A Publicity Giant Spins for Itself : Movies: PMK’s partners say defections are part of the business and point to recent additions to its high-profile roster, but industry watchers are wondering if the firm is losing its luster.

It appears that some of Hollywood’s most formidable hand-holders are in need of a little comfort themselves.

PMK, the publicity firm that nurtures and cultivates magazine covers for many of Hollywood’s top-drawer talents, has had some high-powered defections in recent days--actors Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.

Pfeiffer reportedly split over a disagreement on how much she was expected to promote her Columbia film, “Wolf,” which opens Friday; she is currently without publicity representation. Sarandon reportedly was unhappy with what she thought was an underwhelming amount of publicity, and apparently wanted to make a change before the release of her high-profile July film, “The Client”; she has defected to the equally high-powered Nancy Seltzer, who also represents Sarandon’s pal (and former PMK client herself) Julia Roberts. And Robbins, Sarandon’s longtime companion, bailed late Friday for several reasons, including how PMK handled Sarandon’s exit as well as his own publicity, inside sources say.

The latest PMK exits have prompted some agents, studio executives and competitors to wonder aloud whether a bit of polish has finally rubbed off the glitzy reputation of Hollywood’s public-relations heavyweight, headed by partners Pat Kingsley, Lois Smith and Leslee Dart, which for years has been considered comparable to Creative Artists Agency’s dominance on the talent side of the business.

While the recent exits at PMK are disappointing for the firm and noticeable because of the stars’ high profiles, Kingsley and others point to plenty of recent signings, including Ralph Fiennes, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant and Woody Harrelson. They are additions to an enviable roster including Jodie Foster, Tom Cruise, Sharon Stone, Al Pacino, Richard Gere, Holly Hunter, Candice Bergen and Roseanne Arnold (Tom Arnold was dropped recently after the divorce proceedings were begun).

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Still, the firm must cope with Pfeiffer’s departure so close to the opening of “Wolf,” which co-stars Jack Nicholson. A Columbia executive said the studio has found Pfeiffer to have been “wildly unreasonable, refusing to promote the film. She was sick and tired of working and wanted a break. She wanted to go to Fiji but Lois Smith wanted her to do the press junket.” Sources also speculate that Pfeiffer’s pregnancy may have been a factor in her refusal to promote “Wolf.” Neither Pfeiffer, who reportedly is now vacationing in Fiji, nor her ICM agent, Ed Limato, could be reached for comment.

Smith would say only that she and Pfeiffer, her client of six years, had a disagreement “over one specific thing. I love Michelle dearly. And I don’t for a minute think that she has suffered from overexposure. If anything she has been too low-key.”

PMK also represents “Wolf” director Mike Nichols and is involved in publicity on the film for the studio.

Just what Sarandon, a PMK client for eight years, wanted and didn’t get is unclear, though sources say the actress hasn’t been happy with the amount of publicity she has received recently. On behalf of Sarandon, Seltzer said: “PMK can explain it any way it makes them happy.”

Robbins’ exit, sources say, was in part triggered by PMK’s position on Sarandon’s departure, which happened two weeks ago; he has declined to comment. Smith told The Times last week: “I think Susan is fabulous. But I want to make it clear that she did not leave us. We suggested to her that if she was unhappy (with the amount of coverage PMK was generating for her), she should probably go somewhere else. We respect her decision.”

“We expected (Robbins’ departure) because it would have been awkward. There has never been any indication from him of being unhappy with how PMK has handled his coverage,” Kingsley said.

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Studios generally pay a star’s publicist for handling publicity on a film, including placing newspaper and magazine profiles related to the movie. It’s usually part of the star’s movie contract. The publicist’s fee in these cases does not come out of the star’s pocket, which is why some studios and other publicists see dual representation as a conflict of interest. As a result, some studios complain that they don’t get their money’s worth and that a star’s personal publicist is often a hindrance. In fact, one source said that Walt Disney Studios is so fed up with what it sees as the interference of personal publicists that it is formulating new clauses in contracts dictating what publicity a star has to do on a picture. Other sources say 20th Century Fox and Columbia have considered similar stipulations as well.

“That kind of rap has been around,” says Kingsley. “But the problem for studios is they don’t have the confidence of personalities. That is why a publicist like myself is there, to act as a liaison and work on cooperation from both sides. It’s really an advantage.”

“This is a business where people leave and new ones come all the time,” says Smith, noting publicists don’t have contracts. “It’s just the way it goes.”

The exodus at PMK applies to talent within the firm as well. Young publicists who have left the PMK nest and started their own firms include Susan Culley, who reps Christian Slater and Liam Neeson; partners Annette Wolf and Lisa Kasteler, whose clients include Alec Baldwin, Patrick Swayze and Nicolas Cage; and Harry Clein of Clein & White, which represents mostly high-profile independent films.

The boutique firms are focused on attracting up-and-coming young talent--just as Kingsley did when she bailed from Rogers & Cowan, the entertainment PR powerhouse of the ‘70s and early ‘80s. Kingsley and Smith started Pickwick in 1971, which evolved into PMK with new partners in 1980. Currently the firm has nine publicists in L.A. and nine in New York, handling a total of 150 clients.

But one element has never changed in the last 23 years, says competitor Clein. “Pat and Lois still remain the best at knowing how to calm their clients . . . to make them feel OK when everything appears to be falling apart. In this business, that can go a long way.”