Nancy Thompson is a one-of-a-kind horror heroine. Heather Langenkamp landed the role of Freddy Krueger’s (Robert Englund) formidable foe in writer/director Wes Craven’sA Nightmare on Elm Street(1984) nearly 40 years ago. And over the decades, Langenkamp has been offered the opportunity to play other horror-centric parts thanks to her wonderful performance in theNightmareseries. But she likened all those other scary film roles to a “Taco Bell burrito” on theInside of You with Michael Rosenbaumpodcast. Langenkamp said:
Like there’s never as good a part as Nancy. It would just be hard to do that. It’d be like, you know, having this great meal with everything there, and then you go and have a Taco Bell burrito. It’s like, ‘Why do that?’
Langenkamp did have the opportunity to audition for other genre roles, after the success ofA Nightmare on Elm Street, and she even appeared in two of New Line Cinema’s sequels:A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors(1987) and the critically praisedWes Craven’s New Nightmare(1994).
However, she’s arguably best known outside of theNightmareseries for portraying Marie Lubbock on the television seriesJust the Ten of Us. The sitcom coincidentally also featured two other actresses from theNightmarefranchise portraying Lubbock sisters: JoAnn Willette (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge)and Brooke Theiss (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master).
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Heather Langenkamp’s Horror Legacy
Heather Langenkampportrays one of the Silver Screen’s preeminent Final Girls. Nancy Thompson doesn’t just find herself running for her life in 1984’sA Nightmare on Elm Street. Unlike say actressJamie Lee Curtis in 1978’sHalloween, or Adrienne King inFriday the 13th(1980) — both very worthy Scream Queens in their own rights — Nancy takes the fight to Freddy Krueger rather than just scrambling around for her life. And, even then, Langenkamp knew how different a character Nancy was in the horror genre. Langenkamp said in the same podcast:
“So, I went out for Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Like I would have auditions for genre movies because they had seen it [A Nightmare on Elm Street] and liked it. So, I did have a lot of more genre movies [to choose from]. I wanted to do anything, but I didn’t really want to take another horror movie part because I knew — I’ve always known ever since that none are ever as good [as Nancy].”
Over the years, Langenkamp has done her fair share of acting outside the realm of horror. Yes, the actress shot a scene in director Francis Ford Coppola’sThe Outsiders, even though it hit the cutting room floor. In 1994, the actress gave a riveting performance as ice skater Nancy Kerrigan inTonya & Nancy: The Inside Story, and she even appeared inStar Trek Into Darknessas Moto. And her husband, David LeRoy Anderson, helped design Moto’s make-up.
But Langenkamp will always be associated with playing the strong-willed Nancy Thompson who lived at 1428 Elm Street. Sadly, even though she’s mesmerizing as Nancy, Langenkamp was often told not to mention having played the role when the actress went out on auditions. Langenkamp told Michael Rosenbaum during the podcast:
“I do think that it wasn’t a genre that people went to go see on their own, if they weren’t already fans of horror. I do think the audience was 16 to 24. I think all the money they [New Line Cinema] made was from that age group — people across the country that wasn’t executives[…]
I mean, I would often be told to take it off my resume… like before I went into parts. They didn’t want — there was just a big stigma still attached to being in a horror movie. And nobody can really understand it now because we’ve flipped 100%. But it wasn’t something that my agents talked about.”
Whereas some Scream Queens star in films that are arguably unwatchable, Langenkamp had the fortune ofportraying Nancy Thompsonin three must-seeElm Streetinstallments. The actress also stars in a wonderful documentary titledI Am Nancy,which is tantamount to the type of fun “required reading” all fans of the horror genre should dive into.
