It seems that a Hollywood celebrity gets «canceled» every month these days, but Anne Heche feels like she was unfortunately way ahead of that trend.
Anne has previously spoken about how her highly-public relationship with Ellen DeGeneres from 1997 to 2000 essentially got her blacklisted from Hollywood for a while. In a new interview with Page Six, she calls herself «patient zero in cancel culture.»
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«This wasn’t a long-term love affair,» Anne said of the romance. «This was a moment in my life when I was given the glory of being able to stand up for what I believe in and have since I was a kid.»
Anne’s «cancel culture» moment came in 1997 when she invited Ellen to the premiere of her film «Volcano.» The same-sex couple’s arrival was highly scrutinized. Now, nearly 25 years later, Anne said Hollywood wasn’t ready for an out-and-proud same sex couple.
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«I didn’t do a studio picture for ten years,» she said. «I was fired from a $10 million picture deal and did not see the light of day in a studio picture.»
In the chat, Anne revealed that she was in talks to star opposite Harrison Ford in «Six Days, Seven Nights.» However, after the premiere, the studio implied that she was no longer being considered for the part. As this was happening, Harrison called her.
«He said, ‘Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn who you’re sleeping with. We have a romantic comedy to make. Let’s make it the best one that’s ever happened,'» Anne remembered. «That is why Harrison Ford is my hero. To stand behind me at such a time when the force of what I was standing up for could have been toppled.»
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All these years later, Anne feels that she helped set the wheels in motion for how society now views sexuality.
«Those repercussions that happened, are to me what has created a part of the change,» she said. «I’m a part of it. It is a badge of honor.»