Gina Gershon Still Loves Being Corky from ‘Bound’: ‘I Bet I Wouldn’t Even Be Cast in It Now’

Fresh off the seam-bursting unsexiness of “Showgirls,” Gina Gershon had a decision to make.

The then 30-something actress, still a relative newcomer in Hollywood, stood out as a star in Paul Verhoeven’s 1995 disaster-piece despite its infamously shoddy production. The next role Gershon chose would be critical to shaping the rest of her career. And while partnering with the siblings Wachowski on their debut feature was a good instinct even before “The Matrix,” the eventual “Bound” star was discouraged from making her breakout performance that of a lesbian plumber named Corky.

“I was literally told that I was ruining my career and I could not do this movie, which really made me mad,” Gershon told IndieWire in an interview celebrating the film‘s DVD rerelease for The Criterion Collection. “I just thought it was so stupid. I already wanted to do the movie, but it made me want to do it even more, because I just thought, ‘Well, that’s absurd.’”

The cult classic flopped at the box office and took years to build the following it enjoys now. Still, it cemented Gershon, who has never publicly identified as gay, as a lesbian sex symbol who has become essential to the fabric of sapphic film. In “Bound,” when sexpot/pseudo-housewife Violet (Jennifer Tilly) drops an earring down the drain for attention, she takes a liking to the boyishly handsome handywoman who comes to fetch it. Soon, the star-crossed sapphics make a plan to rob Violet’s mafioso boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano) and Corky embarks on an action-packed journey through the seamy underbelly of Chicago.

“I remember seeing Jennifer the first time and I’m like, ‘Who’s going to play Violet?’ We were still unsure, ‘Am I playing Corky? Am I playing Violet?’ I think I was leaning towards Corky,” Gershon said. “Especially coming after ‘Showgirls,’ I really loved the idea of just cutting off my hair, my nails, getting out of the femme, and going into a more butch energy.”

“When I first met Jennifer, the way she would move and talk, she’s so feminine, and she just made me laugh, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is going to be easy working with her,’” she continued. “Just because I could watch her for hours. She just amuses me. She’s just adorable.”

In 2024, Gershon still beams with pride talking over “Bound,” a film the actress says still sucks her in every time she gets a chance to watch it and that continues to impress audiences just finding it today. Still, on the other side of an industry swing toward LGBTQ authenticity, Gershon admits she doesn’t know if she would be cast as Corky today due to the “politicalness” of it.

“I bet I wouldn’t even be cast in it now. It’s like, ‘Oh, no, we have to get a real serious dyke to play this part,’” Gershon said. “You know what? I never really saw it as far as sexuality, to be honest. Of course she prefers women, but I just always saw it as a trust issue. It could have been a man, it could have been a woman. It was about… I just think love is love, and I think in this case, Corky’s journey was more about, ‘Am I going to trust this person?’”

Speaking with IndieWire, Gershon discussed her favorite elements of “Bound” (Tilly and the score by Don Davis chief among them) and reflected on the enormity of her genre-crawling filmography, which finally reached horror last year when Eli Roth killed off Gershon via trampling in “Thanksgiving.” She’ll appear next in Roth’s over-the-top feature adaptation of the video game “Borderlands,” in theaters August 9, and Gershon’s other queer favorite “Prey for Rock and Roll” will re-release in New York at The Quad on Saturday, June 30 and at IFC on Friday, July 19.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

IndieWire: “Bound” is now part of The Criterion Collection. Three decades later, how would you describe your relationship to the project?

Gina Gershon: Still loving it. I was proud that I did it then, and I’m even prouder now. I just think it’s… Every time I watch the movie, I forget that I’m in it. I’m like, “Wow. It’s really good.” I’m like, “Oh my God, what’s going to happen next?” Which is a real testament to how well it’s directed and shot and the music. I really appreciate it on so many other levels.

Do you have any moments in particular that you come back to and want to rewatch often?

No. I really watch the whole movie straight through. I get caught up in it.

I hadn’t seen it for a long time. Then Jennifer and I got some award. We had to go to Chicago, and it was very nice, and we were watching the movie in the theater. I’m like, “Oh my God, I haven’t seen it in the theater since when it came out.” So Jennifer and I watched it, eating popcorn. She was like, “This is really good!” And I’m like, “I know! This is really good!”

It was funny. It was like the first time we had ever seen it. It’s a great film. And now that I appreciate filmmaking in a different [way], now that I’ve been writing and I’ve started directing, I just appreciate it even more. And the score just really kills me. It’s just technically so beautifully made. They’re incredible directors, which I always knew from the first moment I met them. I got that tingly feeling in my stomach going, “Oh my God, these are really great directors.”

When or where do you feel like people bring “Bound” up to you the most?

When they come up to me in the street, when they talk to me… If there’s a big lesbian event, obviously they really appreciated that film, and it’s brought up to me a lot. Anytime I do a lot of interviews, they still bring it up, saying, “Wow, what an incredible movie.” So yeah, it comes up quite a bit. It’s crazy that it’s being shown again. Is it really almost three decades? I thought it was two decades. God, I really lose track of time.

It’s almost three. ’96, yeah?

Whoa, that’s so wild. That’s wild.

Between “Bound,” “Showgirls,” and “Prey for Rock and Roll,” you’ve been asked for years about your status as a gay icon. In 2024, has anything about your relationship to the queer community changed, particularly as it’s under new attacks?

I don’t think my relationship to it has changed at all. I think it’s insane how it’s under attack in 2024 and how things are changing. When I first did this movie, it was a big issue that I was playing a lesbian. I was told that I was ruining my career and I could not do this movie, which really made me mad. I just thought it was so stupid. I already wanted to do the movie, but it made me want to do it even more, because I just thought, “Well, that’s absurd.” And I think some of the politicalness of… I bet I wouldn’t even be cast in it now. It’s like, “Oh, no, we have to get a real serious dyke to play this part.” It’s like, that part’s like…

You know what? I never really saw it as far as sexuality, to be honest. Of course, she prefers women, but I just always saw it as a trust issue. It could have been a man, it could have been a woman. I just think love is love, and I think in this case, Corky’s journey was more about, “Am I going to trust this person?” Because she had been screwed over in the past, and she had just gotten out of prison, and sometimes when things are too good to be true, they are too good to be true. In this case, happy endings do occur — so that’s nice. Hey, I got the girl, I got the car, I got the money. It was a win-win all around. 

I think it’s just a different time. We’ve made so much progress just as far as if I were an actress now and I got this script, people would be like, “Oh my God, you have to do this movie.” So at least that’s changed, you know, the acceptance? I don’t know.

I’ve always been one of those people, like, “Live and let live.” Everyone should do exactly what they want. Why is it anyone’s business? But yeah, there’s a lot more acceptance, and there’s always going to be prejudice against anything different that’s threatening or scary to someone who’s probably closeted themselves. I don’t know. I’ve come to realize, I don’t sit there and try to figure out why people are who they are. I just try to do my own life, and everyone should be happy and live exactly the way they want to live. I don’t know why that’s a big deal…

It shouldn’t be.

It shouldn’t be, I know! I’m going to start going down a tunnel, and I’ll get sad, but just in the world and between everything, it’s just insane.

Well, I’ll pull us back. You have roles in other cult films that lean toward a more male audience. Does the kind of person who asks you questions about something like “Face/Off” or even “Killer Joe” also tend to ask you about “Bound”?

It depends who the person is. If it’s a film journalist or someone writing [about movies], they ask about the good films and they don’t tend to ask about the bad films as much. If it’s someone who appreciates film, they’ll mix them all up. It’s like music. There’s good music, and there’s bad music. I don’t sit there and say, “Oh, I only like classical music,” or “I only like jazz.” It’s either good to me or it’s not good to me. You know what I mean?

You have this incredible filmography. Would you say Corky is your most iconic role still?

I don’t know. That’s not for me to say. Corky will be more iconic to someone else than say “Face/Off” or “Prey for Rock and Roll.” People come to me, and everyone has a different movie that they like or that really made a difference in their life.

Obviously, in the lesbian world [“Bound”] is a really important film, and so they mention that a lot. “Prey for Rock and Roll” is being rereleased again, and I’m excited for people to see that because I play yet another sassy lesbian with a very cute girlfriend. But I really loved that movie and people didn’t get to see that so much. It’s just cool. It’s a cool chick band, and I wouldn’t say I am the best girlfriend in it, but she’s a rock and roller. I did have a very hot girlfriend in it though, I will say.

It’s a great time for that re-release, in no small part because lesbian cinema has had a particularly good run as of late with queer women leading major films. I was curious to know, have you seen “Love Lies Bleeding”?

No, but I really want to see it. I just haven’t. I was going to go see it, it was playing somewhere, and then all of a sudden it wasn’t playing. Is it streaming on anything? I should see it. [Editor’s note: “Love Lies Bleeding” streams on Max starting July 19.]

Any chance you caught last year’s “Bottoms,” the high school comedy?

Loved! I went to its early screening. It was some festival, I can’t remember which festival. I fell in love with that movie. I saw it right before it came out, and I went up to the director [Emma Seligman] and I’m like, “Oh my God, I love this so much.” I want to work with her. I love that movie. It was one of my favorite movies last year, and it was hysterical, and it was so well done. I loved it.

With “The Matrix Resurrections,” did you catch the “Bound” Easter egg? There’s a sign that pays homage to Corky and her labrys tattoo. 

Wait, which one is “Resurrections”? The third one?

“Resurrections” was the fourth one that would’ve come out just a couple of years ago.

Oh God, I don’t remember. What happened?

There’s a moment in the movie where they have a business front sign that pays homage to “Bound” and I was curious to know if you’d seen the moment, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve seen the movie?

I’m sure I have seen the movie, but maybe… There are periods of time where I just blank out, I don’t see anything. I will re-see it again, because I don’t remember that.

Totally. It was also a pandemic release, so I will personally let you off the hook because it was really in the middle of a lot of stuff.

Yeah, we were all going through quite a bit. I was going through a lot of stuff then, so I probably… Maybe I didn’t see it then. I was dealing with a lot of stuff.

On a different front and more recent, you reunited with Jennifer Tilly for “Chucky.” What was that experience like?

Jennifer was just like, “You have to come and do this.” And I can’t say no to her, and Joey [Pantoliano] was doing it. I love Jennifer, so when she needed me, I’m like, “Sure, I’ll be there for you.” It was fun. It was fun to see Joey. It was fun to see Jennifer. It feels like nothing’s ever changed. Jennifer and I, we don’t see each other for a long time, and then we get together, and we’re like, “Ah!” We just have this eternal love for each other.

Do you have any favorite memories with Jennifer?

Oh my God, one of my favorite memories…

Big question. Sorry.

No, I just have no memory, which is crazy. I’m writing this whole [untitled project right now], and have to sit down and meditate, then things come up. What’s my favorite?

Well, I remember seeing Jennifer the first time and I’m like, “Who’s going to play Violet?” We were still unsure. “Am I playing Corky? Am I playing Violet?” I think I was leaning towards Corky and they really liked me as Corky, and it was just so different. I thought, “This is going to be a much more challenging role.” Especially coming after “Showgirls,” I loved the idea of just cutting off my hair, my nails, getting out of the femme and going into a more butch energy. And when I first met Jennifer, and the way she would move and talk, and she’s so feminine, and she just made me laugh, and I was like, “Oh my God, this is going to be easy working with her.” Just because I could watch her for hours. She just amuses me. She’s just adorable.

The two of you are obviously the main focus, but “Bound” has a spectacular supporting cast and I always thought Chris Meloni was especially underrated in it. I was curious to know if you had any favorite memories working with him?

Oh, he was great. Wasn’t he great in that?

It’s one of my favorite performances from him.

He’s fantastic in it. My scenes weren’t with him. I watched him, but we never actually had an interaction [on screen]. But watching him work, sometimes I’d watch what he was doing, I just thought everyone was amazing in the movie, but he was… I don’t think I appreciated how incredible he was until I saw the whole film when I could really watch his scenes. He’s hysterical. He and Joey, those scenes together are fantastic, and he’s great.

“Bound” is so deeply beloved and means so much to so many people. Is there anything about it that you’ve never been asked about before that you would like to discuss now? Anything that you would like to shout out? I know you mentioned that you love the score.

I love everything about it. I love the way it’s shot. I definitely love the score. I was listening to it the other day. When I was preparing for these, they sent me a bunch of cuts, and lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of [Enio Morricone]. I was like, “Wow, it really has that sort of vibe.” I’ve been asked a lot of questions about “Bound.” I always go back to, it was a real testament, and I was very proud of myself for really listening to my instincts and going against all the people who were trying to help me with my career. And I just said, “I’m doing this movie. These directors are incredible. The script is incredible. Why shouldn’t women be the hero? This is such a typical male part that it’s about time this changes.”

I just thought it was so smart, and I really appreciated them not caving into [industry pressure]. I think when they were offered more money to do it as a studio film, but to make Corky a man, they said no, and they stuck to their guns, thank God. [The Wachowskis] are just incredible filmmakers, and I feel very lucky that I got to shoot their first film with them. It’s something that was so special.

As far as more action goes, you’ve got “Borderlands” coming out this summer. What can you tell me about working with Eli Roth, and what can we expect from the film?

The film is absolutely bonkers. It’s so insane. I love Eli. I worked with him on “Thanksgiving.” That’s another one. Sometimes you work with people and you really love them. You have a relationship, and when he called me saying, “Listen, I’m doing this movie. It’s a slasher film. You’ve never been in a slasher film. You’ve got to come up for four days and just do it.” I’m like, “What? I’ve never done that.” He goes, “Yeah, yeah, I know. I will give you the most magnificent death ever.”

And so I couldn’t say no to him. That’s like the way when Jennifer asked me about [“Chucky”], she’s like, “You’ve got to come up and do this,” I’m like, “Okay…” 

I loved working with Eli on [“Thanksgiving” and “Borderlands.”] It’s just his enthusiasm when he’s like, “This is what’s going to happen.” I’m like, “Eli, really?” He goes, “No, no. You have to do it.” He did promise me he’d write me a whole movie. He’s like, “Listen, you do this, I’m going to write a whole film for you.” So I’m going to hold him to that at some point. He’s such a lovely guy. He just loves film so much. It’s very infectious.

Would you rather do an action film or a horror film with Eli?

I’d rather do a horror film with him. I think that’s really his sweet spot. That’s his thing. That’s his baby. He’s just like a little kid on a stage. But I would do anything with him.

[On “Borderlands”], I also loved working with Cate [Blanchett]. Cate and I’ve always wanted to do something together. And Jamie Lee [Curtis]! It was a really fantastic cast. And with Ariana [Greenblatt], I kept going, “Who is this girl? She’s going to be huge.” It’s an insane movie. 

I wish my part was a little bit bigger in it, but if you play the video game, it’s Moxxi. She comes in and out and does her thing. I had never done a Marvel film, and I guess this is the closest thing I’ve done to some crazy world [like that]. It was during the pandemic, so we were all on lockdown in Budapest together. It was just a terrific cast, and I was happy to be a part of it.

You’ll have to see it and let me know. I think I was so shocked the first time I saw it. I need to see a film a few times, like four or five times, so I can watch the whole thing. Usually the first few times I watch myself, and I’m just like, “Oh gosh, maybe I should have done this. Maybe I should have done that.” You sit there and pick yourself apart.

And that is why “Bound” is part of The Criterion Collection, so we can rewatch it whenever we need to.

[Laughter.] “Bound” is just one of those movies… I have to say, I have the same experience with “Killer Joe” and I have the same experience with “The Insider.” Those three movies, I watch them, and I forget what’s happening, and I’m like, “Oh my God, oh my God,! and I watch it like a pure audience member. Obviously, I know what happens, but I forget because the filmmaking is so good that I get caught up in it. You know what I mean? And so “Bound,” I just love watching it now. I can’t wait to see this new [DVD version]… I haven’t seen it that many times, but I’m always really into it when I see it. It’s a great film. I’m just so happy to be a part of it.

A special DVD edition of “Bound” is now available through The Criterion Collection