Lesley Ann Warren's Vanished After Clue, But Does She Blame The Cult-Classic For What Happened To He

Publish date: 2024-04-26

Highlights

Clue may not have been a commercial success, but it has gained a loyal fanbase over the years and Lesley Ann Warren is thrilled about it.
Warren had a great time on set with the iconic cast of Clue, with Martin Mull and Colleen Camp becoming close friends.
Despite the initial disappointment, Warren considers her role in Clue to be one of her most cherished in her career.

There's no shortage of actors who have complicated feelings about the cult classics in their filmography. This includes Michelle Pfeffier and her relationship with Grease 2. While the film was universally panned when it came out, it did help launch her career. On the other hand, some cult-classic were heralded as classics as soon as they were released but initially flopped at the box office. This was the case for The Big Lebowski, which saved Tara Reid's career and built one of the most dedicated fanbases in all of cinema history.

But 1985's Clue is another thing entirely...

The Jonathan Lynn-directed film, which was co-written by Eddie Murphy's frenemy John Landis and Anthony E. Pratt with Lynn's help, failed to rake in the dough when it was released. Nor did it gain the place in cinema that The Big Lebowski holds. But it is almost certainly a cult classic. The comedy 'whodunnit' mystery film was based on the iconic board game and starred an ensemble cast of legendary talents. Many of whom have vanished into the ether since its release. This includes Lesley Ann Warren, who played Miss Scarlet.

What Happened To Lesley Ann Warren?

Lesley Ann Warren was already an incredibly well-respected actor before she was cast in 1985's Clue. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, Warren continuously booked roles on iconic TV shows, such as Gunsmoke. Then there was her role as Dana Lambert on Mission: Impossible. But everything changed for her when she was cast as Norma Cassady in 1982's Victor/Victoria.

The drama earned Lesley Ann Warren her only Oscar nomination to date. The film was immediately followed up with roles in lesser-known projects. And then came Clue. But after Clue, Warren's career didn't allow her to show off her talents in the big leagues.

According to Wide Open Country, Lesley Ann Warren has worked continuously since 1985's Clue. But most of the work she has done has been in lesser-known projects, such as TV movies and direct-to-video projects.

Although, in the early 2000s, Warren snagged some coveted roles in Desperate Housewives and Psych. Warren has had a more than respectable career as one of the busiest working actors in the business. While the projects she's been in haven't landed with large audiences, she has managed to pursue her passion, stretch the muscles of her talents, and support her family.

Raising her son has been a priority in Warren's life. As have her relationships. Warren has reportedly dated some rather large names in Hollywood including Val Kilmer and Bobby Darin. But she has been married to producer Jon Peters (with whom she had her son, Christopher), and then later married ad executive Ron Taft, with whom she is still with.

Who Was Originally Cast As Miss Scarlet In Clue?

Despite Miss Scarlet being one of Lesley Ann Warren's most recognizable characters, there was a period in time when the character wasn't going to be played by Her. During an interview with Vulture about her role in Clue, Warren confirmed that Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher, almost played Miss Scarlet. However, Fisher was forced to drop out to seek rehabilitation for her well-documented substance issues.

"I knew Carrie pretty well back in the day — her sense of humor was acerbic and so fabulous, and she was such a brilliant writer," Lesley Ann Warren admitted to Vulture. "I can assume how wonderful she would’ve been, but in a very, very, very different way. Going into Clue, I didn’t give it any thought because it would’ve paralyzed me creatively."

Warren revealed that she was on vacation in Greece with her mother, her son, and her son's girlfriend at the time when she was offered the role in Clue.

"I wasn’t wanting to do roles that emulated Norma in Victor/Victoria. I was getting a lot of offers for that kind of character, and I didn’t want to recreate that in another project," Warren said to Vulture.

While Lesley Ann Warren wasn't familiar with the board game, she saw Miss Scarlet as an opportunity to do something very different.

"That was the reason that I did it, and boy am I not sorry that I did."

"Because I wasn’t familiar with the board game, I was really looking at it as a script that came to me with all these fabulous characters and this exciting and creative murder mystery," Warren said to Vulture.

Did Lesley Ann Warren Get Along With The Cast Of 1985's Clue?

During her interview with Vulture, Lesley Ann Warren admitted that the cast of 198's Clue was one of the reasons she really wanted to be part of it.

"My god, the cast. Those were, and are, some of the most iconic comic actors of all time," Warren said to Vulture before claiming that they drove directed Jonathan Lynn crazy with their on-set antics. "We were ecstatic and laughing and carrying on over each other’s work all the time. I always say it was like herding a bunch of cats. We were just so involved and overjoyed at each other’s work that it was difficult to keep us on track."

Warren was closest to Martin Mull (who played Colonel Mustard). The pair had been on multiple projects together so they already had a strong relationship.

"So we hung out a lot, and we would talk about our pasts and our lives and hysterically laugh together," Warren said. "And then Colleen Camp (Yvette the maid) and I got really close because we were going through relationship drama, so we would do a lot of girl talk."

Blazing Saddles actor Madeline Kahn (Mrs. White) was more withdrawn from the rest of the cast, according to Warren, as she would retreat to her private space to relax between scenes. But this wasn't the case for Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd (Professor Plum).

"If we were all hanging out, he would always be part of that."

Tim Curry, on the other hand, was entirely focused on memorizing his lines, which were numerous and wordy.

What Did Lesley Ann Warren Say About Clue?

While the critics weren't thrilled with Clue when it came out, and it bombed at the box office, it did pick up a loyal fanbase years later. This is something Lesley Ann Warren is very happy about, according to her interview with Vulture.

"We’ve all been blown away by it. I did an event with Jonathan [Lynn] about five years ago, and we were talking about that. Nobody, none of us, knew that this was going to happen," Warren said to Vulture.

"People come up to me on the street and recite my lines. It’s an amazing, wondrous outcome because, when it opened, we were all ravaged by disappointment. But ultimately, we got our revenge."

Warren believes that the multiple endings may have been an element of why Clue didn't initially land with audiences. But she thought the creative choice was inventive and ahead of its time. Warren also claimed that Clue is one of her "most cherished" film roles in her impressive and lengthy career.