One of Hollywood’s cult classic psychological thrillers, Cape Fear, was a box office success that actor Juliette Lewis never expected, and she recalls her one regret from having done the film.
Martin Scorsese based the iconic film on the 1957 novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald, and had Robert DeNiro lead in the role of convicted rapist Max Cady. Out of jail, he seeks revenge against his public defender, Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), and his family. Lewis starred in the film as the Bowdens’ teenage daughter Danielle, alongside Jessica Lange as the family matriarch.
Thirty-five years later, Lewis looks back at the film’s success and lasting legacy as she returns for a supporting role in Apple TV’s limited series. She admits that her biggest regret from Cape Fear was not knowing how important it was going to be.
“I didn’t know I was part of something historical that would be so meaningful for my life, so I didn’t even keep my Cape Fear script. Can you believe this?” said Lewis to People. “I had no idea. Anyway, I’ve thought about this many times in my life. … I didn’t know what it meant. You know what I mean? [At that age] you don’t even think past next week.”
Lewis was only 17 years old when Cape Fear was filmed and had just started her acting career. Her role landed Lewis her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She previously appeared in the 1989 classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and explains that she often holds on to “experience and the memories” of her time on set.
She admits that, decades after the original film, she never expected to return to the storyline in the new limited series starring Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, and Patrick Wilson. The actor sees the psychological thriller storyline as “timeless” and its themes of vengeance “as old as time.” What made her return? The “complicated, messy, troubled character” that showrunner Nick Antosca created.
“I always like to create really visceral characters that you could almost smell through the screen,” said Lewis. “You can almost smell her trashy perfume.”
In the Cape Fear series, Lewis plays the role of Crystal Cady, Max Cady’s (Bardem) mentally unstable half-sister. She plays a role in the cat-and-mouse chase between Anna Bowden (Adams) and Max. The series showrunner wanted Lewis to be more than a throwback cameo and have her character be “meaningful” to the plot.
When it comes to how Lewis has changed since the original film, she admits she’s “more lighthearted” and “more serious about my peace of mind and my joyful outlook.” Compared to her younger years, she doesn’t “play with darkness” in her life.
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