11 Things You Never Knew About ‘Heathers’ on its 30th Anniversary

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While it didn’t get much attention early on, “Heathers” has become a bona fide cult classic and is now regarded as one of the great high school movies of the 1980’s. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of this subversive, dark comedy by learning some interesting facts about “Heathers.”1. Writer Daniel Waters wanted Stanley Kubrick to direct the film, believing Kubrick to be the only director with enough clout to get a three-hour cut greenlit.2. While Kubrick obviously didn’t sign on, the film does feature an homage to his work. The opening cafeteria scene is heavily inspired by the barracks scene from “Full Metal Jacket”.

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3. The name “Heather” is spoken exactly 90 times during the course of the film.4.Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly and Justine Bateman were all approached for the role of Veronica before Winona Ryder was cast. Reportedly many actors turned down parts out of concern for the film’s dark subject matter.

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5. On the other hand, Brad Pitt tried out for the role of J.D. and was rejected because he was “too nice” to be convincing.6. The name J.D. is an homage to “The Catcher in the Rye” author J.D. Salinger. Reportedly, Salinger refused to allow his book to be used in the film, hence why the students are seen reading the public domain work “Moby Dick” instead.7.Shannon Doherty was reluctant to dye her hair for the role of Heather Duke, so she and the producers reached a compromise by dying her hair red instead.

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8. Australian pop-punk band The Veronicas chose their name specifically as a tribute to Ryder’s character.9. “Heathers” was adapted into a stage musical in 2010 by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy. The show had an off-Broadway run from March to August of 2014. (You might remember some of the songs from “Riverdale” a couple of weeks ago.)

Paramount Network

10. “Heathers” was also adapted into a TV series on the Paramount Network in 2018, though the first season was largely panned by critics who felt it failed to live up to the original film.11. Waters has revealed his idea for a potential “Heathers 2,” envisioning a sequel where Veronica begins working as an assistant for a US senator named Heather.  Ryder has voiced an interest in reprising her role. Could it happen?

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