No slouch in her personal life, the actress also dallied with all of the above costars. Keaton shrugs off reports that Allen plans to publish a tell-all memoir that would spill details of their relationship: ''Woody never spoke to me about it, but as far as I'm concerned, he can say whatever he wants, about me at least. I mean, who cares? Why are people talking about it? He's been a public person for his en-ti-re life, writing things that are obviously very personal.''
Keaton insists that she never really broke through as a bona fide movie star. ''I don't know if I had the opportunities when I was younger, in the 'Annie Hall' days, like if I could have latched on and made more of it, but it never quite happened. It was always like this,'' she says, surfing her hand up and down. She passed on some high-profile parts here and there, roles that went to Sally Field (''Absence of Malice'') and Jane Fonda (''The Electric Horseman''). ''Yeah, there were a couple things that I turned down, but not much,'' she says. ''I don't think women have as many opportunities. For a while they do, but it's a short span.''
''The thing about her is, she's really oblivious,'' notes Amanda Peet, who plays her daughter in the new movie. ''She has no idea she's an icon, a fashion icon, an iconic figure in terms of acting.''
When interesting parts were few and far between, Keaton sunk her teeth into other passions. She's always been crazy for real estate, buying homes and refurbishing them. She's published several books devoted to quirky subjects like clown paintings or photos of traveling salesmen or hotel lobbies. She tried her hand at directing -- music videos for Belinda Carlisle and Syd Straw, some documentaries, episodes of such TV series as ''Twin Peaks,'' and films such as the critically well-received ''Unstrung Heroes'' and the howler ''Hanging Up.'' ''I'm the least likely person to be a director,'' says Keaton, laughing at her perceived inadequacies. ''And I knew where I was going to fail. I always do! I fail on the set. It's happening, it's all happening, and you make these decisions and that's it! Boom!''
She never married, and doesn't imagine she ever will. ''I wish I could have done more earlier, but I was too afraid,'' she says. ''[I should have] trusted people more. Let myself relax more. I built a wall around myself so much. I'm hard to get to know. And any trait you have, if you don't attend to it, gets worse as you go along.'' She also assumed that she'd never become a mother, but in 1995, she adopted her daughter, Dexter. She'd later adopt a baby boy, Duke. Dexter is now 8 and Duke is 3, and ''they're just about as complicated and amazing as anything in the world!'' she says. ''You know, I mean, it's like hoooowwww is it possible that I get to witness this?!'' The Keaton family shares a Spanish-style home with their two dogs, a stray ''little midget thing, ugly as hell'' named Red and a lumbering Newfie, ''a living rug'' named Sweetie.
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