Early in her career, Natasha Lyonne auditioned for a major movie role that went to Neve Campbell. It may be surprising to learn that the film was John McNaughton’s 1998 erotic thriller Wild Things, known for its twists and turns and sexual content (and seems worlds away from the roles we’ve seen Lyonne in).
At a screening and Q&A for her new film, His Three Daughters, Lyonne recalled the Wild Things audition process (via Variety). Lyonne, who describes the roles she would typically read for as “a tough chick with black eyeliner,” was told to “dress like a Robert Palmer girl” for her Tracy audition. Lyonne slicked her hair back and wore heavy makeup. As it turns out, that’s not exactly what they were looking for.
“I was nailing it. But I was definitely not getting that part. It was not what they were looking for.”
According to Lyonne, the film went to the right actress as she calls Campbell “a wonderful actress, and the film holds up.” However, she maintains that the audition team should have been more clear on what they were looking for, which she describes as “a girl on the fringes, one who would try to hail a taxi in Los Angeles and not understand how it works.”
Natasha Lyonne Shines in His Three Daughters
Lyonne has come a long way since her Wild Things audition. She currently stars in His Three Daughters and is earning some of the highest praise in her decades-long career. The Azazel Jacob film, which is already garnering Oscars buzz, revolves around three estranged sisters who reunite in New York City to care for their ailing father. The talented cast also includes Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Jovan Adepo, with Jacob writing the film with the stars in mind. Lyonne portrays Rachel, the most unconventional and free-spirited of the sisters (and a “stoner,” according to Lyonne), who often finds herself at odds with her more traditional siblings, Katie (Coon) and Christina (Olsen).
During a previous screening and Q&A for the film (via IndieWire), Lyonne spoke about working alongside the esteemed cast in His Three Daughters:
“I just was very surprised, honestly, to be thought of at this level of a team. This was, for me, a high level that I don’t often get to play, really across the board. There’s also that scariness of jumping off the cliff. There’s just no place to hide, and nothing to hide behind.”
Similar to Rachel, Lyonne has made a career of playing unconventional and complex characters: from Orange is the New Black‘s Nicky to Russian Doll‘s Nadia and Poker Face‘s Charlie. While audiences love her for it, Lyonne questioned whether she really wanted to portray “another stoner” for His Three Daughters.
“It’s like, ‘OK, well, do I really need to play another stoner?’ I don’t really like stoners. I like other types of things. Their stories are kind of slow, they get lost a lot. It was like typecasting essentially, right? Because it was this group, though … and how you [Azazel Jacobs] knew it was us. That sort of specificity is very seductive.”
MovieWeb’s His Three Daughters‘ review notes Lyonne’s performance as “the most memorable,” among a stellar cast. We can’t wait to see if her standout work translates into awards season success.
His Three Daughters
is now streaming on Netflix.