โEntertainment Tonightโ has pulled out of its vaults several minutes of previously unseen behind-the-scenes โCluelessโ footage, showcasing Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy, Breckin Meyer, Stacey Dash, Donald Faison, director Amy Heckerling, and the rest of the team. In the last month, many involved with the production have appeared at 30th anniversary events, heralding the indelible mark left by the high school classic on pop culture.
The clips include one-on-one interviews with the cast members, many of whom were teenagers at the time, describing their characters. In one segment, Meyer reveals that he was familiar with being a high school student in Beverly Hills โ even though the movieโs fictional Bronson Alcott High School was actually played by Occidental College in nearby Eagle Rock.
โI went to Beverly. I went to the school itโs about, oddly enough, so I know exactly what it was like being the obnoxious skater kid in school,โ Meyer said.
Rudd told Entertainment Tonight earlier this year what it was like appearing in such a major Hollywood release, only the second film he had made in his career to that point.
โYouโre excited about everything. Itโs all so new. It forces you [to] listen to other people and their ideas, and be open and excited about learning all of this stuff and showing up every day [thinking], โOh my god, I canโt believe Iโm here. And that I got this job,โ Rudd said.
In 2015, he expressed a similar sentiment to ET. โI just remember being so overwhelmed,โ Rudd said. โThe idea that I was in a movie was also new. And I remember driving onto the Paramount lot, seeing those gates, oh my godโฆ and I had a parking pass on a studio lot.โ
At an Academy Museum event panel last month, Elisa Donovan explained the origin story of the famous โwhateverโ expression.
โI actually had a boyfriend who was several years older than I was in high school, and he used to say when he was sort of brushing me off, โWhatever. Weโre not doing that. Whatever.โ And it, like, infuriated me,โ Donovan said. โSo when I read this, I was like, โOh, I am taking back that word.’โ
At the same panel, Silverstone, who up until โCluelessโ was known for her dramatic turns in โThe Crushโ and a trio of Aerosmith music videos, said that the movie allowed her to unlock an undiscovered aspect of her acting talent.
โI was just happy to be there, and happy to have the part and play this thing,โ Silverstone said. โAnd I didnโt know I was funny before that movie. So, this was the first time I did a comedy.โ
In 2015 to mark the filmโs 20th anniversary, IndieWire spoke with the โCluelessโ casting director Marcia Ross, who revealed one now-major star who almost made it into Beverly Hills High.
โIn the beginning, I just started casting sessionsโฆ I think Paul had it on the second session, and Breckin [Meyer]. They were all there in the first three sessions; these people all came in,โ Ross said. โJeremy Sisto told the story that he read for four different parts, because he did. He started as probably Josh and then he ended up as Elton, but he must have read for four different parts. Breckin, no. I put him in the second day and honestly he just was it. The only other person that really came close is Jeremy Renner, who I just met. I brought him. He was a teenager practically.โ
Heckerling told ET in 2015 that Reese Witherspoon was considered to play Silverstoneโs Cher role.
โI saw some clips from Reese, and I thought, โYeah, this womanโs an actress.โ But it didnโt really matter, because I had the girl I wanted and my heart was with Alicia,โ Heckerling said.
In April, IndieWire reported that โCluelessโ would return for a sequel series with Silverstone attached to star and Hecklering set as executive producer. Further details have yet to be announced. Silverstone reprised her role in a 2023 Rakuten Super Bowl commercial, and the movie itself was previously adapted into a sitcom that aired from 1996-1999 in which Rachel Blanchard took on Silverstoneโs character.
The follow-up would be a reversal for Silverstone, who has said in the past that a sequel was unlikely to ever happen.
โI donโt think Amy Heckerlingโs down for that at all. Itโs not in my hands,โ Silverstone told ET in 2020. โI think whatโs really hard about โCluelessโ to redo it is thatโฆ Cher learns how to become a whole human, so itโs like, where do you pick her up? The evolved self? Or do you pick her up fromโฆ sheโs relapsed. Now sheโs back to her old ways.โ
Paramount Pictures has gone all out to celebrate the 30th birthday of โClueless,โ with a series of special screenings and a theatrical re-release last month. On July 19, Beverly Hills will even have its own special showing in La Cienega Park on what the cityโs Mayor Sharona Nazarian will declare โClueless Day,โ hosted by Los Angelesโ Street Food Cinema.