Does anybody know whether the identity of the, "One New York actress who auditioned for the Apollonia role in Purple Rain" — referred to in this Rolling Stone article — has ever been revealed?

Prince Reigns

Satyr or shy boy? Shaman or skilled manipulator? The contradictions within rock's most controversial superstar dominate his dazzling new movie — and, it seems, the artist himself

By Kurt Loder — Rolling Stone — August 30, 1984

…

"…Not everyone, however, is convinced that Prince is cognizant of his own contradictions. One New York actress who auditioned for the Apollonia role in Purple Rain (and who asked that her name not be used — a common request in the Prince orbit) expressed shock at the things she was asked to do. “I turned it down,” she says. “It was way too pornographic for me. I mean, they had stuff in the script that I wouldn't even let my boyfriend do to me in my own bedroom”…"

"…Prince looked the actress up during a subsequent visit to Manhattan, and she found him alternately brilliant and pathetic. “He's got a lot of hang-ups,” she says. “He means well, and he's genuinely talented, but he's got a lot of problems. He's really hung up on God, for one thing. I think he thinks he's related to God in some way”…"

"…One day, the woman says, she coerced Prince into accompanying her to the American Museum of Natural History to see a celebrated exhibition called Ancestors. “The show of the century,” she says. “All these Neanderthal skulls, and how we evolved from apes and stuff, right? And he just wouldn't believe any of it. I said, 'Come on, you don't believe in that Adam and Eve crap, do you?' He just blankly stared back at me”…"

"…“There is a real dichotomy between his sexual hang-ups and God and the Bible,” the woman concludes. “I mean, he's not leading a godly life. At least I don't pretend to lead one. But that is the most important thing in his life, God”…"

…

Could this be Jennifer Beals?

Hmmm...To me this simply reenforces the supposition that P truly believed there was a direct link between sexuality and deity.

He's said it himself in interveiws and I think he truly felt that sex brought him closer to his version of G*d. I'm not surprised that he didn't believe in evolution. Not at all.

LBrent said:

The way back machine...

[Snip - luv4u]

endiadj said:

"…Could this be Jennifer Beals?…"

Thanks, endiadj, for posting the only reply so far that paid any attention to the main question. Which — judging by the arbitrary and capricious censorship — is illegal to ask more than once. Apparently ¦: د |

phatphuk said:

Gina Gershon reportedly auditioned for the role.

Those comments in the article seem more likely to have come from Jennifer Beal.

So is she pissed she didn't get the role, whoever she is?

I think it's been established that it was kind of hard to work with Prince if you didn't believe in God at all, the rest of whether you did xyz was irrelevant in the early years.

endiadj said:

Could this be Jennifer Beals?

that's what I was thinking

Wow. I just read somewhere recently, can't remember where, that Prince told his bodyguard Chick he WAS God. Charlene Friend said he told her to call him Messiah. He says he's the Messiah in I would Die 4 U, this person in this interview said he acted like he was related to God. Where's this stuff coming from? I don't know where to go with these stories I come across.

phatphuk said:

morningsong said:

"…So is she pissed she didn't get the role, whoever she is?…"

Prince Reigns

…

"…Not everyone, however, is convinced that Prince is cognizant of his own contradictions. One New York actress who auditioned for the Apollonia role in Purple Rain (and who asked that her name not be used — a common request in the Prince orbit) expressed shock at the things she was asked to do. “I turned it down”, she says…"

…

phatphuk said:

People have to understand how fundamentalists and adherents of other sects believe. One of my cousins converted from Catholicism to a born-again group which believes Catholicism is not a religion but a cult. Yes, a cult. The Bible is THE truth to them. Even my own sister is a firm adherent of the Bible through a different, born-again group. When I told her the Bible meant nothing to me, because it was written by man and not by God, she was speechless. "They" really believe these things. Prince was not a main-streamer in terms of religion. He would probably think I was some infidel. But these groups do link sex with God all the time. It is just what they do.

[Edited 10/28/16 9:39am]

Gina Gershon did say in an interview that she turned down Purple Rain because of the sex scene. So maybe she was his museum buddy...

phatphuk said:

morningsong said:

"…So is she pissed she didn't get the role, whoever she is?…"

Prince Reigns

…

"…Not everyone, however, is convinced that Prince is cognizant of his own contradictions. One New York actress who auditioned for the Apollonia role in Purple Rain (and who asked that her name not be used — a common request in the Prince orbit) expressed shock at the things she was asked to do. “I turned it down”, she says…"

…

Good one disch! Thanks for chiming in with that.

I wonder, sonshine, if the script was rewritten to be less pornographic, after several better-known, more experienced, less desperate real actresses, kept turning it down.

If it was Jennifer Beals though, she's apparently a serial turner-downer…

Jennifer Beals

…

"…Beals was asked by Joel Schumacher to do St. Elmo's Fire but turned it down, preferring to stay at Yale…"

…

"…Beals was considered for the role of Catwoman in Tim Burton's 1992 film Batman Returns but she politely declined the role…"

…

"…Beals turned down an offer to appear on Dancing with the Stars, saying: “I am not a dancer. They asked me and I said 'no.' You could back up a truck to my door filled with cash and I wouldn't do it”…"

…

This does sound more along the lines of Gina than Jennifer. I can see Jennifer being a good fit for this role. She had the look of Apples/Vanity, etc.

phatphuk said:

morningsong said:

"…So is she pissed she didn't get the role, whoever she is?…"

Prince Reigns

…

"…Not everyone, however, is convinced that Prince is cognizant of his own contradictions. One New York actress who auditioned for the Apollonia role in Purple Rain (and who asked that her name not be used — a common request in the Prince orbit) expressed shock at the things she was asked to do. “I turned it down”, she says…"

…

One must save face.

endiadj said:

"…This does sound more along the lines of Gina than Jennifer…"

Prince's political and religious views are so idiosyncratic (Dez Dickerson's description) that I don't know what to think.

As late as 1996 in that Chris rock interview, he stated that he didn't follow any particular doctrine. Hardcore creationism is definitely attributed to some denominations and not others.

Ponder this, he believed (later in life) in an Afro-centric vision of history and loved to study ancient African societies. Well, those cilizations pre-date Christainity and even Judaism (and of course these ancient people weren't monotheistic believers in his God) and the belief that these societies existed certainly can't co-exist with the creationists' timeline of when life on earth began (it doesn't date back that far).

Prince also stated that he was a fan of the movie 'Lucy"...you know the movie in which she is able to travel to the beginning of man by using all of her brain power...and touches fingers with a primate (meant to symbolize her oldest ancestor). Figure that out.

In the one of the interviews, in which he referenced Lucy, he stated that one of the reasons that he didn't like being recorded in interviews was because he changed his mind about stuff. I think people sometimes forget that prince might have had more questions than he had answers. After all, most JW's don't speak with their friends about sex in showers, touching themselves when seeing women, sex as a religious experience etc; Prince did it publically in songs (all as recently as 2015.)

He also apparently believed in chakra's (isn't that Hindu spirituality?) .

I just say that was in 1984 and there's a lot years in between then and now.

morningsong said:

I just say that was in 1984 and there's a lot years in between then and now.

No kidding. I can't remember what I did in 1984 any more...

i thought it was carole davis whowas living in nyc around that time. she made some silly movies in the 80s. weekend at bernie's, manequin and that apolcolyptic one with mimi rogers and david duchovny. prince bought the song 'slow love' from her. jmo

phatphuk said:

Who thinks that Jennifer Beals would have been perfect for Purple Rain? She was red-hot in 1983,thanks to Flashadance.Can you imagine her on the motorcycle with Prince?

sonshine said:

phatphuk said:

Good one disch! Thanks for chiming in with that.

I wonder, sonshine, if the script was rewritten to be less pornographic, after several better-known, more experienced, less desperate real actresses, kept turning it down.

If it was Jennifer Beals though, she's apparently a serial turner-downer…

Good point phat! Very likely it was rewritten to be a bit tamer in the sexuality dept. As far as the other subject in this thread, I just figured Prince was a hypocrite lol But yeah that is much too simple of an explanation for a walking, talking contradiction like Prince! I still think its a stretch tho to attempt to justify his promiscuity by giving it religious qualities.

The original script contained a couple of anal sex scenes.

It´s been posted on the org a couple of times and I am 100% sure that anal sex was in it.

morningsong said: