20 Awesome Woody Allen Muses
The leading ladies that get Woody going
Mira Sorvino
The Lady: Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Sorvino has a loyal fan following thanks to her roles in ditzy comedy Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion , Guillermo del Toro's Mimic and Val Kilmer vehicle At First Sight .
The Part: Oh, you know, just a prostitute named after a Greek goddess that earned Sorvino a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Rolling Stones praised her, calling Mighty Aphrodite “a showcase for Sorvino, who gives a sensational performance, shows startling humour and heart without trading on sentiment.”
In With A Chance? He bagged her that Academy Award, so she definitely owes him.
Christina Ricci
The Lady: A child star who’s made it into adulthood with minimal Hollywood scarring (that we know of), Ricci first made waves as Wednesday in The Addams Family , and has become the poster child for oddball female characters.
The Part: Sadly, Ricci got lumbered with one of Allen’s famed bad eggs, playing the object of Jason Biggs’ affection in Anything Else . At least Quentin Tarantino liked it.
In With A Chance? Considering it’s been almost universally slated, we’re going to go with “no”. Stockard Channing looks keen, though.
Elaine Stritch
The Lady: Now an impressive 84 years old, Stritch is currently making us giggle and guffaw on 30 Rock , and headed up her own one-woman show in 2001’s Elaine Stritch At Liberty .
The Part: Just one Allen credit to her name, Stritch putting an unforgettable turn as Mia Farrow’s brazen, stormy mother in 1987’s September .
In With A Chance? Stritch is more interested in working than marrying, apparently.
Radha Mitchell
The Lady: Most recognisable as the Ripley-nodding, alien-killing heroine in Pitch Black , Australian Mitchell is an indie queen – though this year she branched back into horror with seminal The Crazies . Not to be confused with Melissa George.
The Part: Despite writing the part of Melinda (uh, in Melinda And Melinda ) for Winona Ryder, Allen cast Mitchell when Ryder’s shoplifting scandal meant it was impossible to get anybody to insure her. The result is a middling Allen outing.
In With A Chance? “I was excited by the idea that Woody Allen was going to direct it,” Mitchell effused at the time. Slight possibility there, Woods.
Ta Leoni
The Lady: Leoni has survived Will Smith ( Bad Boys ), giant meteors ( Deep Impact ), dinosaurs ( Jurassic Park III ) and being married to David ‘I have sexual addiction!’ Duchovy.
The Part: In Hollywood Ending , she's a high-powered wife who helps her hubbie (Allen) out when his directing lifestyle takes a turn for the worse. Sadly, this is one of Allen’s most panned movies.
In With A Chance? If you were married to Duchovny, would you give Allen a second look?
Anjelica Huston
The Lady: Terrified kiddies as the Grand High Witch in the movie adap of Roald Dahl’s The Witches , then gave us weird feelings as Morticia in The Addams Family . Non-kid films include Prizzi’s Honour and The Grifters .
The Part: Houston crops up in both Crimes And Misdemeanors and Manhattan Murder Mystery , two of Allen’s most loved movies, and excels in both.
In With A Chance? “He’s a fantastic director, so I was very excited and enjoyed it tremendously. It was a little panicking. He made my heart race,” says Huston. Make of that what you will.
Louise Lasser
The Lady: Famous as the Mary Hartman in ‘70s soap parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman , Lasser has worked steadily on TV and short films throughout her career.
The Part: A long-suffering wife in Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Se x, and a social activist in Bananas , Lasser got her fair share of roles in Allen’s movies.
In With A Chance? Uh, yeah she was his second wife. They divorced three years after they exchanged vows.
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Stacey Nelkin
The Lady: You’d have known her better if her part as another replicant in Blade Runner hadn’t been cut thanks to budget restraints. Instead, Nelkin’s most recognisable as Ellie in Myers-less Halloween III: Season Of The Witch .
The Part: Just one Allen credit to her name, Nelkin crops up in Bullets Over Broadway as Rita.
In With A Chance? She’s never worked with him again – take that as you will.
Janet Margolin
The Lady: Tragically taken from this world aged just 50 after suffering from ovarian cancer, Margolin made her greatest mark with her final movie, Ghostbusters II, as attorney ‘Kitten’.
The Part: Margolin appeared in two early Allen films – opposite the man himself as his girlfriend in Take The Money And Run , and as a social-climbing wife in Annie Hall.
In With A Chance? When she knew Allen, he was too busy wooing Diane Keaton. His loss.
Elaine May
The Lady: May has leant her talents to numerous movie scripts, though often goes uncredited ( Tootsie , Labyrinth and Dangerous Minds all passed over her desk). She has just seven acting credits to her name.
The Part: Small Time Crooks was May’s sole Allen credit, though it was a role that won her much acclaim. She gave a small but spellbinding turn as May, exerting her comedic talents to magical effect.
In With A Chance? She’s clearly an intelligent broad. Maybe that scared Woods off, as with Hall?
Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.
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