Natasha Lyonne Talked About The Lasting Impact Of "But I'm A Cheerleader" In A Convo With Melanie Lynskey
Nearly 24 years after But I'm A Cheerleader, Natasha Lyonne talked to Melanie Lynskey about the backlash the movie received at a time when LGBTQ+ stories were not widely celebrated and whether she would play a lesbian character today.
Listen, while I love my favorite celeb couples, I think there's something to be said about some of the greatest BFF actors out there. You know, the ones who feel like platonic soulmates the universe put together. And three of my favorites are Natasha Lyonne, Melanie Lynskey, and Clea DuVall.
The trio have been friends for years, have starred in each other's projects, and are just genuinely the funniest and most supportive friends.
While they were all friends prior — there's a great story about a KISS concert they all attended — the trio first starred on screen together in the 1999 movie, But I'm A Cheerleader.
Directed by Jamie Babbit and with a story by Jamie and screenplay by Brian Wayne Peterson, But I'm A Cheerleader follows Megan (Natasha), a high schooler who is sent to a conversion therapy camp after her parents learn she is a lesbian.
It's a hilarious satirical comedy, which has been deemed a cult classic and is still beloved today. It also features a great cast, with a lot of them going on to have huge careers, like Natasha, Clea, Melanie, Michelle Williams, RuPaul, and more.
Now, 24 years after But I'm A Cheerleader premiered, Natasha and Melanie sat down for Variety's Actors on Actors series to discuss the lasting impact of the movie, the backlash at the time, and if they'd play a lesbian character today.
Speaking about if she was hesitant to play an LGBTQ+ character in 1999, Natasha said, "I was not hesitant at all. In fact, I'm consistently shocked by the things we sort of consider shocking. I find it very patronizing when we say something like, 'Oh, did you see that this straight male actor is playing gay? Bravo.' I find it really patronizing and very weird. And maybe in some ways times are changing but it didn't occur to me, is my genuine answer."
She continued, saying, "It was more like, 'Holy cow, Clea's my best friend. She's doing this movie. Jamie Babbit's so cool. And this subject matter is so heavy and intense, and insane and surreal, because how could this possibly be real even though, of course, we know that factually it is real. And it was funny. It just never crossed my mind to not try and use the arts to tell the truth about what's going on."
Speaking about some of the backlash that But I'm A Cheerleader received at the time — Melanie perfectly said the movie was "ahead of its time" because it centered on explicitly LGBTQ+ characters and showed a queer romance — Natasha was shocked it happened.
"Like when Clea and I were on the cover of Out Magazine or something, it just seemed so weird to me that people, in some way, care or something," she began. "It just felt like what you're supposed to care about is the conversion therapy part and we're supposed to go try to stop that."
While Natasha was the lead character in But I'm A Cheerleader, Melanie remembered getting questions when the film came out about playing a lesbian character, too.
"I remember at the time, after But I'm a Cheerleader, somebody was like, 'Oh, you've played a lot of lesbian characters.' And I was like, 'I think it's two. What are you talking about?'," Melanie began. "It was so weird to me also that it was a talking point or that anybody had an issue."
Natasha said she remains "so proud of But I'm A Cheerleader" and still thinks about all of the people who came up to her and Clea and explained how it important it was that they saw themselves represented on screen.
She recalled, "I remember Clea and I were at Sundance with But I'm A Cheerleader ... and these kids would come up to us and be crying and just saying, 'Thank you for putting this on film. Now I feel, like, 10% less weird.' That, for me, was very heavy and continues to be very much what I'm about."
Natasha's experience on But I'm a Cheerleader shaped a lot of the roles Natasha has gone after since, including Russian Doll and Poker Face. She explained that her roles in both of those shows also bring to the forefront female characters who are seen as outsiders.
She said, "I feel like, in general, I really believe in making people that society wants to 'outside' and 'other' feel safe and [at] home. It's very important to me. So I remain so proud of But I'm A Cheerleader."
While Natasha and Melanie have since played characters that people in the LGBTQ+ community especially love, Natasha said she doesn't know if she'd play a lesbian character today.
"It would be in a very specific circumstance, I guess, that I would take on playing a lesbian again because of the ways in which society has changed," she explained. "It feels like, Okay, let's not take opportunity from people. At the same time, in some way, if you're gonna call it like a time crime or something, I'm just so proud of the movie that I'm very glad that I got to do it."
Natasha went on to say that the reason she has played LGBTQ+ characters in the past is because often those characters' storylines weren't driven by a male storyline.
"What is, for me, seductive about playing a lesbian character is just this idea of not being puppet mastered by a male storyline that I feel like often [happens with] female characters," she began.
She continued, saying, "There's something about the architecture of our society, which is we're often asking women to exist in response to men. And that often the gay characters that I've gotten to play are sort of on their own trajectory. Sort of like they aren't living a life in response to what their boyfriend or husband wants or how to appease him in some way."
Basically, I continue to love Natasha and Melanie, and everyone should go watch (or rewatch) But I'm A Cheerleader — I literally watched it for the first time this year and will leave you with this:
i just watched but i’m a cheerleader (for the first time) and i just think natasha lyonne and clea duvall should be legally required to do a new movie together every few years, and they should bring melanie lynskey along too
