Prince's Silver Screen Debut

 Episode 7 of The Violet Vault follows host Ava Cyr as she explores the creation and legacy of Purple Rain, Prince’s groundbreaking silver screen debut. Ava dives into how Prince envisioned a Hollywood breakthrough following the success of 1999 and pushed for a studio film despite repeated rejection from major studios. The episode covers the evolution of the project from its original concept, Dreams, into the iconic film audiences know today, highlighting the work of Robert Cavallo, William Blinn, and Albert Magnoli. Listeners will hear behind-the-scenes stories about the casting of Apollonia Kotero after Vanity departed the project, the real-life Minneapolis music scene that inspired the film, and the rivalry between The Revolution and The Time featured throughout the story. Ava also discusses how Prince wrote and produced music not only for himself but for Apollonia 6 and The Time while filming, including the overnight creation of When Doves Cry. The episode also touches on the film’s massive commercial success, Academy Award win, and lasting cultural impact, while featuring a special story from longtime Prince fan and Purple Rain extra Erin Anderson. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

The first time Ava Steer heard Prince was the day he passed. At 12 years old, she sat in her room listening to Purple Rain, and something in her changed. Now, years later, that moment lives on through the Violet Vault, a podcast exploring Prince's legacy, his music, and the world he created. Join Ava Steer as she opens the vault. One story, one era, one purple mystery at a time.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Hello and welcome back to the Violet Vault. I'm your host, Ava Steer, and this is episode seven of our Purple Journey. Now, I know we switched things up a little bit last week by featuring a follower's personal Prince story, but today we're diving back into Prince's history as we explore his legendary silver screen debut, Purple Rain. And we'll also be featuring another special story from a member of our Purple family later in the episode, so stay tuned for that. Dating all the way back to 1982, Prince was already envisioning a breakout into Hollywood. Following the massive success of 1999, Prince approached his then manager, Robert Cavallo, with an ultimatum. He said he would not renew his contract unless Cavallo helped him make a studio film starring himself a reality. At the time though, most studios completely rejected the idea of a musician-led film. They simply thought that audiences wouldn't buy into it. And after repeated rejections, Cavallo eventually decided to produce the film himself. Even notable names like David Geffen and Richard Pryor actually passed on the project. So Prince spent months outlining ideas and plot points for what would eventually become Purple Rain. The original script was actually titled Dreams, and according to those involved, it was much darker than the final film we know today. And director Albert Magnolia eventually came on board after impressing Cavallo with a pitch. And Magnolia actually had a background in editing. So this ended up being his directorial debut. And Magnolia felt the script lacked authenticity and he wanted to create something that felt more emotionally honest and grounded in Prince's real life. And believe it or not, during an early meeting with Warner Bros. executives asked if John Travolta could replace Prince as the lead role. Thankfully, that did not happen. And as development continued, Prince worked closely with screenwriter William Blyn and Magnoli to shape the story into what would become Purple Rain. And the film centered around Prince's character who was simply known as The Kid, who was an inspiring musician navigating love, family, trauma, and fame against the gritty yet glamorous backdrop of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The movie heavily featured Prince and the Revolution alongside some of his protege bands, The Time and Apollonia VI. And much of the film takes place inside First Avenue, the iconic Minneapolis nightclub that becomes almost a character in itself. In the film, the club acts as a launching pad for emerging artists, while The Revolution and The Time are portrayed as competing bands battling for both audience attention and romantic affection. Now, one of the most interesting behind-the-scenes stories involves the casting of Apollonia. So the role was originally intended for Prince's former protege and girlfriend Vanity. However, due to creative and personal differences, Vanity left Prince's camp before filming began. However, I have heard that there are screen tests with Vanity somewhere out there, not sure if they actually are real, but I would hope that they would maybe resurface if they are. But the production quickly realized they needed a female lead and fast. And Princess Team reportedly placed newspaper ads searching for actresses and performers. And one story from a former team member explained that Apollonia stood out because she didn't arrive trying to imitate Vanity with the lace, lingerie, and heavy makeup. Instead, she came dressed casually in sweats with little makeup and carried herself in a very natural, down-to-earth way. And for me, that authenticity really shines throughout the film. I think if Vanity were to play Apollonia's character instead of Apollonia, I think that the film would have been quite different from what it is. I think Apollonia brings a sense of warmth and lightness to the film versus Vanity, I think, would have played the role a bit more grittier and had a bit more edge. So I think Apollonia's perspective on the character really brought something different to the film, and that's what I believe makes it so great. And while the film itself was still being finalized, Prince was simultaneously creating the music that would accompany it. But what's fascinating is that Purple Rain wasn't designed as a traditional soundtrack. Because if you listen through this the album but you watch the movie, the songs are out of order in terms of how they are on the album. But Prince did not only write music for himself and The Revolution, he also produced entire albums for the Time at Apollonia 6. And he thought, you know, financially and creatively, it made more sense to release multiple separate albums rather than combining everything into one soundtrack. If you've ever watched Purple Rain or read the reviews online, you've probably seen criticism aimed at some of the acting performances. But something many people forget is that most of the cast had never acted professionally before this film. Prince, Morris Day, Members of the Revolution, and The Time, and several others actually had to take acting classes before filming started in order to prepare for their roles. And filming officially began on October 31st, 1983, in Minneapolis and lasted just 42 days, which is honestly incredible considering the cultural impact this movie would go on to have. And this is what I think is one of the most legendary stories from the production. So director Albert Magnoli asked Prince if he could write one more song that captured the emotional themes of the film because Prince kind of came up with all these different songs and they started slotting them in for where they wanted them in the scenes, and he had this bank of songs. But Magnoli felt that something was missing, and there was a song that was missing that could tie everything together. And the very next day, Prince returned with a fully completed and produced version of One Dove's Cry. And that's where One Dove's Cry came from. And even though Warner Brothers executives reportedly considered the film as outrageous at the time, there were some passionate advocates inside the company who fought for its release. Originally the film was screened in a very small market. They didn't think they were going to have a large theater release, so they screened it in a few different markets just to kind of gather the audience's reactions, and they were overwhelmingly positive, which allowed it for it to have a more larger national release. And thankfully it did, because it became a massive commercial success. Made on a budget of over just $7 million, Purple Rain earned more than $70 million worldwide and became one of the defining music films of the 1980s. The movie's impact extended beyond the box office too. In 1985, Purple Rain won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score, and it solidified Prince not only as a music icon, but as a true multimedia artist. And honestly, part of what makes Purple Rain so endearing is that it doesn't feel polished in the traditional Hollywood sense. It feels raw, emotional, stylish, messy, vulnerable, and very real. And I think the film captured Prince at a moment where ambition, artistry, and emotion were all colliding at once, and I think that authenticity is exactly why audiences still connect with it today. And for me personally, it's always been one of my favorite films that I can watch over and over and I could recite every single line. And some people make fun of me for it, but I honestly don't care anymore because I am proud to say that it is my favorite film. Before I wrap up today's episode, I wanted to share a small clip from Erin Anderson. She's a longtime Prince follower who actually was one of the extras in Purple Rain. And here's what she had to say.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

I think I was, I don't know, either a freshman or sophomore in college at the University of Minnesota. And I was working at the uh Big Ten bar. And you know, when you work at a bar, you're friends with all the other people who work at bars in the area. So, um, and I remember one of my friends from what um was Stubbin' Herbs and is no longer there, uh said, Hey, I think they're doing some auditions and stuff. They're shooting the Prince movie at First Avenue, you know, and and so we're just like, Oh, that sounds like a good time, we should go. So uh we found out a little bit more details and went down there and they had they had everybody, there was a huge room across the street, kind of kitty corner from First Avenue. I think it was in Butler Square at the time. And um, so you went in there and they just kind of looked you over. And if you look like you were able to uh, you know, shake, shake your booty and um looked relatively hip, uh, they moved you on to the next stage or next phase and filled out some application stuff and some information. And it was a huge deal because I think we got paid 75 bucks a day, which was big money back then. And um, and then they organized everybody kind of by groups uh in this big space across the street from First Avenue, and then they'd send you over. And um, so I remember we our group being called to go over to First Avenue, and so we went over there and um uh the time was there playing, uh, you know, Des Dickerson was hanging around there. I mean, everybody that was part of Prince's gang was there, and um and they started to teach some dance moves because they wanted to do some dance moves to um the a song by the time. And so uh we started doing dance moves and learning them, and it was it was just really a fun environment. And uh I was standing there just goofing off and doing some of the dance moves and talking to the people around me, whatever. And uh and then I heard this really quiet, soft voice behind me saying, The lower you go, the nastier it gets. And uh I'm like, what? And I turn around and there was Prince. And it's funny because I'm five nine and he is not, and uh so and then he just vanished away into the crowd, went and talked to some more people, and um, and then occasionally he'd get up on stage and kind of lead some of the choreography and say what he wanted. Um, and uh so we shot all day to get uh the scene with the time down, and then um came back the next day, and that's when uh he did Purple Rain. And so um it was really cool. It was really cool to be able to see him perform, number one, but it was really cool to see how involved he was in everything, how kind he was to everyone. The whole atmosphere was so much fun and so amazing, and um, it was just an incredible experience.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

Wow, that is that is amazing because I never got to see him live, and so I love hearing people's stories. Yeah, and there's so many people in Minnesota that have unique experiences like yourself that I think should share more of them because I think it's really cool. Um so thank you so much for sharing that.

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Well, yeah, I have a buddy, um his uh his band name is his stage name is Mick Sterling, and he performs a lot at the Chan Hassan, I think it's the fireside room they call it. And you know, Chan Hassan was out uh by Prince's house. And one evening uh uh Mick was performing with his band on stage, and Prince came and got on stage with him. Oh wow. Oh my gosh. Yeah, just out of the crowd. So I mean, and I think that just is a reflection of who he was. He just was, you know, he was it's funny because I was thinking about him yesterday. I was listening to uh I Would Die for You, and I was just like, you know, he was really introverted to meet him, but once he got on stage, he took on this whole different persona. So um, yeah, it was just a really, really cool experience.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

Wow. I also have to ask, I know um my mom said, or my mom told me that you had told her that you can see uh there's a shot of you during the Purple Rain song. I was just curious which exact shot is uh you in the footage?

SPEAKER_02 12:00

Because I've been trying to I I have huge hair, of course you didn't back then. Um I'm I'm wearing black leather pants, which you can't see in that scene. And I've got a sweater on that look like I killed a Muppet. So it's got like all this uh fuzz around the neck, and I mean it was just a really wild sweater. And um uh and there's a scene where he comes out and says the song is dedicated to my father, and and and the and the audience gets real quiet, and we're all just kind of dumbstruck and looking, you know, up towards the state. And so uh I'm in that one. And then there's a couple other that just are quick of uh us dancing that you know it's just like, oh, oh, oh. So uh believe me, it's I think I probably ended up more on the cutting room floor than I did in uh on the screen. But um, but there's a couple places where you can see me, but it's so brief, and I haven't watched the movie in such a long time, so I don't even know at what time I'm I'm, you know, what exact time in the movie I show up.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Thank you again for joining me today, and a huge thank you to Erin for sharing her print story. If you're interested in sharing your own prints experience, make sure to follow our Instagram and Facebook pages at the Violet Vault for future opportunities and updates. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day, night, or wherever you happen to be when you're listening to this. I'm your host, Ava Steer, and I'll see you next week. Peace and be wild.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

The Violet Vault is hosted by Ava Steer, celebrating the sound, style, and spirit of Prince. Subscribe wherever you find your podcasts. Follow the Pilot Vault on Instagram and Facebook for new episodes and bonus stories.