Original-Cin Q&A: Amy Heckerling on Clueless's 25th, the Clueless musical on pandemic pause and the memory of getting respect
Twenty-five years ago this month, film history was made by two little words: “As if!”
Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, an updated take on the Jane Austen novel “Emma,” starred a then unknown 18-year-old Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz, a spoiled Beverly Hills teenager who ruled her high school with charm and obliviousness and introduced us to a whole new lingo. Co-stars Stacey Dash, Donald Faison, the late Brittany Murphy and Breckin Meyer were all key players, as was a then-unknown current-Ant-Man Paul Rudd as Cher’s step-brother and object of various crushes.
Our Bonnie Laufer caught up with Amy Heckerling from her home in New York via ZOOM to reminisce about the film.
Brittany Murphy, Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash in Clueless
The 25th Anniversary Collectible Blu-ray edition of Clueless arrives on July 14th.
ORIGINAL-CIN: I cannot believe it’s been 25 year since this film was released. I clearly remember watching back then and thinking this was something special. How did you feel at that moment, when you finally released Clueless to the world and it was getting such high praise?
AMY HECKERLING: “Well, it was all very weird to me because, I'd done some other films. And you know, sometimes you have flops or people are really insulting in the press even if something does well or they ignore it.
“But I always wanted to do something where I would just get a little respect. So when Clueless came out and there were all these great reviews, it was pretty much universally nice. I had never expected anything like that to happen to me in my life.
“I still have all of those reviews boxed up in my garage, but it was just like, ‘Oh my God!’ I do know, if it never happens again. at least I was acknowledged once in my life. I got a little respect and that felt so good. Everybody should have that from something.”
OC: Amy, you never got that kind of reception for Fast Times At Ridgemont High? That film is a classic!!
HECKERLING: “Nice of you to think so, but at the time they only released it in a couple of hundred theaters. They had no advertising budget for it. And then all of a sudden people were liking it, coming back to see it again and telling their friends.
Amy Heckerling
“So they released it quickly across the rest of the country with no advance word or anything. There were very few reviews and It wasn't treated seriously at all by the studio. I’ll tell you, it didn’t help me get my next film made, that was all me.
“Years later of course, everyone was talking about it and you can’t dispute the fact that the cast was great. I mean Sean Penn? I’ll leave that right here!”
OC: Jeff Spicoli, that role will go down in history! Back to Clueless. It really is timeless, and it’s still being enjoyed, not only by the people like me, who saw it 25 years ago, but by new generations. Why do you think it still holds up?
HECKERLING: “The story is based on the great Jane Austen novel “Emma,” which in itself is timeless. I think anybody that likes the movie, take a look at Jane Austen you'll just be so happy.
“It was written in the early 1800s, and there's nothing in it that you don't understand and that doesn't ring true as far as what is going through the mind of a young girl and the growth of an adolescent. It’s so timeless and universal. So when you are leaning on a giant like that, you can’t help but love what Alicia Silverstone did with Cher.”
OC: Pretty much everyone in that cast went on to some pretty good things but Alicia, we all immediately fell in love with her. What did you initially see in her to cast her in the role?
HECKERLING: “I saw her in Aerosmith’s “Cryin’” video. And in my heart, I just immediately liked her. I felt like I wanted to make sure things would work out for her and I wanted to take care of her.
“She makes you feel for her. There's something adorable and vulnerable and sweet about her - which are of course, all the things that make her appealing to boys. She's attractive and fun and all of that. But it's like Marilyn Monroe, men and women like her.”
OC: Plus, you had the foresight to cast a young nobody named Paul Rudd. Look at him now - the guy who never ages!
HECKERLING: “I really wanted somebody that girls would fall in love with, but not your typical young studly kind of guy. It had to come from his mind and you can't fake that. He has a great mind and it comes through. And that makes him very appealing and sexy.”
OC: When you look back at Clueless what was the brightest memory for you or the thing that made you happiest?
HECKERLING: “I honestly just loved coming to set every day and seeing the cast and the crew. It really just warmed my heart and I was so thrilled working with these people. At the time I honestly felt like that's all I wanted to do. That's where I wanted to stay. That's where I was really happy.”
OC: So what are we going to see from you next after this pandemic is over?
HECKERLING: “ It's a whole new world, so who knows what's going to happen?
“We did an Off-Broadway musical production of Clueless, which I was very excited about. Just as we were starting to bring in some new talent and do a little revamping in hopes of making it bigger for Broadway, the pandemic hit and Broadway was shut down. So, who knows what it's going to be and how it will come back in what form it will come back.”
“I just saw a virtual production of Tartuffe where it was like boxes on the screen using Zoom technology. And they're all acting but not together and I have to say I was mesmerized.”
OC: It is amazing what people are doing with Zoom. I think this is something you should look into to bring the stage version of Clueless back to life!
HECKERLING: “I'm going to be talking to our producer to tell her about that production. I know it’s not an ideal situation but it could work!
“It’s like you find a little bit of oil colors and you go you know maybe if all of this got bigger you could start making paintings. It's a whole new world and we’re all just trying to adapt.”