Gina Gershon says she turned down role after Prince wanted to rebrand her with a single name
By CASSIE CARPENTER, US SHOW BUSINESS REPORTER
Gina Gershon had a glamorous, close encounter with the late great Prince Rogers Nelson in 1983 while he was searching for someone to play his onscreen leading lady in the film Purple Rain.
‘”Prince wants to meet you. He’s doing a movie and the lead woman has to be able to sing, dance and act. I told him about you,”‘ a musician friend told the 63-year-old Showgirls alum – according to Page Six.
At the time, Gershon was still a senior enrolled at New York University pursuing a BFA degree in drama and psychology/philosophy but she eagerly took the trip to Minnesota where the Purple One picked her up by limousine.