DONNIE DARKO returns to theaters this October to celebrate 25 years since its release. The film has many memorable characters, moments and lines, but a particular one often comes to mind.
Jolene Purdy, who plays Cherita and is adoringly referred to by fans as the “chut up” girl, was cast when just sixteen years old. DONNIE DARKO launched a successful career for the actress, one that would go on to include other genre titles like Unseen, and the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s Under the Dome.
RUE MORGUE sat down with Purdy to discuss her experiences shooting the cult classic, and how it’s impacted her all these years later.
Do you have a favorite memory or experience from shooting DONNIE DARKO?
I feel like there’s so many! It was my first audition; I had no idea what I was doing. I grew up doing theater, so I learned a lot.
I adore Drew Barrymore, and I walked into the makeup trailer and she was sitting there. I sat down next to her and tried with every fiber in my being to just be cool. I know that she sensed it because she immediately turned to me with her beautiful smile and said, “Hi, I’m Drew.” And again, my internal monologue was like, “Oh no, I’m fully aware of who you are …” Getting to work with her was incredible.
My favorite was the day that I wrapped. I was walking back with Jake [Gyllenhaal] and he was so young, but so wise. [We] just had some words that I’ve held onto for the last, what, 25 years now? He said, “This isn’t just a movie you’re making. This is something that’s going to touch people’s lives. There could be someone in the theater who’s being bullied and they’re watching your character survive it. It’s going to make them feel seen, it’s going to make them feel less alone and that’s something that you bring out by doing this. There could be someone in the theater that recognizes themselves as the bullies and they see through your performance how they’re making someone else feel.”
Talk about that conversation with Jake specifically and relate that to what you think resonates with today’s audience about DONNIE DARKO.
It’s my favorite thing when people go, “Oh, you’re the ‘chut up’ girl. What was that movie about?” That’s the question everyone wants to ask. I turn to them and say: “What do you think it’s about?” Because everyone that loves the movie has a very specific answer as to what it’s meant to them.
Just based on what you’ve experienced in your life opens your eyes to the perspective that you’re taking on the movie. If you watch it again in ten years, you’ll pull something else away because you’ve lived a different ten years of your life. I think that’s the magic of this film.
How did you experience on set shape your career?
It made me think the industry was easy, magical and fun. For that to be the first project, to be your first example and your first audition, I got a rude awakening.
Growing up doing this, my mom said, “If it’s not fun, we’re done.” I have found a way to continuously find joy even in the hard parts of this. I don’t know if it’s joy, but survival.
The horror genre is so reflective of society that it’s a good vehicle for empathy. Going back to what Jake said about impacting audiences in a way that’s easy for them to understand, can you speak specifically about representation within horror?
As a whole, I feel like we’re moving in a good direction. It’s small steps and it starts with studios putting creatives that are more diverse at the helm of movies and not fighting them when they want to show color and representation within their projects.
Horror has always been a place for people who may feel marginalized or on the outside of society. There’s a lot to be said for female representation in horror, but it’s all something we need to keep in conversation.
Leaning into the female representation as well, back in the day, it was Jamie Lee Curtis running as a damsel in distress. Today, you are seeing stronger women in horror.
When I read the script for Unseen, I thought the character was going to be white. My reps came back and said that Yoko said I was the prototype for it.
It takes people not just on screen, it’s reflective of what’s behind the camera as well. When working on Orange is the New Black, I saw women carrying heavy cables, manning the cameras, making the shots and being the directors, which is reflective in front of the camera.
What has surprised you most about DONNIE DARKO’S legacy?
That people who saw it 25 years ago are still just as excited about it. The youth that are discovering it now, they think it’s theirs.
I remember them calling it a cult classic five years after we made it. I remember thinking that’s not the definition of a classic, but it had the essence of that. I love that it’s lived up to that 25 years later.
It’s the message that each person takes away and it stands time. As you grow, it grows with you.
We talked about the film being up to interpretation, but if there was one thing you would want somebody to take away from DONNIE DARKO, what would that be?
We never truly know what people are going through. To show kindness, like the kindness that Donnie showed my character, it takes strength, self-awareness and an intellect that I think our world is lacking these days.
What does the movie mean to you 25 years later?
It is everything. The life that I have today is because of that movie. The career that I adore, that I still get to do because that door was open.
I wanted to do musicals, then I did a movie called DONNIE DARKO. I learned the camera is just as meaningful of an art form, just as fulfilling. It all started with that movie opening my eyes to what this life is now.
DONNIE DARKO returns to theaters October 2-4. Tickets are available now.
