Cher’s most miserable movie experience: “They treated us like shit”
Many pop icons have tried to find success in both music and films, but few have managed to do it like Cher did. In addition to garnering attention as a star on television, the American artist also delivered Academy Award-nominated performances in movies like Moonstruck, which landed her the coveted ‘Best Actress’ Oscar.
However, just because she found success as a film and TV star doesn’t automatically mean that every project was the same. In fact, she had one of the worst professional experiences of her career while working on The Witches of Eastwick, a bizarre 1987 comedy by George Miller.
Cher’s account of her experience on The Witches of Eastwick seems to highlight some significant frustrations with the treatment of women on any film set. It reflects a deeper sense of inequality, where the actresses were dismissed or overlooked, while their male co-stars, like Jack Nicholson, were more likely to be treated with respect.
Cher’s comment about the director, George Miller, suggests he wasn’t particularly attuned to the challenges or experiences of his female actors, further adding to her frustration. But, famously, Cher doesn’t mince words about the people she works with. She has that megawatt level of fame where she can say whatever she wants and still enjoy her household name.
When Film Comment interviewed Cher, she had unkind words about her time on set, saying, “And we had a director [George Miller] who was just totally unaware that we were there. Now, for me, I didn’t really give a shit about that part of it; but it was like a scene out of Tootsie: Everybody was somebody, Jack was Jack, and we were ‘the girls’, feeling reduced and tokenised to her gender. It’s a forgettable movie, but Cher is not a forgettable person.
Pardon Cher’s French, but she goes on to say, “They treated us like shit. If we wanted something, we had to go to Jack cause none of us were the kind of women that would go up and go, ‘Baby, baby, goo-gee-goo-gee, please give me something,’ so we would go to Jack, and say, ‘Jack, you know, please help us.’ But at least we went to a man who feels that women are smarter and better than men. But it’s not a business yet about women.”
Her remark about going to Jack Nicholson for help indicates that despite the power dynamics, they knew he had a better understanding of their worth and perhaps even advocated for them in a way the director didn’t. Or maybe Nicholson was just a fan of I Got You, Babe; who knows? Either way, by Cher’s account, it’s a presage to the studio system’s ugly bigotry that still pervades the business.
Cher’s thoughts don’t end here. She has a bone to pick with sexism in the film industry, which has only been vindicated by time since this incident. She says, “This also touches on a broader issue within Hollywood, where women, especially in the past, had to navigate a system that often marginalised them,” which Cher openly critiques, making it clear that she won’t tolerate the patronising infantilisation of women in the Hollywood assembly line.
It’s interesting to hear Cher’s perspective on these behind-the-scenes struggles, given her legendary status and awareness of women’s challenges in the entertainment industry. But Cher is nothing if not an authentic voice, someone who speaks their mind no matter who it pisses off. Take her word for it: this is a problem.
