Denise Richards says losing out on lead role of ‘90s cult classic was a ‘blessing’
Denise Richards said it may have been a "blessing" that she didn't get the lead in 1995's "Showgirls," which was widely panned after its release.
Densie Richards has no regrets about "Showgirls."
While the "Wild Things" star told fans at New York’s Comic Con this week that she auditioned for the part that eventually went to Elizabeth Berkley, she ultimately decided it was a "blessing" she didn’t get it, People reported.
The movie, which some now see as a cult classic, was widely panned by critics and flopped at the box office, only making $37.8 million with a $45 million budget.
"I auditioned for ‘Showgirls’ and didn't get it, which is probably a blessing," she said.
But Richards said that audition likely led to her landing a role in 1997’s "Starship Troopers."
"I think that's why he [director Paul Verhoeven] brought me in to audition for ‘Starship.’ It was right before," she told the audience during a panel with the cast from "Starship Troopers."
An audience member had asked the cast what other Paul Verhoeven movie they wished they had been in.
Along with "Starship Troopers" and "Showgirls," Verhoeven also directed "Total Recall," "RoboCop" and "Basic Instinct."
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Earlier this year, Berkley spoke at a sold out screening of "Showgirls" at Los Angeles’ Academy Museum, telling the audience that her mother had asked her agent whether she could be nominated for an Academy Award for the film before it was released, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Every girl in Hollywood had fought for this role," she said. "So it was not a strange thing to ask."
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She added that the movie "really pushed the boundaries at that time that have now been embraced – not misunderstood – but truly embraced."
"You stood by the film," she told the audience. "You always believed, as did I, and for that I’m eternally grateful."
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Like "Showgirls," "Starship Troopers," which portrayed Richards as an aspiring pilot in a futuristic, dystopian world, struggled at the box office but has since become a cult classic itself.
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