Actor Denise Richards is reflecting on her career and being overlooked for a role in the 1995 cult classic "Showgirls."
She touched upon the topic during a panel at New York Comic Con on Thursday with former castmates from the 1997 cult classic "Starship Troopers." She auditioned for the part before later being cast in the sci-fi adventure film. Both projects were directed by Paul Verhoeven.
Asked Thursday by an audience what other film of Verhoeven's she and her castmates wish they had starred in, Richards mentioned auditioning for "Showgirls" and not landing the part.
"Which is probably a blessing," she said, according to People. The film received a slew of negative reviews.
"I think that's why he brought me in to audition for Starship," Richards said. "It was right before."
In "Showgirls," Elizabeth Berkley plays a woman with a mysterious background who tries to fulfill her dream of becoming a leading showgirl in Las Vegas. She shared her disappointment over its lack of success during a 2020 interview with People.
"Of course, it was disappointing that it didn't do well, but there was so much cruelty around it," Berkley said. "I was bullied. And I didn't understand why I was being blamed. The job as an actor is to fulfill the vision of the director. And I did everything I was supposed to do.
"No one associated with the film spoke up on my behalf to protect me. I was left out in the cold and I was a pariah in the industry I had worked so hard for."
"Starship Troopers" received better critical acclaim than "Showgirls," but still missed the mark, grossing only $55 million at the domestic box office despite a production budget exceeding $100 million.
"I had a bet with a guy that worked for ['Independence Day' director] Roland Emmerich and he said, 'Your movie's not going to make $60 million.' I said, 'Are you kidding me? Of course it is! It's Paul Verhoeven," Richards' former co-star Clancy Brown said Thursday. "It's got great special effects and all that' — and, sure enough, he won. Nobody remembers the movie that we were betting would make more. Everybody remembers this movie."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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