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How come Kristy Swanson didn't become a bigger star?

posted 3 years ago by TMC-4 (20179)
7 replies | jump to latest

It seems like, she's better known these days for her right-wing politics/support of Donald Trump/being an anti-vaxxer than she is her acting career:

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/HollywoodHypeMachine/ExamplesThatDidntHoldUp

Kristy Swanson got a minor push in the late '80s and early '90s, first with One-Scene Wonder roles in Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Lead roles came in the form of Flowers in the Attic and Buffy the Vampire Slayer - but the sequel to the former was cancelled and the latter got retooled into the more famous TV series with Sarah Michelle Gellar as the lead. The failure of The Phantom caused high profile roles to dry up for her, and she drifted towards guest spots on TV and TV movies.

This retrospective on her career doesn't really have a concrete answer for why she didn't become a genuine A-lister. It did note however, that she has despite it all, been able to enjoy a long career in film and television:
https://lebeauleblog.com/2019/08/02/what-the-hell-happened-to-kristy-swanson/

It does take note that it appears that her parents were never as protective of her as they should've been when she was a young and up and coming actress. It didn't help that much of her personal life was played out very publicly, which likely colored and soured a lot of people's general perception of her.

[–] Crocodile (3129) 3 years ago

In the 90s she was big,now i think its mostly a choice to dont work in Hollywood very much.

[–] TMC-4 (20179) 3 years ago

Well, again I must reiterate that while Buffy the Vampire Slayer is arguably, Kristy Swanson's most famous role, the general public typically thinks of Sarah Michelle Gellar's iteration first and foremost than they do Kristy's. The Phantom seemed to be Kristy's last real shot at legitimate stardom, and when that underperformed, her hype slowly started to die down. As her Wikipedia article states, many of her films in the '90s failed at the box office.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristy_Swanson#Career

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BoxOfficeBomb

And a majority of her post 2003 film work, doesn't have its own Wikipedia article.

In fairness, Kristy was later in Big Daddy, which was huge hit, but you would be hard pressed to ask anybody if they immediately remember her from that. She was also in Dude, Where's My Car, which has gone on to become a cult classic, but again, that was if I'm not mistaken a relatively minor role that didn't necessarily elevate her career to the next level.

[–] ThrillerTalk (1118) 3 years ago

For me she'll always be remembered for Buffy, but other than that her film choices really weren't that memorable. She had a great look, and pulled off the fighting decent enough, or atleast the parts she did while maybe a stunt double did the rest. I really don't know, but anyway my point still stands.

Buffy was what put her on the map, but then just about every other film she picked after that fell flat to most. Most of the top films she's in has nothing to do with her performance because she's hardly on the screen in them like Dude Where's My Car or Big Daddy. Imo she should have played a role on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Show.

As much as I liked Katharine Towne as the character, I think it could have been that much better if Kristy Swanson had played the role with a few minor changes made to the character to make it work for her age at the time, and then fully go all out with the original plot that the character was supposed to be a Slayer that was turned into a Vampire.

Heck Kristy could have been great as Super Girl also. Things like that, mixed in with some better selections from various other genres..but hey. Just my opinion.

[–] TMC-4 (20179) 3 years ago

I always thought that had Amy Heckerling made Clueless several years prior than she actually did, then I could immediately see Kristy Swanson as Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone's role). I kind of see her interpretation of Buffy as kind of what it would be like if you stuck Cher from Clueless in a vampire movie.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2411) a year ago

She also did Higher Learning. Some of the stuff in that movie (like the professors having no computer of any kind in their office? No disability support services/orgs after the ADA was passed??) is weird in 1995 (when that movie came out.

It was apparently before she became a far right conspiracy theory pusher. She played the aspiring bisexual feminist who helps organize a multicultural peace festival.

No idea what made her snap after that. But if she's pushing conspiracy theories, it could explain why she does not get roles. Same thing happened to Kirk Cameron.

[–] Porsche911 (3618) 6 months ago

She was considered for many of those Dimensions horror films in the 90s, but did not want the casting couch that came with those parts. She was vocal about that and lost her shot.
A form of blacklisting.

[–] PaladinNJ (21528) 6 months ago

She is a big star.