In early 2003, a supporting part had been written for me in a film that was scheduled to be shot in Romania later that Spring. As casting got underway for the main roles, the director and producers sat through countless readings from an amazing plethora of actors representing Young Hollywood. Among those actors was Natasha Lyonne — a performer whose work and style I had long admired. I especially loved her in “Slums of Beverly Hills.” She was wry and astonishing in that film — jiggly fake titties and all. A small bit of trivia you may not know (which, when I discovered it, made me feel an even greater sense of affection for her than I already had): When she was still a tiny girl…Natasha played Little Opal on “Pee Wee’s Playhouse.”
Anyway, Natasha came in to read for the lead female role — The Ingenue, for chrissake. She came in, flopped down in the chair, lit a smoke, and point blank told the director and the casting agent, “I read the script, and I like it, but I’m here to tell you that I am WAY too fucking butch to play the part of Sara. There’s just NO fucking way it’s gonna happen. But, there is another part I’m interested in: The crazy girl, Alice.”
And, so it goes that, written specifically for me or not, there was no way they were going to miss the chance to have her name and indie clout attached to the project. This is how I came to lose my part in the film to the talented Ms. Lyonne. All I could do was laugh and revel in the distinct honor. I was affectionately bumped to the role of Polly, a young nurse in the insane asylum where the story takes place — which worked out just swimmingly. I lived, worked, and traveled in Romania for a month and had the time of my fucking life — of which working and hanging with Natasha was definitely an extraordinary part. When we weren’t on set, we laid around in our hotel rooms, smoked cigs, read zines, and just talked and talked and talked. She had ALOT to say — especially about women in Hollywood. I remember one specific conversation we had, about the impossible beauty standards imposed on actresses, which she finished up with, “Fine, fuck ’em all — DON’T hire me and my fat ass. See if I give a shit. I’m not starving myself for anyone or anything.” I loved her for that.
She was troubled and difficult and audacious and brilliant. I still have the wonderfully profane drawing of the naked, menstruating Romanian woman she made for me on set one day when we were shooting in the asylum’s rec-room. Below the nude dame bleeding a river of bright red blood from her furry muff, in black crayon it reads, “You are a really good actress. Love, Natasha.”
Trust me, coming from you, Ms. Lyonne, that means everything.
Billy, our friend and director, just told me he sent her flowers at the hospital. I hope she sees them and they remind her of a better time.
Much love to you in this difficult time, Natasha. Get well and come back. Hollywood could use a whole lot more honesty, beauty, and artistry like yours.
Lyonne in Limbo at Hospital
by Charlie Amter
August 19, 2005
The troubled life of Natasha Lyonne has taken a tragic turn.
The American Pie actress is in intensive care at a New York City hospital with hepatitis C, a collapsed lung and a heart infection, according to Access Hollywood and the New York Post.
The 26-year-old actress, who hasn’t been seen publicly since a judge issued a warrant for her arrest in April after she ducked a court hearing, is reportedly “fighting for her life” and “struggling to survive,” per Access Hollywood.
“I’m crying actually. It’s terrible, you know. It’s my little girl,” Lyonne’s father Aaron Braunstein told the syndicated show Friday. “It’s a terrible tragedy, but she’s going to get better. We’re praying for her, and she’s a tough girl.”
The Post reports that the actress is also receiving methadone treatment, which is typically used to combat heroin addiction.
It’s not clear if Lyonne has been using the drug, but according to a Mayo Clinic report, the primary mode of transmission of hepatitis C is via contaminated blood–through needles shared by drug users or through blood transfusions. The disease can lead to potentially serious liver damage.
Braunstein, who told Access Hollywood he visited his daughter last week, says he thinks Lyonne may have picked up the virus while shooting a movie abroad three years ago.
“She’s probably with the wrong crowd,” he said. “The main thing, she picked up the liver thing in Bulgaria during [filming of] The Grey Zone.”
Lyonne, whose credits also include Slums of Beverly Hills, Party Monster and last year’s Blade: Trinity, has not had a publicist or Hollywood representation for the past several months, which have been a rough stretch for the actress.
She was charged in December with criminal mischief, harassment and trespassing after she purportedly melted down on her New York neighbor, ripping a mirror off the woman’s wall and threatening to sexually molest her dog.
Lyonne had been due in court Apr. 19 to answer the charges but left the courthouse early, prompting Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Abraham Clott to put out an arrest warrant.
The Post claims that Lyonne was subsequently evicted from her apartment and wound up living on the streets before turning up in the city’s Bellevue Hospital. She was then transferred to Beth Israel Hospital, where she is currently admitted under a pseudonym, according to the Post. Neither hospital has confirmed Lyonne’s patient status.
Speaking to Access Hollywood, her father disputed the report that Lyonne was homeless and suggested he might take legal action against the paper.
“There’s a confidentiality between patient, doctor and hospital, so all of this is probably going to be a major lawsuit,” he told the show.
Lyonne previously pleaded guilty in 2002 to a DUI charge in Miami. She was sentenced to six months’ probation for the incident, which involved fleeing the scene of a car accident.
She last starred in the indie comedy Max & Grace, about a suicidal couple who break out of a mental institution. The film premiered at South by Southwest in Austin in March and has been making the rounds on the festival circuit but has not yet been picked up by a studio.
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