Summary
- Cher's influence and veto power over film producers altered the course of the 1990 film "Mermaids," leading to the replacement of actress Emily Lloyd.
- Cher's career was at its peak in the late '80s, with successful hits and memorable fashion moments, giving her industry clout during the casting of "Mermaids."
- Winona Ryder ultimately replaced Emily Lloyd in the role of Charlotte in "Mermaids" and received acclaim for her portrayal, while Lloyd's career took a downturn after being dropped from the film.
Since she first burst on the scene almost sixty years ago, Cher has been one of America's most irrepressible pop icons. From her era-defining '60s hits as part of the folk-pop duo Sonny & Cher to her reigns as a '70s variety-show queen and '80s movie star, Cher dominates every project that bears her name. She's earned more than $360 million in her decades as a superstar.
By 1990, Cher exerted veto powers over film producers who wished to pair her in a mom-daughter duo with a young British actress. The icon objected, changing the course of the film—and the nixed actress' career.
Cher Had A Lot Of Influence Over The 1990 Film Mermaids
In the late '80s, Cher hit new levels of popularity that outshone her time with Sonny. She scored a pop comeback with her 1987 hit "I Found Someone" and renewed her status as a fashion icon with her teased hair and daring outfits (including one later worn by Beyoncé).
Cher also branched into acting with roles in Silkwood, Mask, and the 1987 fantasy-comedy The Witches of Eastwick co-starring Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jack Nicholson.
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Cher and Meryl Streep turned out to be just as awesome in real life when they saved a woman on the street.
Her Diane Warren-penned 1989 hit "If I Could Turn Back Time" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cher's highest placement since 1974's "Dark Lady."
The accompanying video, filmed aboard the battleship USS Missouri, placed the then-43-year-old singer's physical assets on full display in her skimpy leather and mesh.
With her industry clout at an all-time peak, Cher took an autocratic stance in the casting of her 1990 comedy Mermaids.
Emily Lloyd Was In The Running For The Part, But Cher Shut It Down
In Mermaids, Cher stars as Rachel, a carefree single mother who relocates to Eastport, Massachusetts, with her two daughters: little Kate (Christina Ricci in her film debut) and Charlotte, a prudish-yet-restless teenager.
This was Cher's first role after her Oscar-winning performance as Loretta Castorini in 1987's Moonstruck, in which she gives into the advances of Ronny Cammareri (Nicholas Cage), the younger brother of her new fiancé Johnny (Danny Aiello).
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For the role of Charlotte, Mermaids producers cast Emily Lloyd, a young English actress who drew transatlantic raves for her role in 1987's Wish You Were Here, a British coming-of-age dramedy set in the 1950s. Lloyd's Hollywood stature rose with the 1989 American films Cookie (with Peter Falk) and In Country (with Bruce Willis).
With her vintage Marilyn-esque looks and background in period-based films, Lloyd was perfectly suited to Mermaids, a film set in 1963. For her co-starring role in Mermaids, she passed on the starring role in Pretty Woman (the star-making vehicle for Julia Roberts, who became the '90s highest-paid actress).
However, just as filming got underway, Lloyd was dropped from the film at the insistence of Cher, who felt the English blond didn't look convincing as her daughter.
Producers recast the Charlotte role with Winona Ryder, the young brunette co-star of the 1988–89 box office hits Beetlejuice and Heathers.
Cher's belief that only a dark-haired actress could pass as her daughter was odd considering that her second marriage to rocker Greg Allman produced two blond-haired children, Elijah Blue and Chastity (now Chaz).
Winona Ryder Replaced Emily Lloyd, Nearly Ending Her Career
Ryder drew acclaim for her portrayal of Charlotte, a god-fearing fifteen-year-old who feels uneasy about her mom's carefree ways.
However, curiosity gets the best of Charlotte, who drinks while her mom is away and pursues Joe, a twenty-something bus driver. Their near-fling leaves little Kate unattended by a river.
After the child's near-fatal fall, Rachel confronts Charlotte and the two overcome their differences. Charlotte gains newfound popularity as a secular, uninhibited teen.
Ironically, Cher was around the same age as Charlotte's character in 1963, the year Sonny introduced her to Phil Spector, who gave her a first taste of showbiz as a backing vocalist for The Ronettes on their signature hit "Be My Baby," an evergreen of oldies radio.
For the Mermaids soundtrack, Cher revisited the era's music with a cover of another girl-group classic, "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)," a 1964 Cashbox No. 1 hit by singer Betty Everett. In the 1990 music video, Cher dons the Rachel character's period garb alongside her on-screen daughters.
Mermaids grossed $35.4 million at the box office on a budget of $20 million. However, dark times awaited the key players.
Cher's star plummeted after her 1991 appearance in an infomercial, filmed around the time she lost the role of Morticia Addams (to Anjelica Huston) in the big-screen adaptation of The Addams Family. She didn't recover until 1999 when "Believe" became her first No. 1 hit in twenty-five years.
Ryder became an early '90s tabloid fixture with her high-profile romance with Johnny Depp. The couple co-starred in the 1991 gothic romance Edward Scissorhands.
Her profile faded after 1994's Reality Bites, a Gen X drama about a love triangle involving Ethan Hawke and Ben Stiller. She shied from the spotlight after her 2001 arrest for shoplifting from the Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue.
Lloyd won $500,000 in a 1991 breach-of-contract suit against Mermaids' production company, Orion Pictures. However, despite roles in the 1991–92 ensemble films Scorchers and A River Runs Through It, the offers dried up for Lloyd, who later struggled with depression and ADD.
Despite its hex on the cast and producers, Mermaids lives on as a cult camp classic. The film holds a 72% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
