(L to R) Lesley Ann Warren and Colleen Camp talk 1985’s ‘Clue’.
Available to buy or rent now is the 4K Ultra-HD Digital release of the classic comedy ‘Clue’, which celebrates its 40th anniversary on December 13th.
“It’s not just a game anymore.”
Release Date: Dec 13, 1985
Run Time: 1 hr 34 min
Budget: $15,000,000
Directed by Jonathan Lynn (‘My Cousin Vinny’) and based on the popular board game, ‘Clue’ features an all-star cast that includes Tm Curry (‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’), Eileen Brennan (‘Private Benjamin’), Madeline Kahn (‘Blazing Saddles’), Christopher Lloyd (‘Back to the Future’), Michael McKean (‘This Is Spinal Tap’), Martin Mull (‘Mr. Mom’), Lesley Ann Warren (‘The Limey’), and Colleen Camp (‘Apocalypse Now’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with icons Lesley Ann Warren and Colleen Camp about the 40th anniversary of the classic film, their first reaction to the screenplay, their approach to their characters, working with the all-star cast and director Jonathan Lynn, and the film’s groundbreaking alternate endings.
Related Article: ‘Clue’ and ‘Arrested Development’ Actor Martin Mull Dies Aged 80
Lesley Ann Warren in 1985’s ‘Clue’. Copyright © 2002 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Moviefone: To begin with, Lesley, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were your thoughts on adapting a board game into a movie, which is common now but very unusual in the 1980s?
Lesley Ann Warren: Well, the good news in a strange way is that I read it as a script for a film. I had not ever played the board game. So, I was not familiar with the characters. I didn’t know anything about the story of Clue. I was also asked to play Mrs. White because Carrie Fisher was playing Miss Scarlet. The cast was beginning to come together, and I was excited, some of them were on board already. Then Carrie had to drop out because she had personal issues she had to deal with. They came back to me and said, would you like to play Miss Scarlet? Well, I’ve always thought I was better Miss Scarlet than Mrs. White. So, I was thrilled to be able to step into the very high heels of Miss Scarlett.
MF: Just to follow up, the film’s multiple endings was also groundbreaking at the time, but again something that is quite common now. What was it like shooting the different endings and was that something that director Jonathan Lynn had to really fight for?
LAW: I don’t know whether he did have to fight the studio, but we did not know that there were going to be multiple endings until about two thirds of the way through the script, which was kind of great because we didn’t know where the murderer was. So, we were able to play those scenes really having no clue. If we had known, we would have been playing it very differently. So, when it was revealed to us, then we were able to embrace whoever was the murderer, and I was glad I was one of them. But it was it was a surprise to us as well.
Colleen Camp in 1985’s ‘Clue’. Copyright © 2002 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
MF: Colleen, Yvette was not a character in the board game, do you think that gave you a certain freedom in playing the character?
Colleen Camp: I think it did, and I was a clue fanatic. I loved that board game. I thought it was such a phenomenal board game. I had so much reverence for the board game that I never even imagined who could play all these characters. When I was faced with these icons playing these characters, I thought, I’ve hit pay dirt. I always loved the game. Now if I go back and play that game, I really believe they should have a game with every one of their faces on the board. I think there should be a year of ‘Clue’ anniversary celebrations. I think we should have ‘Clue’ parties. That’s not easy, when you have a board game and then these characters in the movie are so brilliant. There is no one that could have played Miss Scarlett but Lesley Ann Warren. So, for me, being a character that was not part of that initial board game, in one sense, I was apart from the group. But then it also gave me an opportunity to have a depth that may not seem on the surface of this French maid. I’m there taking a big view of what’s going on, and I’m much more calculated than you would expect. That was exciting because it did give me more freedom. In terms of the endings, no, we did not know. So, for me, all a sudden, to find out that I’m one of Miss Scarlet’s girls and I’m being strangled by the pool table was very interesting. Because at the time, we weren’t sure about those endings. We thought it was a great idea, but they thought that maybe it impacted the box office, that people were confused and what version they were watching.
MF: Lesley, the film features an all-star cast, what was it like working with them and was there anyone that you really bonded with?
LAW: Colleen! No lie. We really did, bond. We were talking a lot about our relationships, but we just did, and we hung out in each other’s trailers. But the other person that I personally bonded with was Martin Mull. I adored him beyond. We were put together, Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlett a lot. But then we went on to do four or five different movie and television projects together. We stayed very much in contact. I was devastated at his passing. You know, you hear this a lot, but this is really the truth, we were so compatible as a group, both artistically compatible and emotionally compatible. There was no drama, no acting out, we supported each other’s work and were rolling in the aisles when somebody would do something. It was an amazing experience. One of the things that I say a lot, and I really mean it is that each one of these actors had such a specific perspective on comedy and character, and yet, the work blended, which is very unusual. We were all very different, and unique in our way of creating these characters that are now indelible. But it never got in the way of the ensemble rhythm and just ability to bring these moments to life.
The cast of 1985’s ‘Clue’. Copyright © 2002 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
MF: Colleen, what was your experience like working with the cast?
CC: Amazing. And what she just said is that there was such a love and generosity from the actors as see great work. Somebody would do “The flames” like Madeline Kahn or Eileen Brennan with the feathers or any of the other actors. You were so thrilled and so excited that you were cheering them on. Fortunately for me, I worked with Michael McKeon, and then I worked with Christopher Lloyd four times. When I start to think about the movies that we all did together, that were different films, that we were in, that created a bonding as well. So, that’s what was also exciting.
MF: Finally, Colleen, can you talk about collaborating with director Jonathan Lynn on set and his unique vision for this project?
CC: He’s a genius. He had a theater background, and he was a genius at direction. He understood humor and he understood the nuance and the rhythm. Jonathan Lynn had a style, and he was very brilliant. He’s an intellectual. So, I think it was a very smart script and I was very fortunate to work with Jonathan again in ‘Greedy’. Jonathan always had a great casting sense. The casting was very interesting, and I think that that’s the genius of ‘Clue’ because it’s great acting and big stars, but stars on a level that are also character actors.
‘Clue’ is now available to buy or rent on 4K Ultra-HD Digital in honor of the film’s 40th anniversary.
What is the plot of ‘Clue’?
‘Clue’ finds six colorful dinner guests (Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kline, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren) gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving), who turns up dead after his secret is exposed: He was blackmailing all of them. With the killer among them, the guests and Boddy’s chatty butler (Tim Curry) must discover out the culprit before the body count rises.
Who is in the cast of ‘Clue’?
- Tim Curry as Wadsworth
- Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Peacock
- Madeline Kahn as Mrs. White
- Christopher Lloyd as Professor Plum
- Michael McKean as Mr. Green
- Martin Mull as Colonel Mustard
- Lesley Ann Warren as Miss Scarlet
- Colleen Camp as Yvette
- Lee Ving as Mr. Boddy
- Bill Henderson as The Cop
- Jane Wiedlin as The Singing Telegram Girl
- Jeffrey Kramer as The Motorist
- Kellye Nakahara as The Cook (Mrs. Ho)
- Howard Hesseman as the Chief of Police
Director Jonathan Lynn on the set of 1985’s ‘Clue’. Copyright © 2002 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
List of Jonathan Lynn Movies:
Buy ‘Clue’ Movies on Amazon
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