NBC.com

MARILU HENNER

Actress/Author

Interview

Let's put the million-dollar question out there first. You've achieved fame and success in your life. Why put yourself through the often-brutal Apprentice process?

I have always been a huge fan of the show. From the first season, I thought it would be interesting to have celebrities play the game, and I promised myself that if the opportunity presented itself, I would take it. Besides, there's not another reality show on TV that better suits my energy and expertise.

What do you admire most about Donald Trump? Do you see a correlation between him and you in the sense that you are both famous AND business people?

What I admire most about Donald Trump is his ability to think on his feet. That is certainly the ability all of us had to have to compete on his show! My connection with Donald operated on many levels. However, despite all of the similarities I may have with Donald, it was his children, and the relationship he had with them, that reminded me most of myself. You could tell they all loved and respected one another.

"Success" can mean different things to different people; what does it mean to you?

For me success is about achieving something worthwhile and "giving back." In Celebrity Apprentice we were competing for our favorite charity. It was such a brilliant idea because it gave us the excuse to be as cutthroat as necessary to win for our cause!

Why should you be Donald Trump's celebrity Apprentice?

An apprentice is someone who learns from the master. Donald Trump is a master at many things, and I know I learned a lot from him. All of the celebrities have looks, brains and talent, but not very many of them have my energy, memory and ability to get along with difficult people.

Since you are in the public spotlight, people already know a great deal about you. What's one thing that the public may not know?

As someone who had her baby on national television, there's very little people don't know about me. LOL! But I think a lot of people don't know that I have a very unusual memory. You can give me a date and I can tell you what day of the week it was and what I was doing on that day. I remember all phone numbers and I don't keep a phone book. I can look at a page of dialogue and remember all my lines.

Having this memory is something that has helped me throughout my entire life and really came in handy during Celebrity Apprentice!

If you could be the star of any movie ever made, which star and which movie would it be and why?

Assuming you mean part rather than actress, I would have loved to have played Sally Bowles in "Cabaret." As a singer and dancer my entire life, I think the movie "Cabaret" is a perfect film because of Bob Fosse's direction and choreography. I played Roxie Hart in "Chicago" on Broadway, so I know how much fun it is to play a Fosse character.

What are your three favorite albums of all time?

"Nothing Like the Sun" by Sting

"Medusa" by Annie Lennox

"Zucchero & Co" by Zucchero

What are your three favorite books of all time?

"The Tin Drum" by Gunther Grass

"The Book of Macrobiotics" by Michio Kushi

"What Einstein Told His Cook" by Robert L. Wolke