October 31, 2023
Watch: In a Halloween Treat, Ariana Grande and Liz Gillies Dress as (and Re-Enact) 'Showgirls'
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Who are you dressing up as this Halloween? If you're Ariana Grande and BFF/"Victorious" castmate Elizabeth Gillies, it's chilling, thrilling "Showgirls." The pair aren't just getting into costume; they've re-created several scenes from the infamous 1995 Joe Eszterhas-written film.
"The pair shared a dozen photos of their detailed costumes to Instagram on Monday night (Oct. 30), with Grande dressed up as Nomi Malone, Elizabeth Berkley's rookie stripper in the 1995 Paul Verhoeven-directed erotic thriller. Gillies dressed up as Cristal Connors, Gina Gershon's jaded showgirl desperate to cling to her position as the top dancer," Billboard reported.
The duo got into a spirited re-creation of a scene in the post, the music magazine recounted. "'You and me...we're exactly alike,' Gillies captioned one photo of the pair side-by-side, wearing coordinated black ensembles that look like they're borrowed directly from the movie set."
"In a joint post, Gillies quotes another of Gershon's famous lines from the film: 'You are a whore, Darlin'!'" Billboard went on to note.
"And in a final quotable caption: 'There's always someone younger and hungrier coming down the stairs after you.'"
The fun went live-action with several videos that the two friends also posted. In one, the two, in "Showgirls" character, re-enact the dialogue from the first still photo: "You and me. we're exactly alike." The rejoinder: "I'll never be like you!"
In another, they mull what to order at a restaurant.
And in the third they swill champagne – which Grande calls "Holy water" before Grande says, "You have great tits! They're really beautiful." The conversation only gets more flirty from there, including the "You are a whore, darlin'!" line.
The "Showgirls" flashback was a sequel to last year's movie magic moment, when the two similarly riffed on the Christopher Guest mockumentary "Best in Show." Detailed Billboard: "Gillies portrays Jane Lynch's character Christy Cummings while Grande takes on her partner, Jennifer Coolidge's Sherri Ann Cabot. Later on in the scenes, Grande transforms into Eugene Levy's Gerry Fleck – eyebrows and all – while Gillies plays Catherine O'Hara's curly-haired Cookie Fleck."
Say what you will about the much-panned movie – which has since become a cult classic – but the All Hallow's vibes these clips send out are funnier and friendlier than the creepy Christmas videos Kevin Spacey posted in the persona of his "House of Cards" character in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.