Stage Vs. TV and Film Isn’t the Only Comparison Facing Dedee Pfeiffer

Yes, Michelle Pfeiffer is her big sister. No, they’re not competitive.

“I couldn’t ask for a better sister or mentor,� says Dedee Pfeiffer, who’s appearing in M.L. Kessler’s “The Strains of Affection� at the Court Theatre. “We’re best friends--and incredibly supportive of each other.� The downsides of having a famous sibling, she adds, “are the constant comparisons and expectations. You have to keep proving yourself: make your own path and plow through it.�

Pfeiffer has been acting for 10 years--upcoming films include “Bad to the Bone� and “Falling Down�--but this is just her second time onstage. “I love having the people right there, that immediate energy,� she says. “In films and TV, moments can be organic, but not as organic. It’s cut and paste--a beautiful product, but a lot of people put it together. In theater, the lights go up and you’re alone. “

In “Strains,� Pfeiffer plays a Boston librarian who gets involved with her roommate’s date. “It comments on relationships, love, magic, commitment and priorities,� says the Orange County native, who co-stars with Tom Astor and Camelia Kath (the former wife of Kiefer Sutherland). “These people are confronting what life could be and what it should be--stuff we’re all dealing with in the ‘90s: how to date again, how to be intimate.�

Keeping Pfeiffer company in her Hollywood apartment are a variety of pets, including a Rottweiler, cats and several undesignated tropical fish. Says the actress, “I stopped giving them names after so many of them died.�