FILMFACTS
TRIVIA
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Roberta is desperate to be Susan. Susan is wanted by the mob. The mob finds Roberta instead...
Susan and Gary meet...
Totally Trivia
Film facts for the 1985 Romantic Comedy movie starring Madonna, Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn, Laurie Metcalf
Steven Wright, Mark Blum, Robert Joy, Anna Levine, Will Patton, Peter Maloney, John Turturro, Anne Carlisle, José Angel Santana, Giancarlo Esposito, Richard Hell, Rockets Redglare, Steve Bosh, Daisy Bradford, Annie Golden, Richard Edson Update Cast
We believe the following trivia is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.
Thanks to Debbie
In 1982 Madonna was 'Desperately Seeking' a film role. She auditioned at Troma studios for a teenage T&A comedy called "The First Turn on!". She even designed her own sexy camping outfit featuring some very short shorts. Troma wasn't impressed, thought she couldn't act and Madonna begged them and said she would do anything for the part. They never did cast her and to this day it has become their claim to fame... "We were the dummies that rejected Madonna!" Madonna went on to take over the world with the release of a hit movie and record; "Desperately Seeking Susan" and Like a Virgin.Rewind Archive
Madonna was twenty-six at the time of the movie and there's a scene where she pulls up to a curb driving a car. Madonna actually didn't learn how to drive until the year after this film came out, when she was twenty-seven. Her husband at the time, Sean Penn, bought her her first car which she ended up wrecking.Joey V adds: In Christopher Penn's autobiography he states that she used to drive him to her dance classes when she attended the university of Michigan there. She used to take the car out for drives around town. This was way before she even moved to New York and before she became famous. So she had in fact learned how to drive or had already known how.
Rewind Archive
Anna Levine, who plays Susan's friend Crystal, said that Madonna "had a very clear vision of her character, which other people didn't always have, so they left her as Madonna."Thanks to Stephanie
In '86, Rosanna Arquette was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical category.Thanks to Stephanie
The film that Roberta is watching, while she's finishing off the birthday cake, is the Hitchcock classic "Rebecca".Rewind Archive
Although her name is Susan in the film, there is a scene where Madonna wears an orange top with the letters "MC" on it, which in true life are her real initials, "Madonna Ciccone".Rewind Archive
Rosanna Arquette was reportedly jealous of all the attention Madonna got from this film since Arquette was supposed to be the main character but Madonna was the more popular one.Rewind Archive
Madonna got rave reviews for her role in this film. Time Magazine said "Madonna is a talented comedian. And in the title role of Susan she proves it." And the New York Times called it "The Madonna Movie."Rewind Archive
Although there is a scene where Madonna gets high on a joint with Gary, in true life she doesn't care for drugs. She was quoted as saying, "I don't take drugs. I never really did. They don't do anything for me. All the feelings I think drugs are supposed to produce in you, confidence or energy, I can produce naturally in my body."Rewind Archive
Originally, the part of Susan had been conceived as sort of an aging hippie to be played by Diane Keaton.Thanks to Janene_machine
John Turturro (Ray from the Magic Club), Giancarlo Esposito (the street vendor trying to sell the hat to Roberta), and Richard Edson (the man at the newspaper vending machine) all also appeared together in "Do The Right Thing".Rewind Archive
Director Susan Seidelman knew Madonna from the local club scene before she was famous, dancing at clubs like Danceteria and Paradise Garage.Rewind Archive
Allowing Madonna to express the role in her own way turned out to be a very wise move. Desperately Seeking Susan was rush released for the Easter season in 1985 and earned an unexpected $16 million.Thanks to Peter Baldinger
Other musicians appearing in this film: The most popular are John Lurie, of The Lounge Lizards, who plays the neighbour saxophonist, Richard Hell, he was the bassplayer of the legendary NY punkband 'Television', Richard Edson, former drummer of Sonic Youth, Ann Magnuson, ex-singer of 'Bongwater', and Annie Golden who was the leadsinger of the 70's New-Wave-Band 'The Shirts'.Thanks to Marianne Miller
Another musican in it was Arto Lindsay, punk band DNA and now a solo artist. He has also collaborated with John Lurie who player the neighbor saxaphonist. Lindsay's band DNA was featured in the movie "New York Beat Movie" (or "Downtown '81") which starred John Lurie and artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. The taxi driver in "Desperately Seeking Susan", Rockets Redglare, was a bodyguard for Jean-Michel Basquiat. He also appeared in several Jim Jarmusch films, along with John Lurie.Thanks to Marianne Miller
Giancarlo Esposito and Victor Argo, both in "Desperately Seeking Susan", also appeared together in "Smoke", "Blue in the Face", and "King of New York." (John Lurie was also in "Smoke" and "Blue in the Face").Rewind Archive
In the begining of her career, some people labeled Madonna as manufactured. Madonna once said, "I was making this movie, Desperately Seeking Susan, one of the drivers that took me to the set every day was this kid, and one day he said to me, "I have this bet going with my friend, he told me that all the music you do was done by someone else and they picked the songs and did it all and all they needed was a girl singer and you auditioned and they picked you. And Madonna isn't your real name and all of it is fabricated." And I said, "WHAAAAAAT?? Are you out of your mind??!" But that's what his friend told him, and it suddenly hit me that's probably what a lot of people think. It hit me."Thanks to John Edward Kilduff
Versions of this movie that aired on the networks AMC and WE: Women's Entertainment, after the September 11th attacks, edited out shots of the World Trade Center, alongside the usual edits for s*x, drugs and language.Thanks to Stephanie
The film has 2 taglines: 1.) "Roberta is desperate to be Susan. Susan is wanted by the mob. The mob finds Roberta instead..." 2.) "A life so outrageous it takes 2 women to live it."Bogus Trivia
There's often fake stuff floating round, y'know? -Like the 'ghost boy' that can allegedly be seen in "Three Men And A Baby".
But, nothing bogus that we know yet for "Desperately Seeking Susan".
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