It was easy for America to fall in love with actress Diane Lane when, at the age of 13, she made her screen debut opposite Laurence Olivier in A Little Romance. Both the infatuation and Diane have since grown, as she has filled out more mature teenage roles in such films as The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, Six Pack and the sartorially memorable Streets of Fire. Now she co-stars with Richard Gere in Francis Coppola's controversial The Cotton Club. Contributing Editor David Rensin met with Lane in New York. Says Rensin, "There are 19-year-olds and there are 19-year-olds. Diane Lane is definitely both."

Q 1

PLAYBOY: What did you want to be when you grew up?

Diane Lane: When I was eight, I drew a picture of myself as I aspired to be. I was wearing a sexy, floor-length gown with a slit and spaghetti straps. I had a great figure, and I was standing on a pedestal. I had a glass in my hand and I was making a toast. People were throwing flowers; there were roses all over the floor. I pictured myself still young and good-looking by the time I was successful. I wanted to think that by the time I had arrived, I wouldn't need a face lift. Of course, when I drew the picture, I didn't even have bee stings for breasts. But I was already asking my mom, "Can you see what I'm going to look like when I'm older?' I felt like the ugly duckling--who would one day become the swan.

Q 2

PLAYBOY: Are you surprised by the way your looks have changed?

Diane Lane: I am relieved to look the way I do now. The flesh does hang well off my bones. And I don't exercise. I haven't yet reached that point where I'm saying, "If I could only suck in my thighs, I'd be happy.' You can suck in your stomach but not your thighs. But I also know that pretty soon I'm going to have to earn it and work on it so that my ass stays where it is. I don't want to have it drop when I hit 22.

Q 3

PLAYBOY: You were on the cover of Time when you were 14 years old. How did that change your life?

Diane Lane: I didn't know I was going to be on the cover until the day the issue came out. I hit the subway that morning and saw my face. I freaked. The newspaper guy was having a hoot, though, handing magazines over to my mom and me--piles of them.

Actually, being on the cover impressed me. I wondered, What did I do right? It must be in the stars. Thank God it happened, because no one had ever heard of me before. I thought they'd use Tatum O'Neal or Jodie Foster or a montage of faces. But when I saw my face there, it sort of brought Time down to my level. I thought, Gee. Me and President Carter.

Q 4

PLAYBOY: You worked with Laurence Olivier in A Little Romance, the film that put you on the Time cover. What did you learn from the experience?

Diane Lane: I knew that I had to keep working. You don't just do a film with Olivier and not follow it up. Besides, everyone was saying, "Boy, you have this amazing career in front of you. How promising." Working with Olivier also did something for my self-image. I'd seen Hamlet on PBS late at night when I was 11. My dad said, "Stay up and watch it. It's very important.' And I'm glad I did. So, later, to be able to sit in a room and have a conversation with Olivier was unbelievable.

Q 5

PLAYBOY: If you could, what man would you like to trade places with for one day?

Diane Lane: Obviously, the guy I was involved with. I'd want to know what he thought of me. You know, think of making love to another body from the other perspective. You could guarantee an orgasm. The beginning and the end of sex are in your hands. [Pauses] Hmm. Who would I pick? Not my dad. Not any actor I'd worked with. Maybe Coppola. [Laughs] I'd do it because I want to know all his dark secrets. He's got such a wide-scope life. He produces films, finances them, is a great chef, has a great wife, family and home, a vineyard. He knows how to do everything. I'd like to know what it feels like to have had all those achievements.