Francis Ford Coppola’s Peggy Sue Got Married turns forty this week, and the 1986 time-travel rom-com has aged into something stranger and sharper than a simple high-school reunion fantasy. Kathleen Turner grounds it, Nicolas Cage makes it impossible to look away, and the making of the film was even messier than Peggy Sue’s second pass at 1960. Here are eight stories behind it.
A stolen chihuahua claim landed in court
In her 2008 memoir, Kathleen Turner wrote that Nicolas Cage caused so many problems: he was arrested twice for drunk-driving and, she thought, once for stealing a dog. She described him putting a chihuahua in his jacket. Cage sued her for defamation and won a public apology, a publisher’s admission that the claims were false and defamatory, and a pledge of a substantial charity donation.
Debra Winger and Penny Marshall nearly made it
The film was originally going to star Debra Winger and be directed by Jonathan Demme. Demme left over creative differences, then Penny Marshall came aboard for what would have been her feature directing debut, but she also left after creative differences with the writers. Winger then quit out of loyalty to Marshall.
Coppola filled the cast with his own family
Rastar offered the film to Francis Ford Coppola hoping to entice Winger back; in the end, Kathleen Turner became the star. Coppola cast two relatives: his daughter Sofia Coppola as Peggy Sue’s sister Nancy, and his nephew Nicolas Cage as Charlie. Cage later said he never wanted the role, but agreed after being asked multiple times, on the condition that he could play it over-the-top.
The crew raced to keep final cut
Kathleen Turner said Coppola was contractually obligated to finish the film on time or lose final cut privilege. The cast and crew worked twenty hours a day, six days a week, to deliver the film to the studio on time. That schedule was the price of keeping Coppola’s edit.
Turner challenged Coppola on Cage’s voice
Turner also criticized Cage for wearing false teeth and adopting a nasal fry. In a 2018 interview, she said it was very touchy: she asked Coppola, “You approved this choice?” and felt the performance only illustrated her character’s disillusionment with the past—“yeah, he was that asshole.”
Critics were kind, except about Charlie
Peggy Sue Got Married received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes records an 88% approval rating from 32 reviews, while Metacritic gives it 75 out of 100. Rita Kempley of The Washington Post called Cage’s performance “icky” and said he reminded her of Jughead. Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and called Turner’s performance “must be seen to be believed.”
It became a comeback hit, then a musical
The film grossed $41.4 million in the United States, making it Coppola’s first box-office success since The Outsiders in 1983. It was later adapted into a musical that opened in London’s West End in 2001, earning solid reviews and a several million pound advance before the September 11 attacks forced it to close early.
The nasal fry came from an unusual cartoon
Cage said he based the nasal fry on Pokey from The Gumby Show. Turner later said it was tough not to say “Cut it out,” but it wasn’t her job to tell another actor what he should or shouldn’t do. Which of these stories makes you want to rewatch the film?
Facts from Wikipedia: Peggy Sue Got Married, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
