Elizabeth Gorcey on the magic of 'Footloose', and working with "real" Michael J Fox on 'Teen Wolf'
Elizabeth Gorcey isn't going into retirement just yet, even though she has devoted all her current time to raising her 11-year-daughter Olivia. The 56-year-old, who is best known for her iconic roles in the 1984 movie 'Footloose' and 1985 movie 'Teen Wolf,' has now started doing what she loves -- being a hands-on mother to her darling child.
During the unveiling of her recent book titled “Read, Read, and Read,” the mother-daughter duo had a conversation with Fox News and spoke about how they hope their book will inspire parents and children to put technology on hold and spend more time together.
The actress also took time to speak a bit more about her past roles in movies, particularly reminiscing about her 'Footloose' and 'Teen Wolf' days. Speaking about how she landed the role of 'Wendy Jo' on Footloose, she said, "I went back I think five times to audition. I was originally up for the role of Ariel, the lead role. And the last time I went, we got screen-tested with myself and Lori Singer. She got the role of Ariel and they offered me the role of Wendy Jo. I said 'No, I don’t want to do it.' I had gone five times and I guess I had a little bit of an attitude. Like I should have gotten the role of Ariel. I’m not doing this small role! Forget it."
But that was not going to be the end of it, and the rest was cinematic history. Continuing to divulge about how she ended up taking the role, Gorcey revealed, "My agent was like 'This is Herbert Ross. Are you kidding me?' So I ended up doing it. And the moment I got to set, they cut my hair! I had long, long hair and they trimmed it for the role. Herbert was an absolute no-nonsense guy and to the point."
She also shared that the crew of the movie was not welcomed in Utah because of their "Hollywood" habits. "We were not welcomed in Utah by any means because we were a group of Hollywood people who smoked and drank coffee. And they didn’t do that. It was not a welcoming place. Normally when I did a film, the locals were very excited that you were even there and invite you for tea or something. This was not the case," Gorcey revealed.
She continued, "They would actually close the doors instead of opening anything for us. But we got to enjoy a nice big party when we started filming and another when we ended. And I think we were just all on the same page of intention to create a really good film."
The actress also revealed that Footloose was her second movie, and went on to share small tidbits and fun facts from her time on the set of the popular cult classic. Gorcey revealed that originally Tracy Nelson was chosen to play Sarah Jessica Parker's part in the movie, but she was let go within a week because of a lot of things going on with her at a personal level.
Speaking about her co-star Michael J. Fox from her 'Teen Wolf' shooting days, Gorcey only had good things to say about the actor. She said during the conversation, "Michael was very high-energy and a lot of fun as well… He’s also just one of those real guys and not Hollywood. You could actually sit down with him and have a chat. I just remember him being high-energy all the time. And I love the attention he’s bringing to Parkinson’s disease. I think it’s wonderful."
The actress, who is currently in the editing phase of a documentary titled "How Old is Old?", also revealed the process of how she and her daughter came about the idea of their book. "Basically, when she (Oliver) was maybe not even 3 years old, we were driving in heavy traffic. It was just her and I in the car. And I was making all these noises, like ugh. And from the backseat, I hear 'This is silly!' And I’m going, what is she talking about? She looks out the window and she goes, 'Look at those beautiful roses. I’d like to smell those.' Then she turns back to me and goes, 'You need to enjoy.'"
Gorcey continued, "I was just like, 'Oh my gosh, where did you come from?' I couldn’t even respond to that. And then she kept coming up with little sayings that I called Livisms. That’s how it started… Reading is one of my daughter’s favorite things and as she would say, 'Books can transport you and teach you things.'"