Clueless star Alicia Silverstone says she’s most proud of how much the film ‘means to gay boys’ 25 years after its release
Dionne (Stacey Dash) and Cher (Alicia Silverstone) in the original Clueless. (Paramount)
Clueless star Alicia Silverstone reflected on the movie 25 years on, noting that her “favourite part” of its legacy is “what it means to gay boys”.
The 1995 cult classic followed a well-manicured bunch of Beverly Hills high school students in a glossy teen update to Jane Austen’s Emma. Silverstone played the misguided but well-intentioned Cher, who navigates failing her driver’s test, saying “as if!” a lot and falling for cute guys.
One such guy is Elton, played by Jeremy Sisto, who Cher initially crushes on before he comes out as gay. That slither of LGBT+ representation, coupled with Clueless being aggressively quotable, has long made the film popular in queer circles.
This is something Silverstone, 43, is more than aware of. Chatting to Vogue, she said of all the responses to the film, the queer community’s resposnse was the most meaningful.
“I was really well-received by the gay community after Clueless came out,” the actor explained.
“They’ve always been my people. I don’t know if it’s just this film or my vibe that’s endeared me to them, but that has always been my favourite aspect of the film.
“Particularly what it means to gay boys.”
The interviewer then joked that he knows “plenty of gay men who thought they wanted to date Cher until Christian showed up and made us realise we actually wanted to be her best friend”.
“[American fashion designer] Christian Siriano is like my real-life Christian,” Silverstone said.
“Whenever we hang out he’s basically like my boyfriend. We love each other so much and I’m sure some of that stems from him really admiring Clueless and what Cher meant to him and all of his friends growing up.”
A ‘bisexual Clueless reboot filled with Lizzo references’ is in the works.
As much as some are expressing fatigue at Hollywood’s obsession with reboots, a Clueless relaunch described as “Mean Girls meets Riverdale meets a Lizzo music video” might be the one exception.
The new iteration will reportedly be centred on Dionne, played by Stacey Dash in both the 1995 film and the subsequent TV series.
Deadline described the concept as “a baby pink and bisexual blue-tinted, tiny sunglasses-wearing, oat milk latté and Adderall-fueled look at what happens when the high school queen bee Cher disappears and her lifelong No. 2 Dionne steps into Cher’s vacant Air Jordans”.
