40 Years Ago, Flashdance Put Its Best Foot Forward

The makers of Flashdance hoped for a hit, but no one had a feeling it would become a generation-defining sensation. The Paramount film marked the first collaboration of producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, later known for blockbusters like Beverly Hills Cop and Top Gun. With a script co-written by Joe Eszterhas (Basic Instinct), Flashdance centered on Alex, a teenage welder in Pittsburgh who spends her nights performing at a cabaret bar but dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Bruckheimer remembers the film’s team struggling to choose the lead, but that director Adrian Lyne was sold on newcomer Jennifer Beals. “The bosses at Paramount couldn’t make up their minds, so they brought all the secretaries in to view the screen tests, and they all picked Jennifer,” Bruckheimer tells THR. Just out of high school, Beals briefly started at Yale before deferring once she landed the part. She was asked early on to do a nude scene but demurred. “Adrian called me and was trying to convince me that he would make it tasteful. I just said, ‘No disrespect to you, but I don’t know you,’ ” she recalls with a laugh. Flashdance debuted April 15, 1983, collected $92.9 million ($280 million today) at the box office and earned four Oscar noms, including a best song win for Irene Cara’s “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” while Beals’ looks launched fashion trends. Her co-star Michael Nouri remains proud of the film: “It wasn’t favored by the critics, and that really didn’t make any difference in terms of the movie becoming iconic.”