Before they were respectively solving oddball crimes across America or engaging in homoerotic cannibalism, Natasha Lyonne and Melanie Lynskey memorably co-starred in a But I’m a Cheerleader, in which they played teens at the least heterosexual conversion therapy camp in existence.
The beloved 2000 queer comedy, directed by Jamie Babbitt, is a hilariously campy send-up of homophobia that features a tender coming-of-age romance between Lyonne’s preppy Meghan and Clea Duvall’s resident bad girl Graham. Lynskey plays fellow conversion therapy camper Hilary.
More than 20 years after the film’s release, Lyonne and Lynskey reflected on But I’m a Cheerleader’s legacy during a recent installment of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series.
“At the time, nobody liked it, and now everybody likes it,” Lynskey said. “I do feel like the movie was very ahead of its time.”
“It’s a cult classic,” Lyonne agreed.
The Yellowjackets star was surprised to find that playing queer roles in But I’m A Cheerleader and Heavenly Creatures might lead someone to pigeonhole her.
“After But I’m a Cheerleader, somebody was like, ‘You’ve played a lot of lesbian characters,’” Lynskey recalled. “I was like, ‘I think it’s two’?… It was so weird to me that it was a talking point.”
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Although neither Lynskey nor Lyonne publicly identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, their public allyship and memorable queer roles have made them bonafide gay icons as a result.
Lynskey, who is famously known for “[pushing] that homosexual agenda just by showing up,” went on to ask Lyonne if she had any hesitations about starring in a film that tackled conversion therapy in the early aughts.
“I was not hesitant at all,” Lyonne responded. “In fact, I was consistently shocked by the things that we consider shocking. I find it very patronizing when we say something like, ‘Oh, did you see that this straight male actor is playing gay? Bravo.’”
The Russian Doll star was initially drawn to the project because Babbit — whom she described as “so cool” — and her best friend Duvall were involved.
“It never crossed my mind to not try and use the arts to tell the truth about what’s going on,” Lyonne added. “When Clea and I were on the cover of Out magazine, it just seemed so weird to me that people would care. It felt like what you’re supposed to care about is the conversion-therapy part, and [how] we’re supposed to try to stop that.”
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
The Poker Face star also remembered the impact of premiering But I’m a Cheerleader at the Sundance Film Festival, which takes place in the notoriously conservative state of Utah.
“These kids would come up to us crying, and just saying, ‘Thank you for putting out the film, and now I feel 10 percent less weird,’” she said. “That, for me, was very heavy, and… in general, making people that society wants outside and other feel safe and home is very important to me.”
Although Lyonne noted that she remains “so proud of But I’m a Cheerleader,” she’s also aware of how much, unfortunately, hasn’t changed.
“Here we are in 2023, and we’re still in a debating society around things like ‘Hey, you say you’re a person. Are you sure you’re that person? I have an opinion on it,’” she added. “It’s really, deeply dark and disgraceful, so that’s my hot take.”
Read and watch the full interview on Variety.
Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s weekly newsletter here.