The Big Picture
- Jennifer Tilly's performance in Bound paved the way for lesbian representation in mainstream cinema, breaking new ground in the industry.
- The cult classic film Bound is being inducted into the Criterion Collection this summer, receiving the 4K treatment it deserves.
- Tilly's co-stars from Bound made a cameo in Chucky's Season 2 as an homage, bringing fans of both franchises together.
Academy Award nominee, professional poker player, fashionista … the list of descriptors for Jennifer Tilly simply goes on and on. The actress has ventured down a lot of pathways during her lifetime, always eager to try something new and simply killing it time and time again. By the time her appearance in Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s directorial debut, Bound, rolled around in 1996, Tilly had already been in more than 20 films, including her Oscar-nominated supporting role in Woody Allen’s feature Bullets Over Broadway.
Whether you recognize her from the tables of poker, her voice work in shows like Family Guy, her friend-of appearance on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, or her ongoing role as Tiffany Valentine in the Child’s Play franchise - Tilly’s performance in Bound may be the most important of her career. Or, at least it is to the queer community. During a recent interview with Collider’s Britta DeVore for the back half of Season 3, Tilly shared what it was like now that it’s almost been a full three decades since Bound seduced audiences and slowly grew to become a cult-classic icon.
Jennifer Tilly Is Beyond Grateful For Her Part In Queer Cinematic History
Before Brokeback Mountain won big during the award circuit, Bound came and went like a hush in the night. While the industry has long celebrated queer films centered around gay love, lesbian love stories have mostly fallen by the wayside - something that Tilly is proud of shifting through her work alongside Gina Gershon in the Wachowski’s romantic crime-heist film.
“You know what? I love it so much. Bound was very groundbreaking at the time because I feel like we set the path, because at that time, there were hardly any lesbian representations in mainstream cinema. I mean, they had the Red Shoe Diaries, they’re sort of like popcorn kind of situations, but just to have two people that happened to be in love and they both happened to be female was pretty groundbreaking. [Lilly and Lana] Wachowski said to me, “You would not believe how many actresses refused to come in and read because they thought it would be very bad for their career.” They were telling me some of the actresses, and I was like, “I cannot believe that these actresses don’t want to come in and read for the two best female parts that I’ve read in a very, very long time.” Of course, we were a little worried, Gina [Gershon] and I, that it might be pornographic — I mean, more pornographic than what we want, but the Wachowskis were so respectful.At the time it came out, it was sort of mismarketed and nobody really saw it. It was in the theaters for, I think, a week… But I think it’s an amazing movie. It’s one of my favorite films I’ve ever done. It’s like your basic film noir. It’s a classic film noir with a twist, if I might say, and we’re really happy to find it’s found its audience.”
A ‘Bound’ 4K Arrival Is On The Way
Although it’s been a piece of must-watch cinema for many of us for years and years, Bound is finally being inducted into the Criterion Collection this summer, something we brought up with Tilly during our chat. Simply in disbelief that such a big part of her career came out nearly 30 years ago and is receiving the 4K treatment it deserves, Tilly said,
“It’s so fantastic… We were very gratified to find out it became a cult film, and it’s coming out in the Criterion Collection, and I think it was on a lot of the streaming services, because it sort of went away for a while.” Further enticing fans about what’s to come from the film’s upgraded release Tilly added, “The Criterion Collection, though, I think it’s gonna be super high definition and a lot of extras, and me and Joey [Pantoliano] and Gina [Gershon], like, talking smack about each other in the commentary. It’s gonna be a great thing to see.”
‘Chucky’ Pays Homage To ‘Bound’
In case you somehow missed it (in which case we urge you to go to Peacock and stream it now), during Season 2 of Chucky, Tilly talked her Bound co-stars into appearing in a cameo capacity during the episode titled “Death On Denial.” A nod to all things Agatha Christie, the episode featured Pantoliano and Gershon, as well as Tilly’s Housewives bestie Sutton Stracke and real-life sister Meg Tilly, in an excellently executed whodunnit. Of her reunion with her co-stars from the Wachowski’s first film, Tilly said,
“Last year on Chucky, also, Don [Mancini] did an homage to Bound where he had Joey Pantoliano and Gina Gershon come in, and we sort of did a storyline about that, which is really kind of an inside thing because most of the Bound fans are also Chucky fans. They love Tiffany. So, my whole world, it kind of comes full circle…”
You can get caught up with the first three and a half seasons of Chucky now on Peacock with the back half of Season 3 to arrive on April 10. Bound is now streaming on Pluto TV. Stay tuned to Collider for the full interview with Tilly.
