Clueless Director "Shocked, Angry" Over Brittany Murphy's Death
Credit: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage.com
Amy Heckerling - who directed the late Brittany Murphy in the 1995 comedy classic Clueless - tells UsMagazine.com she is "shocked and angry" after the actress' sudden death at the age of 32.
"She was a young girl, and I don't know why nobody was watching out with what was going on with her," Heckerling tells Us.
Heckerling says she noticed that the actress lately "seemed a little too energetic. I think everybody did."
See how Brittany Murphy's appearance changed over the years
Murphy's frail frame at the Dec. 3 opening of Tt Collection's Pop-Up shop in Los Angeles caused many to wonder whether she suffered from an eating disorder. Her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, denies she had any issues. (Notes from an investigator with the Los Angeles coroner's office revealed Murphy consumed "some noodles, leftover Thai food, Gatorade, water and tea with lemon" the night before her Dec. 20 death.)
Heckerling hadn't seen Murphy in a year or so -- and she didn't know anything about her last film, from which she was reportedly fired (Murphy's rep says the actress and the studio "mutually parted ways").
"I was not around the last movie," Heckerling tells Us. "I can't say that I noticed anything that led me to believe, 'Oh my god, this person is messed up.' But one hears rumblings. It's a small town, and you hear from other people on other crews, but that's all rumors and stuff."
Read what Brittany Murphy's Clueless costars said about her death
A shocking number of strong prescription meds were found on Murphy's bedroom nightstand after her death, according to the investigator notes.
"I just feel like I can’t say, 'Oh, she was on drugs,'" Heckerling says. "I didn't work with her the past couple of years, and I know she was enjoying people treating her like she was the beautiful girl. That's where I get angry at what Hollywood does to young girls.
Look back on Brittany Murphy's talented career
"This town has a very strong idea of what girls are supposed to look Like, and they all try to fit into a certain mold, and it's not healthy," she adds. "That's what is tragic about Brittany."
After Murphy filmed 2002's 8 Mile, "I was feeling -- maybe not just then at that particular time, but over time -- that she was maybe being pressured to be a certain body type and a certain kind of actress as far as playing the sexy, blonde, thin girl," Heckerling says. "And that she was buying into what she was supposed to be, rather than just being a wonderful, innocent young girl.
Read what other stars said about Brittany's passing
"She's all over the magazines like, 'Look, she had a makeover and now she looks hot!' But I didn't think so," Heckerling goes on. "I mean, yes, she does look beautiful all the time, but I didn't like that she was being forced into that."
No one ever intervened about Murphy's weight loss over the years.
"I mean, you tell people you think they're getting thin or whatever, but not, 'Hey, what’s going on?'" the director explains. "It just seemed like she was blowing up, being on every magazine and being treated as though she had suddenly become beautiful. And I think she was feeling very good about that. I'm just not happy with Hollywood."
Murphy was "a wonderful actress and a sweet lovely," Heckerline tells Us. "She was like a puppy. She was so sweet and lovable."
See Us' photo tribute to stars gone too soon
She hopes young girls can learn a lesson.
"I think girls have to have a stronger sense of who they are and not give in to all the pressures," she says. "It's a hard thing to do."
Tell Us What You Think
50she is wayyyy to thin and i have a eating disorder too and it sucks so i understand what it feels like dont do it i dont even know why i do it.
being as skinny as she was. 1 pill could have been too many. i lvoe you forever brittany. rest in peace beautiful. there will never be another smile as beautiful as yours.
too skinny!!!!
Ar- what proof do you have that there is no heaven or hell? I feel really sorry for you that you have no hope after you die. It also must suck to be that angry.
Monica, Nothing happens when you die. There is no god and no hell. Deal with it.
Murphy talked like a little girl and acted like a little girl in interview but at 32 she was a grown woman. Her husband is not responsible for whatever she did to herself. I'm very sorry for her death but if anyone is to blame, it's Brittany Murphy. Not her family, friends or husband. I doubt she died of "natural causes" at 32. Most likely, she gambled with her health and lost. Her poor family has to live with this.
Some people are naturally lean - not the case here. This 32 year old woman was nothing but skin and bones. A feather could have knocked her over. If she was taking a bunch of prescription drugs and mixing them, all this probably killed her. Why people are blaming her husband is beyond me. Murphy was 32 years old. Not a kid. Hollywood insiders all saw this coming. Very sad and such a waste.
Interesting how Perez Hilton knew Murphy was in deep trouble, drugs, anorexia. The investigators found a ton of prescription drugs. How many prescription anxiety and anti depressants does a Hollywood star need. They always end up overdosing. Since Murphy only weighed 85 pounds, it probably didn't take much for her to OD.
im really sad about her death,because i has a crush on her,and put that aside,she was a great actress!!,im aslo mad because of her fatass husband not taking good care of her,because i read from somehere that she was a drug addict and would not stop,
Gosh I really like her. I wonder where she is now? There's only 3 options I have read about 1- she went to heaven( I read you can only get there after death through Jesus Christ) 2- She went to hell ( I read you choose that option by refusing Jesus 3- She ceased to exist. How can you cease to exist when what you don on earth has an impact. Brittany accomplished a good amount here on earth, as we all do, for it not to be recognized. So what is reality?(from what I read the bible has the answer).
Kat, I agree with you that she was still tiny in Clueless and everyone is making it seem like she was so much heavier in that film. She was also only 17, and a woman's body changes a lot from her teens years on. I think everyone needs to stop speculating and let her family have time to deal with their loss without spreading all these horrific rumors, it does not help anything now. She seemed like a very energetic, humorous person, I loved her in Just Married.
WE LOVE YOU BRITTANY AND NOW YOU ARE IN A BETTER PLACE. YOU ARE AN ANGEL AND WE ALL GOING TO MISS YOU.
She was the chubby sidekick until she got thin, then she was getting leading roles.
Who the heck is this director, Heckerling? The more he/she talks, the further he/she puts their foot in their mouth. For her/him to imply Brittany wasn't pretty, and especially during the time of her death, leads me to think he/she is an insensitive clod. Brittany was very pretty, and people evolve as they get older. I'm just appalled at how people are - my Mom always told us, if you don't have anything good to say about someone, then don't say anything. Heckerling should go back to school/college, and learn how to talk and articulate. Additionally, if Brittany was diabetic, diabetics tend to lose weight. They can go both ways, either be very thin or very overweight. I have to say that it's a shame more, and more people take meds in order to cope, and to feel good about themselves, but what they really need is Jesus Christ in their lives, especially all these actors and actress who seem to be lost. He's the only one that can make us happy, and without him, we're all nothing.
She was young yes, but she was not a child as the director practically implies. She was a 32 year old adult! Not sure why or how she died and it is tragic but passing the blame on Hollywood and commenting on her as if she was a little girl is ridiculous.
WM...It's true that men are also under pressure now- I know men that have had eating and exercise disorders- but I hardly know any women who say "I will only date him if he's thin like a male model." On the other hand, ironically, you talk about a preference for Asian women that happen to be thin. I have Asian girlfriends who eat philly cheesesteak for lunch everyday and are addicted to hot fudge sundaes and candy, and they are still thin (while people like me have to order salads and work out 5 times a week just to maintain an "average" weight). It's sometimes genetics and not the culture or habits that lead to thinness. What people need to focus on for health is not appearance, but healthy habits.
Anon...I disagree. Sure a lot of people want to be thin, but not everyone is meant to be-we all have different bone structures and basal metabolisms- so where is the pressure coming from? Hollywood, the fashion industry and the weight loss industry. I have a healthy lifestyle and there is no way I can get smaller than size 4-6 unless it was through unnatural means like starvation. I imagine Britney had this body type too, during Clueless, and they pressured her so much that either through drugs or anorexia she got this way. The "baby fat" thing is a total myth, you don't really have baby fat anywhere except on your face that sometimes goes away in the 20s or 30s. I am sad she died, but I hope if this is eating disorder related, the media will come out with the truth so it will save more girls' lives.
Dodie, did you even WATCH Clueless?? The whole movie is about shallow, bimbo, skinny girls who shop all day and only care about their looks. This director is such a hypocrite. Clueless is when Brittany's body complex began. Alicia Silverstone and the other actresses all admited that they felt pressure during the movie to stay skinny. They lived on diet coke. This director cast Brittany as the cubby, cute/but not hot girl, who couldn't get a guy. NOW this hypocrite director wants to blame HOLLYWOOD for her distorted self-image?? Are you kidding me??
It is tragic that another young star has lost their life due to prescription drugs. Beyond the antidepressants, the drug Topomax is becoming a secret no longer. Topomax's side effect of "dramatic weight loss" has mamy patients risking death in order not to lose their new "killer bods." Anna Nicole, Brittany, and several other stars under the radar have endangered their lives to be beautiful for the public. Hopefully these drug dealer's crimes will see daylight.
the problem with society is that the only time people moan about thin people is when that thin person... is a woman. What about males? Are males invisible in society? Where is the societal outcry about thin male models who have no fat between their skin and abs? Women are too busy jiggling their pleasure hood to thin male models to say something like "male models are too thin. thats not healthy. How about hiring males who eat normal meals and have a little fat on their guts". Females will never say that. Females are in a "mee mee mee" zone world. The world revolves around you. Males in hollywood also arent allowed to be fat and if they are fat.... you females bash them "slob". lol. So two faced. Thin in and of itself is not unhealthy. Its only unhealthy to STARVE oneself. If you are naturally thin genetically, there is NOTHING wrong with that. I date asian girls and they tend to be thinner than white females but females from my girlfriend's country have one of the longest lifespans on earth according to scientists. So clearly, their being thin is not a health hazard because it comes from genes not food deprivation. My girlfriend is thin because she eats a healthy diet. The saddest thing of all is that females are so jealous of thin females... that they are willing to claim (imply) that ALL thin females (celebrity/model or otherwise) are thin due to starvation. I'll be honest. I'm suspicious of chicks and their jealous. Its just as unhealthy to be fat as it is too skinny (if that skinniness is the result of food deprivation) but you females only bash.... THIN celebrities... not fat ones. Why? because the fat ones dont make you jealous. You are bashing females who make you jealous. Thats creepy.