The unforgettable scene that almost ruined Faye Dunaway’s career
When we think of Faye Dunaway, it is hard not to recall her momentous performance as Hollywood icon Joan Crawford in the 1981 movie Mommie Dearest. Upon its release, Frank Perry’s film was widely hated by critics, as well as Christina Crawford, who wrote the memoir of the same name from which the movie was adapted. Exposing the acting royalty’s vicious temper and countless incidents of alleged abuse towards her daughter, the book was quickly snapped for silver screen treatment.
Dunaway, who earned acclaim in the 1960s and ‘70s for movies such as Bonnie and Clyde and Network, to name just a few, was cast in the challenging leading role, yet it would soon prove to be her downfall. The emotionally charged part would prove to be tiring for Dunaway to embody, and she even claimed that she could feel the “presence” of the star at night sometimes. She fully immersed herself in the role, yet critics and regular cinema-goers alike had mixed opinions on her performance.
While the film was rather unanimously labelled as poor, Dunaway’s performance was praised by many, who believed that the actor gave her all to the role, pouring true pain and trouble into her impersonation of Crawford. Yet, The Golden Raspberry Awards gave Dunaway a ‘Worst Actress’ accolade, symbolising a downturn in her once-fruitful career.
These days, Mommie Dearest is often considered a camp classic – one that was never made with the intention of possessing such qualities. However, you only have to visit YouTube to find video compilations of the ‘best’ lines from the movie presented out of context with the intention of making people laugh. John Waters, the king of camp cinema, believes that the movie doesn’t deserve to be dismissed as nothing more than a piece of accidental camp media.
Waters provided commentary on a DVD release of the film where he explained, “It is a very serious movie and was very enjoyable for me – though for others it obviously failed. I think she’s great in the movie. […] God knows she was Joan Crawford in the movie. It was as if method acting had taken over and stolen her soul.”
However, the Pink Flamingos director also expanded on the movie’s campness, highlighting one of the movie’s most unforgettable scenes. “I get why people think it’s campy because Joan Crawford’s life was over the top. But I think it’s a really, really good movie. Except for her ripping up all those rose plants in front of the house and the wire hangers – if you took those scenes out, it might have won an Oscar.”
In this oft-quoted scene, Crawford enters her young daughter’s room while she is trying to sleep and, donning a creamy face mask, shouts mercilessly about wire coat hangers before beating her child with one. “No! Wire! Hangers! Ever!” she declares, in a moment that for some viewers is terrifying, and others, simply a hilarious slice of campiness. Not only was the scene so divisive due to Dunaway’s crazed performance, but it also had a significant impact on the actor’s health.
Due to the intensity of the sequence, Dunaway reportedly passed out in the closet – the physical and emotional vigour required for the performance was too much for her to handle at that moment. However, that wasn’t all – she also temporarily lost her voice from all the screaming. In her 1987 book Looking for Gatsby, Dunaway talked about the scene, revealing that she was not allowed to talk for a short period of time, with Frank Sinatra lending the actor some of his best advice for looking after her vocal cords.
Since Mommie Dearest, Dunaway has continued to star in movies, repeatedly finding acclaim from many performances. Yet, Dunaway is still best remembered for her unforgettable turn as Crawford – a role she prefers not to think about.
Revisit the scene below.
