Cher blew away the music industry with her contralto singing voice and as one half of Sonny & Cher. However, the “Goddess of Pop” also enjoyed numerous great accomplishments in the film industry winning an Oscar for Moonstruck. But as the Grammy winner looks back at her first critical and commercial success role in Mask, the EGOT winner has brutally honest things to say about the film’s director, Peter Bogdanovich.
During Cher’s interview with The Times to promote her new memoir “Cher: The Memoir Part One,” she got real about directors she didn’t like working with. One was Frank Oz, originally set to direct Mermaids until clashes with Cher caused him to abandon the project. But, the “Believe” singer had more brutally honest things to say about Peter Bogdanovich who directed her in Mask:
“He was an asshole,” said Cher. “He was not nice to the girls in the film and he was so fucking arrogant. I really, really disliked him.”
In Mask, Cher played the drug-addicted biker, Rusty, who’s the mother to a son with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. Her character balanced shielding her son from the challenges of a facial deformity while battling her own issues. The Burlesque actress recalled one day of tension on set between her and Peter Bogdanovich:
“[He] comes in and says, ‘Cher, where do you think we should film this scene?’ And I say, ‘Well, the kitchen is working pretty well, why don’t we do that again?’” said Cher. “The next morning he arrives on set eating an egg sandwich and starts screaming that he’s not going to let me direct this film; I’m a nobody; he can cut me out at any moment. Oh yeah, he was a pig.”
How was Mask a Turning Point for Cher’s acting career?
Mask was a huge movie for Cher’s career to show she’s one of the best singers with acting talent. After showing off her versatility and range, she won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.
However, the “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer was snubbed at the 58th Academy Awards. The Silkwood actress still showed up at the ceremony wearing a tarantula-like dress to present the Best Supporting Actor nominees. Vanity Fair called it her “revenge dress.” She ended up with more successful roles after like in The Witches of Eastwick, Moonstruck, and Mermaids.
For more behind-the-scenes facts about Mask and other works Cher was involved in, you can read her new book “Cher: The Memoir: Part One” — available now.
