The enduring warmth of their friendship and their outrageous, heartfelt memories left us fit to be tied.
Gina Gershon (Corky):My agents didn’t want me to do it.
Literally, I was told, “You are ruining your career doing this movie.
We will not let you do this movie.”
I never get to play the hero and to get the chick.
I got this nail polish.
We’re saving it [for] somebody, but they were supposed to pick it up yesterday.
We’re going to sell it to you."
It was called “Vamp.”
[I cut] all my nails and my hair off, and I started boxing.
I went to all those guys.
There’s a certain quietness.
She was so amusing and so fun.
It’s just so easy to watch her, like her butt and her legs.
It made my job easy to kind of objectify her.
It fails though, and Corky stews at home alone while playing her Jew’s Harp.
Tilly:This scene here it was all [advisor and feminist sex writer] Susie Bright’s friends.
The Wachowskis thought it was important that I meet her.
She was an authority figure, and [a writer] in the lesbian community.
I was really excited to talk to her.Tilly:I never met her.
She was pretty much advising Gina.
I just went out and felt the vibe and met people.
I actually had a really fun night [Laughs].
I’m definitely not talking about what happened.
I tried that pick-up line on some chick last night, it didn’t work.
“Gershon:I just thought I’d be inspired.
I certainly was inspired with tattoos and stuff.
[Susie] goes, “Yes we do; it’s called a hand.”
You saw the top of it coming out of my pants sometimes.
I thought that was really sexy.
It turns out to be a seduction ploy and the two share a steamy first kiss.
Gershon:I’m doing the pipes.
I was a little paranoid.
It’s so dirty and messy, and you’re shoving this thing in the plug.
I just wanted to look cool, like I knew what I was doing.
I liked all the physical activity.
I remember my mom said, “You’re a really good actress.”
I asked, “Why?”
She said, “Because I believed the plumbing stuff.
“Tilly:Look at this, we’re like equals.
[Laughs] The Wachowskis wanted [an] extreme close-up of our lips.
So, we went back and shot thatjust a close up on our lips.
We were a little nervous.
I remember Gina was like, “The camera’s going to look up my nose!”
She’s like, “Oh, where’s this finger going?
Oh, it’s not going south, it’s going north.
Ok, now it’s going south.”
Gershon:“I hate women who apologize for sex” That’s a truthful line.
I do hate women who apologize for sex.
Why should they be like, “Oh my God, I’m sorry I really like this.”
I had never kissed a girl before, onscreen or off.
“Gershon:I said, “Here’s your preparation.
There was a problem with the camera work.
They go back to Corky’s apartment and have sex.
Like writing three pages of porn.
They really wanted to get it right.
They wanted to be very respectful of the lesbian community.
They wanted it to be very, very authentic and raw, not pornographic.
Although it was pornographic because we’re hot.
[Laughs]Gershon:It was like the four of us having sex.
It was like: “Foot!
It was so choreographed.
They had guys pulling at the walls.
It was like a ballet between the Wachowskis, the crew, [and us].
[They’d be] yelling through the megaphone, “Breast!”
I think it could have been a little bit more connected to an orgasm or to a sexual feeling.
I felt it was more a mechanical thing.
[But] it was very fluid.
No pun intended.Tilly:Gina is like the coolest person to ever do a love scene with.
I would be like, “Can you put your hand here so my cellulite doesn’t show?
Can you prop my breast to make it look a little more plump?
It’s all very macho too.
You know Corky had a lot of armor on, she was very protective of herself.
It was like a real love scene.
You didn’t see a boob.
You didn’t see anything; it was all suggested.
And the [Wachowskis] go, “Let me get this straight.
If the girls weren’t such good actresses, you wouldn’t have a problem?”
They were embarrassed, and they said, “Yes.
“Gershon:God forbid we have these two women actually in love.
We had to go with the “fing” scene.
The shot that we used was so much more elegant.
This one’s a lot more graphic.
They sprayed more sweat on us.
The Wachowskis said, “Those are your tools.
Those are Violet’s tools and [those are] Corky’s tools.
“…Afterwards, they sold all the stuff.
You go over to Joey’s house, and it’s like the set.
He even bought the wallpaper and put it in the hallways.
The stunt person said, “Nobody can fall that way, it’s too dangerous.”
They had to get another $20,000 dollars from Dino De Laurentiis.
They created this machine that was like a lever.
I thoughtThis is a really good time for me to lose it.
Like, “Oh my God, oh my God!”
And they peak behind the bar, and they go, “What the fk?
Jennifer, what are you doing?”
And I’m like, “Oh, I feel like I should be very upset here!”
And they go, “No.
Everything’s going according to plan.
They fight; he ties Corky up and dumps her in the closet.
But you got to go for broke.
you could’t be precious, you know?
You’re doing fight scenes.
But then there’s all thisbrouhahaon the set with insurance.
They’re like, “Oh no, you have to go check it at the hospital.”
I didn’t want to leave the set.
It definitely hurt, but it would have been fine with ice.
I didn’t need stitches or anything.
I guess they needed to check that I didn’t break anything, which I didn’t.
You’re bound to get a little bruised here and there.
Not a big deal.Tilly:Oh!
She explodes out of the closet!Gershon:I kick out the closet door.
It was symbolic for so many women.
The whole idea of coming out of the closet.
It was very satisfying and very heartwarming.
Many girls have come up and said that it helped them come out.
Caesar goes, “You don’t want to hurt me.
I know you don’t.”
All to the tune of Tom Jones' “She’s a Lady.”
Tilly:That was my dress.
Those are my earrings.
That’s my watch.
That’s an artifact!
It should be in a museum!”
She’s like, “It’s my favorite dress!
“Gershon:I love the end.
I get the chick.
I get a car.
I get the money.
You know what I mean?
I was like a real hero.
It’s not often, especially at that point, that the women get to be heroes.
Those are always the guy’s part.
I was just psyched.
I’m like, “Hey, I got my girl.
I’ve got a new car.
We’re gonna go off into the sunset.”
In the audience, everyone laughs.
I’m like, “Why is everyone laughing?”
“Gershon:I was pushing Sinatra, “The Best Is Yet to Come”.
Corky had to leave for protect Violet.
I do not think it’s going to end well.
These women are sexy and they’re smart.
They outsmart the bad guys.
And they’re funny and witty.
They were into each other; they didn’t need a man to help them.
That was all a combination no one had really seen before.
How did you write this thing?”
And little did I know, at the time, they were really feeling something.
They really were feeling bound up inside.
So, it became that the metaphor had a deeper meaning.
It wasn’t like, “Oh, aren’t they clever writers.”
I thought, “Wow, they were going through this, and the world didn’t know.”
Celebrate 50 years of gay pride withEntertainment Weekly’sspecial LGBTQ double issue, on stands Friday.
