By now you’ve heard that actress Brittany Murphy died at 32 over the weekend. Even though I ended up seeing a bunch of Brittany Murphy’s post-Clueless films (8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet), I will always think of the actress as Tai, the awkward skater girl with bad Kool-Aid hair. She was the real clueless one in the movie, and Murphy portrayed her as so lovably, at times pitifully pathetic that my high school basketball teammates and I ended up referencing the character in practice and games: When someone committed a needless foul, missed a pass, or acted generally unaware, the rest of the players on the floor would scream “Tai? Tai????“ at that person, like Elton did when Cher suggested he and Tai should date. (Why would he go with Tai? She lived above Olympic. Don’t you know who his father is?!!!)
So it ends up that most of the things I remember Brittany Murphy saying on-screen come from Clueless. Some gems: “You guyyyys! I’ve never had straight friends before,” “Rollin’ with the homies…[complete with dance],” “I really hate when his you-know-what is crooked [complete with breadstick],” and “These buns? They don’t feel nothin’ like steel.” And, of course, the ultimate high-school-era put-down: “Why should I listen to you anyway? You’re a virgin who can’t drive.” Whoa, that was way harsh, Tai.
I was also kind of obsessed with Murphy’s character Daisy’s commitment to rotisserie chicken in Girl, Interrupted, even though I know there were serious issues at hand and I wasn’t really supposed to enjoy that. Read through today’s gallery of 11 Brittany Murphy roles for a refresher course on her career highlights, then share your favorite memory of the versatile actress in the comments.
R.I.P. Brittany, in the Boogie Wonderland of heaven. We’ll remember you. “I hope not sporadically.”
More on Brittany Murphy’s life and career from EW:
Brittany Murphy: 11 roles we’ll remember her by
Brittany Murphy remembered by friends and colleagues
I loved her in Sin City- her line “you bastahd, you g-dam bastahd” is instantly quotable for me. she was a great example of “bad” acting done well in that movie, unlike Jessica Alba who was just Bad.
embarrassing to watch her in this movie.
“Keep yah god damed hands to yahself or I’ll cut yah little pecker off!”
I will always love her at Luanne Platter. That episode where she joined the soriety/cult is hilarious. She was also really good in Girl, Interrupted and Drop Dead Gorgeous.
It bugs the crap out of me than CNN is referring to her in Clueless as “pudgy”. How is she pudgy? She wasn’t fashionable in the movie, sure, but she wasn’t pudgy, at least not as far as I recall.
She looked pretty normal to me!
Me too! She is incredibly cute!
I agree and “you’re a virgin who can’t drive” remains one of the best lines in film ever.
I saw that too. How is it in this 24 hour news cycle proper research never gets done?!?
I’d say it was comments like that that led her to drop so much weight.
When all else fails, blame the media. Not her own misguided sense of priorites or wanton insecurities run amuck. I swear, its comments that this that attribute to the lack of personal responsibility in our current climate.
Please, ladies (I’m presuming). Her character in Clueless was that she was a unfashionable PUDGY social outcast. Them just the facts. We could do without the self-righteous lambasting from random large ladies who come on here and try to deny the reality of the character because they’re projecting their own insecurities about their weight. It’s unbecoming and oh so blatant.
I’m not fat, and neither is she. They put her in Spandex at one point in the movie, if I remember, and she wasn’t pudgy then either. Your venom says more about you than it does about anyone else.
She was not PUDGY in Clueless. She was slightly larger than her co-stars (size 0 and 2 stick-figures) but she could not have been more than a size 4 or 6. She looked much more beautiful in that movie than she ever did again because she lost too much weight. And this is coming from a size 2 stick herself.
Do yourselves a favor before you embarass yourselves any further. Put “brittany murphy fat clueless” into a browser and tell me what you come up with? Looks like a legion of websites declaring her the FAT geeky skater girl in Clueless, doesn’t it?
My god, someone even went so far as to call her “Takes-up-the-screen fat” in Clueless. Compared to that I think “pudgy” is a more than fair condemnation.
Well, if I read on the internet that Brittany Murphy was fat in “Clueless”, it must be true! Can’t trust my own eyes or anything.
Wow, Nihiliistic is an awful person who is spewing nasty all over the place. Brittany Murphy was not pudgy and I agree it is the fact that society deems size 2 and 4 as pudgy that has created such serious problems both weight loss and weight gain. It is about time we care less about a person’s weight and more about their character in general. I am an overweight female who has struggled with weight her whole life but I don’t struggle with insecurities about it. I love who I am. I know at the end of the day that I am a likeable, trustworthy, and kind person that people genuinely want to spend time around. Can you say the same Nihilistic? This poor girl died and you are fighting over whether or not she was “pudgy” in a movie over a decade ago. I agree with Sarah.
They put her in midriff baring clothes in that movie, there was no pudge, she looked great. Even the costume designer on the movie was excited to work with ALL the actresses because they all had “such cute little figures”. Have a little compassion.
PEOPLE. CLASSIC TROLL. NOT EVEN A GOOD ONE. STOP EMBARRASSING YOURSELVES. AND YES, THE CAPSLOCK WAS NECESSARY.
What a freaking jerk you are. Assuming people are fat. I can’t stand people who talk like that, putting people down.
Seriously you’re an ass, and you’re the one who needs to get a life. She was not fat and attacking the people who are responding to your narrow mindless stupidity proves even further what an ass you are. She was not pudgy, or fat, in that movies. And instead of bashing her why not mourn the loss of her and respect her life and the movies she made.
She wasn’t pudgy at all, she was normal-size in that movie. BUT compared to what she eventually came (which I’m guessing led to her death), in a side-by-side comparison, old Brittany Murphy was pudgy compared to new Brittany Murphy. Compared to a normal, girl she was cute and petite, but Hollywood has issues
I agree, it’s sad to see CNN reinforce the idea that her normal size was “pudgy.” I contemplated referencing it, and settled on “non-anorexic.”
Call it what it was, Brittany clearly struggled with anorexia, and never looked better than she did in “Clueless.”
Uh,she was pudgy, give me a break. It was cute, she still had baby fat on her face. Don’t take offense to the obvious, the girl clearly had a serious problem with anorexia and drug dependency. She was not naturally skinny, which is not negative, and to look at her anytime after the late 90′s is just painful. She had so much talent and was incredibly cute, unfortunely, body dismorphia clearly killed her.
And you don’t feel any sort of responsibility for her body image issues or anorexia by calling a girl who may have been about a size 4 ‘pudgy’? Gee, I wonder where she got those body issues in the first place.
Brittany Murphy had chubby cheeks in Clueless. Beyond that, she was actually skinnier than Alicia Silverstone in that movie (you can tell when they’re in their workout clothes). I really, really hate when people called Murphy “chubby” because it is so flat out wrong, and probably drove her to possible anorexia. It’s really despicable.
RIP Brittany, you were always beautiful.
Maybe what drove her was the attitude of people like you who obviously think it is the worst possible thing to be called pudgy. Hypocrite.
It’s just strange to me because I feel like no one remembers the movie. Not once in “Clueless” did anyone refer to Tai as fat. In fact, the little make-over Cher and Dionne perform has more to do with her over-dyed hair and grungy clothes. There is no denying that Brittany Murphy had lost a lot of weight since then but she didn’t start off as overweight.
Ha! Good one Mike!!
Exactly! I hope this doesn’t sound harsh, but I think what people are meaning to say is that, premakeover, she was DUMPY, not pudgy. And that was her character in the movie (Tai), not her (Brittany Murphy)! She was an adorable girl, but she was supposed to look dumpy (not fat), in oversized, baggy clothes, and THAT is why they made her over, not because she was fat or pudgy! Can we be done with this, please?!
I’ve never found her attractive really, but I definitely wouldn’t call her pudgy in Clueless.
Pudgy, dumpy, tardy? in the role of’Tai’…that she was.
That’s the role that ‘Tai”s character was suppose to be in the movie Clueless.
“I could really use some sort of herbal refreshment.”
“You guys got coke here?!”
Duh, this IS America.
Loved Clueless so much. She was great in it. Girl, Interrupted was great. I remember her having a few appearances on Boy Meets World back in the day as well…I think her name was Treenie?
I was just going to add “Boy Meets World” – so glad I wasn’t the only one who remembered her there. And in the movie with Drew too (below).
Yes! Her role as Trini on Boy Meets World. She was only in two episodes, but they were definitely memorable. “Topanga’s my best friend.You know, there are so few people who get me. I can call her at like 3 in the morning and not say one single thing, yet somehow, she knows it’s me!”
The scene with Drew Barrymore in small frys. She tells Drew to practice telling her mom about her pregnancy and as soon as Drew says she pregnant, Britney’s charactor yells, YOUR A WHORE!!!! That was hilarious!
Hillarious! But I believe it was in Riding in Cars with Boys.
Yes, I’m sorry.. you are right! Still one of the scenes ever.
“Rolling with the homies” for sure!
I also liked when she threw the ashtray at Ashton Kutcher in “Just Married”. Something about the way she hurled it at him was hilarious.
Clueless definitely, but she was also really cute in Uptown Girls.
I thought of Uptown Girls immediately. Cute movie, but, of course, her work as Luanne Platter was the best.
I loved Uptown Girls! Her chemistry with Dakota Fanning was amazing. Cute part as Molly Gunn. And very touching ending. The pig was funny as well!
yes, Ali- thats where I first saw her too, as Topangas friend Trini in Boy Meets World. Then of course through the years I saw her in things. I liked Happy Feet.
although ‘clueless’ will always hold my heart, she was SO cute in ‘riding in cars with boys.’
aaaw i love that scene, SO funny
i will miss her so much
Ah, that scene is great! She is/was hilarious!
I’ve never seen this movie but she’s pretty funny in that scene!
My favorite movie of hers is Just Married. Great movie – and love her in it. She was fantastic in Girl, Interrupted as well. She will be missed!!
Goodbye my sweet little Ramen Girl. I’ll miss you :’(
How was Ramen girl. I never saw it and am trying to round up some of her movies. Want to know if that one is worth getting.
I loved her in Ramen Girl. I saw it on my instant Netflix and fell in love with the movie. You Should Watch IT! Sigh, it really is a shame. The indie films she’s done in the past few years are gems. Plus, I love her song with Paul Oakenfold “Faster Kill Pussycat”. Ignore the early stuff and catch the movies she’s done in the last 5 years.
Favorite film of Brittany Murphy’s- “Clueless” and “8-Mile” R.I.P.
Such a beautiful girl and such a sad loss. She was a very talented actress and she had such a beautiful singing voice… She will be missed