Joanna Cassidy is an American actress and former model. She began modeling before she made her film debut in the book-based film The Laughing Policeman. Cassidy gained fame as the replicant Zhora in the sci-fi, book-based film Blade Runner and earned acclaim for Under Fire, winning a Sant Jordi Award and a Golden Globe for her TV role in Buffalo Bill .
Her notable films include the book-based film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Package, and Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. On television, she appeared in Hollywood Wives, book-based, Stephen King's TV series The Tommyknockers, and Six Feet Under, earning Emmy and SAG nominations. Later, she starred in Body of Proof and Call Me Fitz, winning two Canadian Screen Awards.
Here is her Novelpro Junkie Interview:
1. If you had to describe “Killing Faith” using three words, it would be…?
Intriguing, mysterious, and surprising.
2. Could you talk about how the script came to you and why you decided to act in this film?
Well, it's interesting…. It’s a long journey because I actually met the producer, five or six years ago. Before COVID, we were on an art walk in downtown LA. There were a bunch of us and he said to me, “you know, I'm working on this script right now. There's a great part on it for you; would you be interested?” I said, “well, yes, of course”, because he described that it would be a Western horror. That’s something I've never done. I told him, “Why don't you send me the script.” By the way, he was very connected with some really good, legitimate friends of mine. So, I read it and I went, “oh, Maggie's a character. This is something I’d really like to do”.
Years went by and it wasn't until Guy Pearce got involved that it [the film] became really solid. However, it was in the middle of the actor strike, but since I’ve been on the Screen Actors Guild board for 25 years, I was able to push the movie up in the line.
3. Could you talk about your experience working with the director, Ned Crowley?
Ned is so cool. He's such a smooth guy. It was easy. I did several recordings of my voice and how I wanted to play the character and sent them to him. He would call me back and say, “let’s try a mid-Atlantic accent. Let's try that”. And then it was, “No, let's try a Southern accent. Let's decide where she's from”. So, we went back and forth on several things and finally came to the conclusion that it would be a bit of everything because she would have been influenced by the other people that she was starting out with. You know, collecting them along the way in the different wagons. We started out with about 12 wagons full of people.
4. What did you love about portraying Maggie, your character in "Killing Faith"?
I've always found that period of time so interesting to read about. I've read about how the United States government, many times when they would have women in prison for some ill-conceived wrongdoing, sometimes it was as much as talking back to their parents, they would put them in prison. What the government would do—this is the 1800s we're talking about—they would exchange them with the Indians for land. So, there were a lot of white women that ended up being part of an Indian tribe that had been traded like money. There were things like objects, food, or so on. I always found that being a part of that civilization had to be really hard on any human being, but particularly women like that who had to learn a whole new life. I had to learn a new language, learn a new craft, learn to live amongst strangers, basically.
5. Did you do any research when it came to portraying Maggie for this film?
I did…. I don't want to give away the story here, but when you're starving, a lot of things happen to you. Your brain changes, you're really forced to have ideas about staying alive that are very different from your own sense of morality. Going back to just reading about that period of time, 1800s. I watched a lot of Westerns to see how people walked. I tried clothing that was heavy and woolen and although I did bathe, they didn't. For the most part, those people went without baths for a long time. I tried going about without makeup on for a long time and, of course, my hair has come in white now which really added to the character.
6. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome it?
We had weather challenges that were horrendous. We would get on the set at five o'clock and then the storms would begin and would wash out everything. We were literally living in the mud. We would have to go out to our set, which wasn't covered. We had chairs out there and blankets and I couldn't grab them up fast enough because it was a drive to get out to our set. By the time we began filming—which sometimes was midnight or later, having been there since five—that was very tough. There was a certain amount of time after electrical storms that you cannot plug in your equipment, because there's still a charge in the air and it can start a fire. So, the lightning bolts would stop and the clue would have to wait a half an hour before they could plug in. That was a huge challenge. There were a lot of time limitations.
7. Guy Pearce, Dewanda Wise, and Bill Pullman are among other great actors in this film, could you talk about your experience working with them and any other cast member?
Unfortunately, I wasn't there during the whole shoot, so I didn't really get to hang out with them per se. Basically, I would come in (flew me in from LA) I’d be driven to the makeup trailer, get in makeup—DeWanda would be there and Guy, we would just chat. The thing that's wonderful about actors is that if you get a good vibe from somebody, there's nothing keeping you from feeling like you've known them your entire life. That's what I find so magical about our business is, in essence, I really was meeting them in the scene for the first time. We did have hours to hang out, chat, joke around, get to know each other a bit.
Jack Alcott…adorable, just adorable. DeWanda, they don't get any better. She's what a sweetheart she is. There were lovely times. Guy [Pearce] has a whole way of working. He kind of stayed to himself and I understand that and respect that.
9. Saturn Award nominated you for Best Supporting Actress in the Book-Based Film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, what was your fondest memory working in the film?
Well, that was a long time. Yes, I have memories. I do remember there were a lot of takes done on each scene, because it depended so much on the puppeteers coming up from the bottom of the stage. Also, you had four cameras going and you had the actors doing different things. We also had to remember where the animated characters were going to be drawn. Roger Rabbit himself was voiced by an actor who used to come to work in a rabbit suit. He would sit under the camera and over on the side and then they'd pull the rabbit up for us—it was the size of the animated rabbit (Take it away, we'd have to remember where it was). Then, his voice would be coming off from about eight feet away. It was very distracting, you (actors) really had to concentrate.
10. You were also involved in the book-based film “Blade Runner”, what was your experience working with Harrison Ford and in that film in general?
Harrison and I got along, I adored him. Harrison hated shooting me in the back (YouTube Clip). He did not like that at all. He was quite in disagreement with our director Ridley Scott. He said, “That's going to make me look like an absolute coward shooting this. I know she's not real, but she is real. You know, she's just here trying to get some more life. I don't like killing her. Like that's a very cowardly way of shooting, offing someone”. Because that's what he had to do. He had to off the replicant.
I love doing my own stunts. So, for me, running up over the cars and jumping over people, knocking people out of the way, that was fun. There’s one scene where I had to strangle on my way out of the dance hall when I was strangling Harrison. We did about eight or nine takes and he didn't want to do it anymore. I wasn't hurting him. I think it's just that the whole thing annoyed him, so he sent in his stunt double—Gary Combs. I did it about 15 more times with Gary, but I loved Harrison. He and I got on great. He was terrific.
11. You made some appearances in The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; in three adjectives how would you describe the late Johnny Carson?
Well, hilarious being one, mean, he was hilarious, incredibly funny. I would say very sensitive. He was a sexy guy. He was mysterious, very secretive. but very engaging. He was so much fun to play, to banter with. I think at that point in my career, I started to get very busy, but I would have gone back on his show a lot, because he really liked me. I liked him.
12. Some months ago, this year (2025), Gene Hackman passed away. You were in a film with him called “Under Fire”. I was just wondering how you found out of the news of his passing and your experience working with him?
I was so reactive with Eugene passing. I knew that he was in Santa Fe. I hadn't seen him for years, but he was a man that fought for me to do the second film that we did together, which was later on in his life. They had another actress in the second film I did with him called “The Package” and he did not care for her. So, they flew me in and I had to go to work the second day. But Gene and I had a thread somehow that I adored him and he liked me too. He's a tough guy to work with. He was such a perfectionist. You came on that set and you had to know your lines, you had to know what you were doing, you had to be in character. You were not late one minute. He was a real pro and he wanted everyone else to be a pro around him because he had no time to waste if you got it in two takes and you were out of there.
13. You won a golden globe for your role as Joanna a.k.a Jo-Jo White in "Buffalo Bill" ("Joanna Cassidy Wins Best Actress" Clip), could you tell me about your experience before, during, and after your acceptance speech? Also, where do you currently have your golden globe trophy?
Where her golden globe trophy is currently at: I hate to say where I have it. I have it in a drawer. Different people come to my house and they go, “where's your golden globe? Where is it?” I actually have about five awards. I have one, it’s a Jordi [Sant Jordi Awards] for best actress when they had the Spanish award show. I have two Emmys that I got in Canada for best comedian and then the Golden Globe and part of an ensemble for “Six Feet Under” and then part of an ensemble for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. So, they're in a drawer. I have to get them out.
Before, during and after Golden Globe’s acceptance speech: I do remember I was sitting in a large round table with Dabney Coleman, the other actors, the producer, and a couple of the writers. Dabney had lost Best Actor [ Golden Globes Category]. I never thought I would win. I was sitting there with my daughter and I thought, oh my God. They [Presenters] brought up the names and they said my name. I was wearing a dress that I thought—I don't know who picked it out for me, but it looked like a high school prom dress. I went, “Oh, this can't be. I can't believe I'm winning this. This is not fair”. I was a little upset, but then I walked up. My knees were shaking. I was so pleased, but at the same time, I could not believe that I was there. Then after I said my speech and they handed me the award, it’s quite an acknowledgement to be awarded. I was very grateful. My daughter was in the wings and as soon as I got off the stage—after being photographed by a lot of people—I handed it[trophy] to her, said, “you hold it”.
14. Last question, are there any book-based projects that you would be interested in acting or getting involved with?
It's funny you should ask that because many years ago, I used to get films in the galley form. There were several books that I wanted to do, but I didn't quite know how to go about organizing that. The one thing that I was missing in my life and my career was a real mentor, to take my hand and go “Joanna, you don't have to just act, you can produce and you can star in a film and you can get those things.” I did not have that. So, I missed out on a lot. There is one book out there. I kind of don't want to spoil it, but there is one floating around that I want very much to do. It would be right for me as a woman my age.
Her notable films include the book-based film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Package, and Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. On television, she appeared in Hollywood Wives, book-based, Stephen King's TV series The Tommyknockers, and Six Feet Under, earning Emmy and SAG nominations. Later, she starred in Body of Proof and Call Me Fitz, winning two Canadian Screen Awards.
Here is her Novelpro Junkie Interview:
1. If you had to describe “Killing Faith” using three words, it would be…?
Intriguing, mysterious, and surprising.
2. Could you talk about how the script came to you and why you decided to act in this film?
Well, it's interesting…. It’s a long journey because I actually met the producer, five or six years ago. Before COVID, we were on an art walk in downtown LA. There were a bunch of us and he said to me, “you know, I'm working on this script right now. There's a great part on it for you; would you be interested?” I said, “well, yes, of course”, because he described that it would be a Western horror. That’s something I've never done. I told him, “Why don't you send me the script.” By the way, he was very connected with some really good, legitimate friends of mine. So, I read it and I went, “oh, Maggie's a character. This is something I’d really like to do”.
Years went by and it wasn't until Guy Pearce got involved that it [the film] became really solid. However, it was in the middle of the actor strike, but since I’ve been on the Screen Actors Guild board for 25 years, I was able to push the movie up in the line.
3. Could you talk about your experience working with the director, Ned Crowley?
Ned is so cool. He's such a smooth guy. It was easy. I did several recordings of my voice and how I wanted to play the character and sent them to him. He would call me back and say, “let’s try a mid-Atlantic accent. Let's try that”. And then it was, “No, let's try a Southern accent. Let's decide where she's from”. So, we went back and forth on several things and finally came to the conclusion that it would be a bit of everything because she would have been influenced by the other people that she was starting out with. You know, collecting them along the way in the different wagons. We started out with about 12 wagons full of people.
4. What did you love about portraying Maggie, your character in "Killing Faith"?
I've always found that period of time so interesting to read about. I've read about how the United States government, many times when they would have women in prison for some ill-conceived wrongdoing, sometimes it was as much as talking back to their parents, they would put them in prison. What the government would do—this is the 1800s we're talking about—they would exchange them with the Indians for land. So, there were a lot of white women that ended up being part of an Indian tribe that had been traded like money. There were things like objects, food, or so on. I always found that being a part of that civilization had to be really hard on any human being, but particularly women like that who had to learn a whole new life. I had to learn a new language, learn a new craft, learn to live amongst strangers, basically.
5. Did you do any research when it came to portraying Maggie for this film?
I did…. I don't want to give away the story here, but when you're starving, a lot of things happen to you. Your brain changes, you're really forced to have ideas about staying alive that are very different from your own sense of morality. Going back to just reading about that period of time, 1800s. I watched a lot of Westerns to see how people walked. I tried clothing that was heavy and woolen and although I did bathe, they didn't. For the most part, those people went without baths for a long time. I tried going about without makeup on for a long time and, of course, my hair has come in white now which really added to the character.
6. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome it?
We had weather challenges that were horrendous. We would get on the set at five o'clock and then the storms would begin and would wash out everything. We were literally living in the mud. We would have to go out to our set, which wasn't covered. We had chairs out there and blankets and I couldn't grab them up fast enough because it was a drive to get out to our set. By the time we began filming—which sometimes was midnight or later, having been there since five—that was very tough. There was a certain amount of time after electrical storms that you cannot plug in your equipment, because there's still a charge in the air and it can start a fire. So, the lightning bolts would stop and the clue would have to wait a half an hour before they could plug in. That was a huge challenge. There were a lot of time limitations.
7. Guy Pearce, Dewanda Wise, and Bill Pullman are among other great actors in this film, could you talk about your experience working with them and any other cast member?
Unfortunately, I wasn't there during the whole shoot, so I didn't really get to hang out with them per se. Basically, I would come in (flew me in from LA) I’d be driven to the makeup trailer, get in makeup—DeWanda would be there and Guy, we would just chat. The thing that's wonderful about actors is that if you get a good vibe from somebody, there's nothing keeping you from feeling like you've known them your entire life. That's what I find so magical about our business is, in essence, I really was meeting them in the scene for the first time. We did have hours to hang out, chat, joke around, get to know each other a bit.
Jack Alcott…adorable, just adorable. DeWanda, they don't get any better. She's what a sweetheart she is. There were lovely times. Guy [Pearce] has a whole way of working. He kind of stayed to himself and I understand that and respect that.
9. Saturn Award nominated you for Best Supporting Actress in the Book-Based Film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, what was your fondest memory working in the film?
Well, that was a long time. Yes, I have memories. I do remember there were a lot of takes done on each scene, because it depended so much on the puppeteers coming up from the bottom of the stage. Also, you had four cameras going and you had the actors doing different things. We also had to remember where the animated characters were going to be drawn. Roger Rabbit himself was voiced by an actor who used to come to work in a rabbit suit. He would sit under the camera and over on the side and then they'd pull the rabbit up for us—it was the size of the animated rabbit (Take it away, we'd have to remember where it was). Then, his voice would be coming off from about eight feet away. It was very distracting, you (actors) really had to concentrate.
10. You were also involved in the book-based film “Blade Runner”, what was your experience working with Harrison Ford and in that film in general?
Harrison and I got along, I adored him. Harrison hated shooting me in the back (YouTube Clip). He did not like that at all. He was quite in disagreement with our director Ridley Scott. He said, “That's going to make me look like an absolute coward shooting this. I know she's not real, but she is real. You know, she's just here trying to get some more life. I don't like killing her. Like that's a very cowardly way of shooting, offing someone”. Because that's what he had to do. He had to off the replicant.
I love doing my own stunts. So, for me, running up over the cars and jumping over people, knocking people out of the way, that was fun. There’s one scene where I had to strangle on my way out of the dance hall when I was strangling Harrison. We did about eight or nine takes and he didn't want to do it anymore. I wasn't hurting him. I think it's just that the whole thing annoyed him, so he sent in his stunt double—Gary Combs. I did it about 15 more times with Gary, but I loved Harrison. He and I got on great. He was terrific.
11. You made some appearances in The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; in three adjectives how would you describe the late Johnny Carson?
Well, hilarious being one, mean, he was hilarious, incredibly funny. I would say very sensitive. He was a sexy guy. He was mysterious, very secretive. but very engaging. He was so much fun to play, to banter with. I think at that point in my career, I started to get very busy, but I would have gone back on his show a lot, because he really liked me. I liked him.
12. Some months ago, this year (2025), Gene Hackman passed away. You were in a film with him called “Under Fire”. I was just wondering how you found out of the news of his passing and your experience working with him?
I was so reactive with Eugene passing. I knew that he was in Santa Fe. I hadn't seen him for years, but he was a man that fought for me to do the second film that we did together, which was later on in his life. They had another actress in the second film I did with him called “The Package” and he did not care for her. So, they flew me in and I had to go to work the second day. But Gene and I had a thread somehow that I adored him and he liked me too. He's a tough guy to work with. He was such a perfectionist. You came on that set and you had to know your lines, you had to know what you were doing, you had to be in character. You were not late one minute. He was a real pro and he wanted everyone else to be a pro around him because he had no time to waste if you got it in two takes and you were out of there.
13. You won a golden globe for your role as Joanna a.k.a Jo-Jo White in "Buffalo Bill" ("Joanna Cassidy Wins Best Actress" Clip), could you tell me about your experience before, during, and after your acceptance speech? Also, where do you currently have your golden globe trophy?
Where her golden globe trophy is currently at: I hate to say where I have it. I have it in a drawer. Different people come to my house and they go, “where's your golden globe? Where is it?” I actually have about five awards. I have one, it’s a Jordi [Sant Jordi Awards] for best actress when they had the Spanish award show. I have two Emmys that I got in Canada for best comedian and then the Golden Globe and part of an ensemble for “Six Feet Under” and then part of an ensemble for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. So, they're in a drawer. I have to get them out.
Before, during and after Golden Globe’s acceptance speech: I do remember I was sitting in a large round table with Dabney Coleman, the other actors, the producer, and a couple of the writers. Dabney had lost Best Actor [ Golden Globes Category]. I never thought I would win. I was sitting there with my daughter and I thought, oh my God. They [Presenters] brought up the names and they said my name. I was wearing a dress that I thought—I don't know who picked it out for me, but it looked like a high school prom dress. I went, “Oh, this can't be. I can't believe I'm winning this. This is not fair”. I was a little upset, but then I walked up. My knees were shaking. I was so pleased, but at the same time, I could not believe that I was there. Then after I said my speech and they handed me the award, it’s quite an acknowledgement to be awarded. I was very grateful. My daughter was in the wings and as soon as I got off the stage—after being photographed by a lot of people—I handed it[trophy] to her, said, “you hold it”.
14. Last question, are there any book-based projects that you would be interested in acting or getting involved with?
It's funny you should ask that because many years ago, I used to get films in the galley form. There were several books that I wanted to do, but I didn't quite know how to go about organizing that. The one thing that I was missing in my life and my career was a real mentor, to take my hand and go “Joanna, you don't have to just act, you can produce and you can star in a film and you can get those things.” I did not have that. So, I missed out on a lot. There is one book out there. I kind of don't want to spoil it, but there is one floating around that I want very much to do. It would be right for me as a woman my age.
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