on November 7, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Hank Baskett

    Getty Images

    Criss Angel and Holly Madison at Lionsgate Premiere of

    Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com

    Criss Angel and Holly Madison arrive at the Gala Premiere of Chris Angel Believe by Cirque Du Soleil at the Luxor Hotel and Casino on October 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Denise Truscello/WireImage.com

    Actress Holly Madison and Magician Criss Angel arrive at "Criss Angel Believe" Las Vegas Premiere inside Luxor Hotel and Casino on October 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Bruce Gifford/FilmMagic.com

    Actress Holly Madison and Magician Criss Angel arrive at "Criss Angel Believe" Las Vegas Premiere inside Luxor Hotel and Casino on October 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Bruce Gifford/FilmMagic.com

    Actress Holly Madison and Magician Criss Angel arrive at "Criss Angel Believe" Las Vegas Premiere inside Luxor Hotel and Casino on October 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Bruce Gifford/FilmMagic.com

    LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 31: Model and television personality Holly Madison arrives at the gala premiere of "Criss Angel Believe" by Cirque du Soleil at the Luxor Resort & Casino October 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Cirque du Soleil) *** Local Caption *** Holly Madison

    Getty Images for Cirque du Solei

Excerpts from Hefner's L.A. Times Interview
On Brian Grazer creating a film about Hefner's life: "The one thing I would want the film to be is something other than a light comedy, to have something to say and express something about the change in social sexual values."
Why Hefner is attracted to blonds: "I think my fascination with blonds is directly connected to the impact that the platinum blonds had in the movies of the 1930s... Jean Harlow, Alice Faye, all of those Busby Berkeley showgirls. You can't go wrong. Well, you probably could, but what fun."
On returning to his childhood home in Chicago: "So much of my life traces back directly to my childhood. Any time I go to Chicago, I always go back and walk the old neighborhood. Much of it is still there. The house I grew up in is still there, but the neighborhood has grown up. When you go back to your old neighborhood and your old home, everything seems smaller than you remember. The only thing that was larger than I remembered it was the movie theater. It seemed bigger than ever."
2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2009-01-05 12:48:56
PRINT|E-MAILDIGGAIMMORE