The Surprising Memory Patricia Arquette Has Of Nightmare On Elm Street - Exclusive
It can be easy to forget that Emmy and Oscar winner Patricia Arquette got her start in horror, starring in the 1987 film "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors." A teenage Arquette — who comes from a prolific family of actors that includes father Lewis and siblings David and Rosanna — is the main protagonist in the movie, which centers around disfigured child serial killer Freddy Krueger haunting nightmares.
It was Arquette's first major role, kicking the door open for her to star in such critically acclaimed fare as the Quentin Tarantino-penned film, "True Romance," the Emmy-winning series "Medium," and the epic coming-of-age drama "Boyhood," for which Arquette won Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards. In 2022, she's still getting praised for her work, which includes starring in the sci-fi psychological thriller series "Severance" that is now streaming on Apple TV+.
But no matter where she goes or what she does, she'll always have "A Nightmare on Elm Street" to thank for her career. So, during an exclusive interview with Looper, we asked Arquette to share any memories that stood out about filming the horror classic, and here's what she had to say.
Arquette got paid more for the Dokken video than 'Nightmare on Elm Street'
It has been 35 years since "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" came out, but Patricia Arquette still holds some pretty specific recollections about shooting the film, which grossed almost $45 million after making it for an estimated budget of $4.5 million.
"I have a lot of different memories," she told Looper. "Heather Langenkamp, who was in the first ['Nightmare on Elm Street'], was super sweet and so generous. Laurence Fishburne was in ['Dream Warriors'] for a minute, and he's such a great actor — 'Apocalypse Now' and everything. He was really cool, and all the kids were really cool."
As for what went down behind the scenes, Arquette offered up a surprising image. "We were shooting, at one point, at the VA Hospital in Westwood, and it was really rundown and our dressing rooms were basically like someone threw sheets of drywall up and created these cubby holes," she shared. "We had a cot in there. It was freezing."
Even more surprising, though? "I ended up getting paid more for the Dokken video [the 'Dream Warriors' theme song] then I got for the movie, or about the same," she admitted.
Still, Arquette considers herself a horror fan. "I love horror movies," she said. "I did 'Nightmare on Elm Street.' [Brother] David did all those 'Scream' films. Horror's been very good to us, our family, and I love it. I love horror movies. They're so fun to watch."
Arquette's latest series, "Severance," is currently streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes are available every Friday.