Phoebe Cates' Age In Fast Times: A Teen Icon

Phoebe Cates was 19 when she starred in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which became a career-defining role for the actress. Cates was born on July 16, 1963, in New York City and began modelling at the age of 10. She was discovered during her modelling career and went on to pursue acting, making her debut in the 1982 film Paradise.

Phoebe Cates's age in Paradise (17)

Phoebe Cates was 17 when she filmed Paradise (1982). She was born on July 16, 1963, in New York City, and Paradise was filmed in Israel from March to May 1981.

Cates was offered the part after a screen test in New York. She was uncertain about the nudity the role required, but her father encouraged her to take the job. In the film, Cates performed several full-frontal nude scenes and several rear scenes while still a minor. The movie had a plot similar to The Blue Lagoon. She also sang the film's theme song and recorded an album of the same name.

Cates later regretted appearing in the film. She claimed that the producers used a body double to film nude close-ups of her character without her knowledge. She recalled in a 1982 interview that she had trouble with the career change: as a model, she had to be conscious of the camera; but as an actor, she could not.

Cates's performance in Paradise was not the only time she appeared on screen while a minor. In the same year, she starred as Jennifer Jason Leigh's "experienced" confidante in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), featuring what Rolling Stone described as "the most memorable bikini-drop in cinema history".

Cates's career before Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Phoebe Cates was born on July 16, 1963, in New York City. She started modelling at the age of 10, appearing in Seventeen and other teen-oriented magazines. At 14, she began a short but successful career as a model, appearing on the cover of Seventeen magazine four times, as well as on the covers of Elle, Vogue, and Andy Warhol's Interview.

Dissatisfied with modelling, Cates decided to pursue acting. She was offered her first role in the 1982 film Paradise after a screen test in New York. In the film, Cates performed several full-frontal nude scenes while still a minor (age 17). She later regretted taking the role, claiming that the film's producers used a body double to film nude close-ups without her consent.

The same year she starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Cates also appeared in Amy Heckerling's acclaimed teen movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, playing the confident Linda Barrett. Cates's character gave advice to Stacy Hamilton (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) about sex and dating, and the two characters' frank conversations about sex are some of the most memorable quotes from the film.

Her career after Fast Times

Phoebe Cates was 19 when she starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. After the film's release in 1982, Cates continued her acting career, appearing in several films throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1983, Cates starred in the comedy Private School, alongside Matthew Modine and Betsy Russell. The following year, she took on the role of Christine Ramsey in the innovative Gremlins, directed by Joe Dante for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. Gremlins was a box office hit and became the highest-grossing film of her career. Cates reprised her role in the 1990 sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

In addition to her film career, Cates remained active in theatre. She made her Off-Broadway debut in 1984 with the play The Nest of the Wood Grouse, followed by appearances in several other Off-Broadway productions, including Rich Relations and a one-act festival at the Manhattan Punchline. On the West Coast, she played "Nina" in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Anton Chekhov's "The Sea Gull". Cates also appeared in "Much Ado About Nothing" at New York's Public Theatre and as "Juliet" in Chicago's Goodman Theatre production of "Romeo and Juliet".

In 1989, Cates married actor Kevin Kline, whom she had met during her audition for The Big Chill in 1983. They moved to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where they raised their two children, Owen and Greta.

Cates continued to act steadily through the early 1990s, appearing in films such as Date with an Angel (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988), Heart of Dixie (1989), Shag (1989), and Drop Dead Fred (1991). In 1994, she starred in the comedy-drama Princess Caraboo, which was her last film before she shifted her focus away from acting to raise her children.

Cates briefly returned to acting in 2001, appearing in The Anniversary Party as a favour to her friend and former Fast Times at Ridgemont High castmate, director Jennifer Jason Leigh. In 2005, she opened a boutique, Blue Tree, on New York's Madison Avenue.

The iconic bikini-drop scene

Phoebe Cates was 17 when she filmed the iconic bikini-drop scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, released in 1982. In the scene, Cates' character, Linda Barrett, climbs out of a pool in slow motion and removes her red bikini top to the tune of "Moving in Stereo" by The Cars. The sequence takes place in the imagination of Brad Hamilton (Judge Reinhold), the older brother of Linda's friend Stacy.

The scene has been described as "the most memorable bikini-drop in cinema history" by Rolling Stone. It has also been labelled as "iconic but problematic" for its sexualisation of Cates' character. While other scenes in the film featuring nudity serve a purpose in the plot, this scene is a non-sequitur with no impact on the overarching narrative, making the nudity feel gratuitous and unnecessary.

Despite the controversy, Cates seemed comfortable with her decision to do the scene, saying in a 1982 interview: "I was only 17 when I did my nude scenes in 'Paradise.' They were serious and more difficult because they were not easily justified. But the topless scene in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' was funny, which made it easy." She also stated: "In this business, if a girl wants a career, she has to be willing to strip. If you've got a good bod, then why not show it?"

Cates' co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh recalled feeling nervous about doing her own nude scene in the film and turning to Cates for advice. Cates reassured her, saying, "it's not that big a deal," helping to ease her nerves.

The scene has certainly left a mark on pop culture, with parodies and recreations in shows like Family Guy and Scrubs, as well as a gender-swapped homage in Stranger Things season 3. In 2020, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt also reenacted the scene during a table read of the film, raising money for COVID-19 relief.

Cates's co-stars in Fast Times

Phoebe Cates was 19 when she starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, released in 1982.

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Cates shared the screen with Jennifer Jason Leigh, who played Stacy Hamilton, a 15-year-old freshman and the younger sister of Brad Hamilton. Leigh's character works at Perry's Pizza and desires to be as sexually experienced as her older friend, Linda Barrett.

Leigh was also in the 2001 film The Anniversary Party, alongside Cates.

Judge Reinhold

Judge Reinhold played Brad Hamilton, the older brother of Stacy, who works at an entry-level job at All-American Burger to pay for his car. His character plans to break up with his girlfriend, Lisa, so he can be single for his senior year.

Robert Romanus

Robert Romanus played Mike Damone, a smooth-talking, worldly ladies' man who earns money by taking sports bets and scalping concert tickets.

Brian Backer

Brian Backer portrayed Mark "Rat" Ratner, Damone's shy but amiable best friend. Ratner works as an usher at the movie theatre across from Perry's Pizza.

Ray Walston

Ray Walston played Mr. Hand, the history teacher at Ridgemont High.

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