Natasha Lyonne has once again reflected on her profound love and admiration for But I’m a Cheerleader.
The satirical teen rom-com, released in 2000, stars Lyonne as Megan Bloomfield, a cheerleader sent to a conversion therapy camp to “cure” her lesbianism.
The cast also features Clea DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Cathy Moriarty, RuPaul, Mink Stole, Bud Cort, Eddie Cibrian, Wesley Mann, Joel Michaely, Richard Moll, Kip Pardue, Dante Basco and Douglas Spain.
Although But I’m a Cheerleader flopped at the box office and initially received harsh reviews, it has since been lauded as an LGBTQIA+ classic for its satirical take on gender roles and heteronormativity, as well as the cast’s timeless performances.
In a recent interview with Letterboxd, Lyonne was asked which film in her iconic filmography most often appears in users’ “four faves.”
“But I’m a Cheerleader is the one that lives on. Seeing it on the big screen, it does have a nice John Waters quality to it,” she responded. “It means something to people, and it means something to me.”
When told that the answer was indeed But I’m a Cheerleader, Lyonne gushed about her decades-long friendship with DuVall, Lynskey and the film’s writer-director Jamie Babbit, saying: “So, it occurs to me that something very real happened there.
“You know, it’s based on a real story and it’s just as insane as ever that [LGBTQIA+ rights are] even a topic of conversation, really.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps star then recalled the moment she first realised the film’s impact on LGBTQIA+ audiences, particularly queer women: “I remember in Utah at Sundance, some young girls came.
@letterboxd For the 25th anniversary of But I’m a Cheerleader, Natasha Lyonne reflects on the impact the film has had over the years 📣 #ButImACheerleader #Letterboxd #fyp #foryou #letterboxd #movie #film #filmtok @Natasha Lyonne ♬ original sound – Letterboxd
“They snuck up to me and Clea – and we were teenagers – and they said, ‘Hey, thanks.’ They were whispering and it was very moving, you know? So, I think I understood in that moment why it mattered so much. I’m just, I’m so proud of that.”
In a 2023 interview with Gay Times, Lynskey revealed that she came to realise her status as an LGBTQIA+ icon after the release of But I’m a Cheerleader.
The Yellowjackets star, who previously played a queer character in Beautiful Creatures (1994), said: “I felt like it meant a lot to people that I had played two queer people early in my career. I had not really thought about it before then.”
She admitted she never expected the film to achieve cult classic status “because when it came out it was not very celebrated”: “The reviews were bad. People didn’t see it. I was really disappointed because I thought it was such a good movie. I was so proud to be in it.
“Then, over time, it’s nice that it’s gained such a following. And I met my best friend [Clea] on that movie.”
On 7 July, But I’m a Cheerleader celebrated its 25th anniversary. Relive the film’s brilliance with one of its most iconic scenes below:
@gaytimes Happy 25th birthday to But I’m a Cheerleader! What’s your favourite moment from the classic film? 🩷 #oitnb #fantasticfour #orangeisthenewblack #natashalyonne #russiandoll #americanpie #butimacheerleader ♬ original sound – GAY TIMES
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