Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler read some emails from listeners on the latest episode of their podcast MeSsy With Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and seized upon one in part because it was short: “Would Christina be willing to talk about her role in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead? It was my favorite movie growing up. Thanks.”
Indeed, Applegate was right on top of that. She seemed eager to explain that she’s now proud of the 1991 movie, which was neither a critical nor box office success at the time, but has since emerged as a cult favorite. As such, she’s considerably regretful of how she sneered at the whole experience back in the day.
“I didn’t wanna do it, because it was a commercial film. I was so into indies back then. I was like, ‘I’m only gonna do independent film acting,‘” Applegate said, deploying a fake “above it all” voice. “I was such a f—ing asshat.”
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Christina Applegate at the 1991 Emmys, two months after the release of ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’
The Married… With Children star continued, “I needed a job, man.”
“Did you have fun?” Sigler, who counts herself as one who loves the movie, asked.
“I did. I had some personal stuff going on, off the scenes, which will be in the book, that were pretty horrific. So there were some really hard days. But, yeah, I loved everybody. But at the same time, I was still like, ‘This is, like, selling out,'” she explained, slipping into her faux-obnoxious voice, which sounds like a weird cross between a Gen Z TikToker and Butt-Head of Beavis and Butt-Head fame.
“And then it went and [made] no money at all,” she continued. “Like, it came out and was a complete flop. And here we are. I’m 53 years old. I was 18 when I did it, I think. Eighteen or 19, and people are still quoting that movie, and I’ve watched it with my daughter a gajillion times.”
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Applegate shared that her daughter not only “loves” the movie, but has also developed an appreciation for her character.
“She loves when Sue Ellen was just ‘Swell,’ and my ring game was so rad,” she said. “That was how I wore rings.”
As for her overall wardrobe, Applegate reflected, “That’s how I wore clothes. Like, I wore Dr. Martens. But, obviously, the shoulder pads and stuff were real embarrassing to me. I was always embarrassed by the fashion show because I was like, ‘Couldn’t we have had it be actually cool fashion and not, like, weird?’ But that was the movie.”
Incidentally, Don’t Tell Mom‘s costume designer Carol Ramsey is still in the biz all these years later, and worked on five Merchant Ivory productions.
Shoulder pads aside, though, Applegate is quick to point out, “What movie has a bunch of drag queens steal their car? And people quote it all the time. ‘The dishes are done, man,’ and all that stuff. I feel very proud now about it. I just hated what an asshole I was at the time.”
She clarified, “I wasn’t mean to anyone. I was just like, ‘I just wanna do independents.’ Oh god. You know what you do when you do independents? You don’t make any f—ing money. How about that?” she declared.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images; Scott Gries/BRAVO via Getty Images
Podcast pals Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler
“Nobody ever sees those!” Sigler added.
“You make, like, two dollars. So after that, I was like, ‘Yes, commercial movies are the way to go. I’m gonna make money now.'”
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead was recently remade as a BET+ Original Film starring Simone Joy Jones, Nicole Richie, and June Squibb.
You can hear the entirety of the latest MeSsy episode below.
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