Actor Gina Gershon from films like Cocktail and Showgirls turned down an offer to star in Prince‘s film Purple Rain. While she said that the film wasn’t the right fit for her, she told Prince she was in a play at New York University, and needed to return to school.
She recently recalled meeting Prince and his disbelief when she told him she was going to pass on a role that eventually went to Apollonia Kotero. Gershon said Prince was pretty unhappy being told “no” at the time too.
Gina Gershon didn’t like that the role in Prince’s film involved nudity
Gershon knew the role wasn’t right for her, mainly because it involved nudity. “He flew me to Minneapolis. I had a fun night singing and dancing and hanging out. And then I said, ‘I didn’t really want to do the movie because there was nudity in it. I was like, oh, I don’t want this for my first movie.’ There are all sorts of reasons,” she said on the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast.
“I don’t know what I was thinking, but I just didn’t want to do it. Which is kind of like, where’s Apollonia now?” she questioned. “I don’t know. I remember listening to the songs going I don’t really love these songs. And I love ‘Purple Rain’. Like, oh my God, this is a genius. But I didn’t want that to be my first part in a film for some reason. I instinctively thought this isn’t the right move.”
She was more committed to being in a play at NYU than being in a Prince movie
A friend connected her with Prince, but she pushed back even when approached with the idea of an audition. In fact, it was so early in Prince’s career, she wasn’t quite sure who he was when her friend mentioned him. I’m like, what Prince? You know?” she recalled telling her friend.
“I guess she told him about me because he was looking for someone who could sing and dance and act. And she’s like, I told Prince about you and he really, really, really wants to meet you. You need to come out here. I think you’re perfect for this movie,” Gershon said.
But, “I’ve got a show tonight,” she recalled telling her friend. “And I’ve got a show tomorrow night and I’ve got class. I was such a good student. I was such a nerd, but I was doing a play.”
“And so I jumped off the stage. I changed my clothes, got on the plane, got my other outfit, and had my night,” she said. Prince wanted Gershon to stay in town but she had her obligation at NYU.
“And he’s like, ‘Why don’t you just hang out?’ And I’m like, ‘I got a show.’ He’s like, ‘Why don’t you get an understudy?’ I’m like, ‘It’s NYU. I don’t have an understudy. I didn’t want to let everyone down,’” she insisted. “And I’m the lead in this show. I can’t not show up. You know?”
Gina Gershon recalled that Prince was ‘mad’ as they drove to the airport
She recalled how Prince was pretty taken aback when she turned him down. “I think he was looking at me like, do you understand what I’m offering you here?” she recounted. I was like, ‘No, I have to go back to school.’ I mean, what was I thinking?”
“Really in retrospect, I wish I had at least hung out for a couple of days. I mean, Prince is a genius, He’s a genius. But I had a show to do. And I didn’t want to let everyone down. I thought I was being professional. I was such a good student.”
“He had to drive me. He was mad. I’m like, you have to drive me right now so I can make my flight,” she recounted.
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