Heather Graham: The Heat on Heather

https://lebeauleblog.com/2020/08/23/heather-graham-the-heat-on-heather/

I remember seeing Swingers in 1996 and thinking “That blonde girl at the club is going to be a big star.” What can I say? I really liked Swingers and I thought Heather Graham was gorgeous. For a while, it looked like my prediction might come true. Graham managed to balance indie movies with mainstream hits. But somewhere along the way, those big movie offers dried up.

This cover story from September 2001 issue of Movieline magazine sees Graham just past her prime although that would only be obvious in retrospect. She was starring in two movies that were about to be released, From Hell and Sidewalks of New York. Michael Fleming walked through Graham’s entire career to date as well as some of her famous exes.

Heather Graham knew she wanted to be a movie star at age 17, when she danced atop a car in the Corey Feldman/Corey Haim vehicle License to Drive. But she had a roadblock in her way. Raised in the Valley in a strict Catholic household, Graham was told by her parents that she would not be permitted to play off-color characters, which is why she turned down one of the lead roles in Heathers. When Drugstore Cowboy came her way, though, she didn’t let her parents hold her back. This time she chose to move out on her own so she could take the part. She’s gone her own way ever since. As other actresses broke through, peaked, and faded, Graham thoughtfully sought out films with staying power, including such seminal indies as I Love You to Death, Six Degrees of Separation, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. Though her parts were often thankless, their collective quality helped her get respect. Just when it seemed to her that she’d never get her break, Graham followed a charming role in Swingers with her widely praised turn as Rollergirl in Boogie Nights, which gave her the sort of buzz that opens doors fast in Hollywood. She soon was having fun with her newfound high-profile status, spoofing Drew Barrymore in Scream 2, entertaining a solid audience in Lost in Space, filling the post-Elizabeth Hurley spy-chick role in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and winning further critical praise for her turn as an amoral actress in the surprise hit Bowfinger.

Now, at 31, Graham is sneaking up on full-fledged stardom. This month she appears opposite former beau Edward Burns in the small ensemble Sidewalks of New York, and with Joseph Fiennes in the twisted love story Killing Me Softly. Next month she plays a streetwalker trying to help a Scotland Yard investigator (Johnny Depp) trap Jack the Ripper in From Hell. Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes, the film has the clout of a major studio in 20th Century Fox, but the pedigree of an indie by merit of the directors, Depp and herself.

When I walk into a Greenwich Village eatery 15 minutes early to meet Graham on a hot, steamy day, I spot her right away–I had heard she’s a pro, but I didn’t expect her to arrive before me. Graham chose to meet at this restaurant because she’s recently become familiar with the neighborhood, having filmed the comedy The Guru close by. Though she’s only spent a few months in New York, she’s long been a fixture of the city’s gossip columns, which began when she dated Burns and reached an all-time high when she started dating Heath Ledger. She’s looking for an apartment in the city, but considering her packed slate, it’s unlikely she’ll be able to stay in one place for long.