Sean Young Talks Catwoman (Again) And Hollywood Horrors

Hollywood… Might as well call it Hollyweird! It’s a tough town if you don’t shut up and play by the rules. Just ask Hollyweird ex-communicado extraordinaire, Sean Young! Sean was one of Hollyweird’s brightest rising stars back in the 80s – and is still a huge A-List star here at DListed – but then got iced out after a series of decisions that, frankly, should have made her the biggest star of all time! She gave her all at trying to get the part of Catwoman in Batman Returns, got fired from Dick Tracy, got replaced in the first Batman movie after breaking her arm and has more recently appeared on Celebrity Rehab and Skating with Celebrities. How all of this doesn’t make her the top actress and head of every studio I have no idea.

The Catwoman that never was sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to talk about her heyday, her reputation and what it was like being a lady with a loud mouth and an opinion in 80s Hollywood. I know a lot of people might read the interview with the word “DELUSIONAL” popping out at them repeatedly, and there are some very “what? what are you talking about?” moments, but it’s overall pretty incredible. To some, Sean was a mess of epic proportions but to her, she was just doing her job and standing up for herself! Occasionally in a latex catsuit. In public. Or on a studio lot, uninvited.

Of course they jump right in with the question on everyone’s mind, Catwoman:

When you dressed up as Catwoman and approached Tim Burton on the WB lot, what was his reaction?
He wasn’t there. I guess he was hiding in the bathroom. Who knows? If these Warner Bros. executives now were really good businessmen, they’d let me play Catwoman today, and I’d make a smash amount of money. But they’re too stupid. You can lead people to water, but you can’t make them great artists. Nobody wants to take that risk, it’s too scary. If they’re wrong, it can cost them their job. If there were really good businessmen over there, it’d be an obvious no brainer, but I’m not running the studio.

I’m not familiar with the unit of measurement and/or currency she’s using, smash. Do any of you know just how much a smash amount of money is? Surely it must be an incalculable sum because Sean Young playing Catwoman today would most certainly break all the records. Movie records, Olympic records, vinyl records, all broken, or rather, smashed… She was back on Letterman a few years ago and reprised the Catwoman role. How did they hire that good for nothing Anne Hathaway when they could have had Sean?! Idiots! And, in her opinion, Hollywood has always been the same and ain’t changing for the better:

There’s a lot of talk in Hollywood about the gender pay gap. Was it better or worse back in the ’80s than now?
There’s nothing new about women getting paid less. That’s not a news flash. It’s worse now. But it’s not just worse for women. It’s worse for everybody, men and women.

What did you think of the diversity controversy?
People gripe. Everybody gripes. One year it’s this, one year it’s that. It’s just another means to bring attention to your picture. It’s politics. It’s meaningless in the scheme of things because it’s a business.

You absolutely have to appreciate her directness. There’s no waxing philosophical in here or trying to place blame on this or that. She has no fucks to give and she’s just gonna say it, for which I applaud her. She’s barely in the Hollywood system anymore and nothing she says or does now can damage her further. One thing that did damage her, she admits was her own fault:

What’s a role you were offered that you most regret turning down?
The Piano. I never got around to reading it and I was too busy flitting around my backyard in Sedona, Ariz., and they moved on before I got around to reading it. That was stupid. That was me being asleep at the wheel.

No Sean Young interview would be complete without a nod to 80s film icon Blade Runner. Sean was the female lead in that, Rachel and now there’s a sequel in the works – please God let it be at least decent. None of that new Star Wars shit. Peepaw action hero Harrison Ford is back for the sequel but there’s no word yet on whether Sean will be. That would be a goddamn crime! Ridley Scott won’t be back to direct, but he’ll surely have a hand in it and Sean has had words for him previously. Anyway, she had this to say:

A Blade Runner sequel is in the works. Harrison Ford will be back. Any idea what happened to your character Rachael?
I’m sure everyone’s going to be wondering that, but they haven’t called me yet so I have no way of knowing.

It honestly is an interesting read and look into someone that was so on the up and up at one point and then crashed and burned. Sure she might have been difficult. Sure she might have been volatile. Hell, maybe she even hit a couple people, how do I know? Regardless, shouldn’t someone of Sean’s ability, clear headedness and ingenuity (just like a cat… a Catwoman!) be the most celebrated actress of our time?! We need STAHS with personality and wit! Oh, Sean, I’d give you one of my nine lives so you could get a new one in Hollywood. But until then, have another cocktail!

And in case you’ve never seen this masterpiece, here’s Sean on The Joan Rivers Show pleading her Catwoman case:

Pic: Wenn