Q 6

PLAYBOY: What is your fondest Girl Scout memory?

Dana Delany: You know how they have those outdoor toilets where you can see underneath the door? I remember on a Girl Scout camping weekend seeing the feet of one of the mothers facing the wrong way under the door. I thought, Oh my God, Mrs. So-and-So is a man! Or else she knows something about going to the bathroom that I don't. I've never been able to resolve the mystery of that camping trip.

Q 7

PLAYBOY: Is it true you jumped out of a plane to get over a boyfriend? What was your first thought in free-fall?

Dana Delany: My relationship just happened to be ending when a friend asked me to go skydiving. I'm glad I did it. I tend to be a daredevil. I need to try everything once. If someone challenges me, I have to do it. My first thought was, Oh shit! It's a rush--I lost five pounds. But I would not do it again. It's an external high. You're just shaking and jittery. It's like doing a lot of coke. People get addicted to jumping. They look crazed and jump over and over again, like five times a day. I'd rather get that high from the inside.

Q 8

PLAYBOY: You've dated guys in the entertainment business and in politics. Which is more fun?

Dana Delany: They're both very public professions, and they're both concerned with who has the power. Except you make a lot more money in the entertainment business. Darius, my boyfriend, is an idealist. He's not about making money or being powerful, and he's not cynical. He wants to change the world. In politics, the hardest thing is that you have to be nice to everybody, because everybody is a vote. When you're an entertainer, you can claim to be an artist and say, "I don't care if anybody likes me, I'm just doing my work." In politics you have to kiss a little more ass.

Q 9

PLAYBOY: Garry Marshall is best known for directing the fairy tale Pretty Woman, and he cut his teeth developing wholesome TV comedies. He directs you in a new film, Exit to Eden, in which you play a dominatrix. Isn't this an odd project for him?

Dana Delany: [Laughs] It actually makes perfect sense. Garry will call himself "the man who brought you Happy Days," but he's a wonderfully sexual person. I knew we were going to get along when I went to his house to meet him. He asked me one question. There's a part in the script where the slaves--"citizens" as we call them--bow down before the mistress. He said, "Do you think they should kiss her hand or her foot?" I said, "Foot, definitely." So that was it. When my friends heard I got the job they said, "Finally, a part that suits you." And it's true. I've always been cast as the girl next door because of anatomy--the round face and round body. And anatomy is destiny. Now I get to express another side of me.

Q 10

PLAYBOY: How did you whip yourself into shape for the role?

Dana Delany: I read a few books and then I consulted a dominatrix. We had a little seminar at her house, with various people who are into S&M. And then I watched a couple of scenes. That was about all I needed because those can get kind of heavy, and the movie is a comedy. After a while, I started using my own fantasies--because we all have them. We're all into role-playing. We do it unconsciously, whereas these people do it consciously. The majority of sadomasochists are normal. Their motto is safe, sane and consensual. Actually, the submissive person is more in control than the dominatrix. The scenario is always determined beforehand, and you don't deviate from that. You always have a safe word so you can stop if you want to. My dominatrix friend said there are different reasons why someone becomes a dominatrix; she was bossy as a kid, so this is the perfect outlet. Now I have this image of Lucy in Peanuts growing up to be a dominatrix. That's sort of how I felt. I'm comfortable being the one who is in control.

Q 11

PLAYBOY: Is there a lingerie-buying secret that you'd like to share with us?

Dana Delany: [Smiles] I wear only G-strings. They don't show, and it feels like you are wearing nothing. I have always wondered, though, Why is it called a G-string? It's not connected to the G spot. Maybe when strippers took them off, guys went, "Gee." I'd be so happy living in the tropics, wearing just a sarong. I hate wearing clothes. And another thing about underwear: It's amazing what a good bra can do. It can cover a multitude of sins. I have a great collection. You learn about the best ones from movie-costume designers. Any woman's breasts can look great with the right bra.

Q 12

PLAYBOY: Have you ever experienced a moment in a love scene when you knew that the other person had gone beyond acting and was swept up in real passion?

Dana Delany: I hope so! [Smiles] You hope that will happen. You're not actually going to have sex, but you want the person to be totally into you. It's like S&M--its all just role-playing. Even though he may touch you in intimate ways, most love scenes are choreographed, so there are no surprises. And you can always say "Cut!" So there's really nothing left to chance. However, there's a difference between someone putting his hand on my thigh and somebody inserting a finger. That would be crossing the line. But actors are very respectful of one another. I don't think an actor would last long in the business if he crossed that line.