Alicia Silverstone Remembers Clueless For 25th Anniversary: Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, & Finding Cher 'Unappealing'

Letting the 25th anniversary of Clueless pass by without a trip down memory lane? As if!

Clueless was an absolute sensation in the ’90s, but the remix of Jane Austen‘s Emma is just as beloved now as it was then. In celebration of the quarter century milestone, star Alicia Silverstone chatted with Vogue about working with director Amy Heckerling, her memories of the late, great Brittany Murphy, and the legacy of the high school classic.

While Silverstone enjoys the film’s success and the lasting impact of her character Cher Horowitz, that wasn’t always the case. In fact, she originally had a pretty negative impression of the teen queen. She explained:

“I found Cher on the page to be materialistic and unappealing. And really annoying, to be honest. Just everything I sort of loathed. But I realized that was just me judging her, and once I started working on her I found all the heart and all the love. She loves her daddy so much! And she’s trying to be a supportive friend, so I just sorta put all of my love and heart into this character with these other aspects that were cringeworthy.”

The now 43-year-old described working on the film as quite grueling and “very much a job.” She recalled feeling “over it” and “frustrated” at the endless costume fittings, but admitted the end result — Cher’s iconic wardrobe — was “genius.”

The Baby-Sitter’s Club star called Heckerling the “best” kind of director to work with, while granting onscreen love interest Paul Rudd the superlative of Most Like His Character IRL:

“He’s just a good guy who’s smart and lovable and all those good things that make up Josh.”

Not-so-fun fact: Silverstone eventually got rid of all the clothes she kept from set (no!!!), so the only remaining memento she has from the film is a photo Rudd took of her rescue dog Samson. That does sound cute at least!

Though she claimed not to know onscreen BFF Stacey Dash very well, she had fond memories of meeting Brittany Murphy. She said:

“I just remember thinking she was so great for the part. I can’t remember how many girls came in to audition for Tai that day and I don’t know if I saw a few girls for it or just her, but I remember Brittany being really adorable. She’s so good at the little accent because she had one already, but I think she just pushed it to new heights. I found her so wonderful and I said to Amy right away ‘I think she’s the one! She was the best one you guys!’ hoping they would agree. She was like ‘Uh yeah duh. Of course she was the best, she’s the one.'”

The actress called the audience reaction to the hit “intense,” and the overwhelming response nearly drove her away from the film industry for good. However, she was able to reignite her passion for acting and find a deep appreciation for the legacy of Clueless.

Silverstone cited the impact on the gay community as her “favorite aspect of the film.” She joked:

“Christian Siriano is like my real-life Christian. Whenever we hang out he’s basically like my boyfriend. We love each other so much and I’m sure some of that stems from him really admiring Clueless and what Cher meant to him and all of his friends growing up.”

She also marveled at how “incredible” it is the movie has continued to reach so many new young fans. When asked what about Clueless makes it still feel fresh for present-day audiences, she responded:

“I think people identify with Cher’s heart and her willingness to change and grow because of how silly she was. She was trying hard to evolve because of her sweet Josh. I don’t know how to explain why or what made Clueless what it was, but I know it happened and I know that people continue to love it. And it never gets old, so that’s the good news. People always say ‘Oh you must be so sick of it.’ But what’s there to be sick of? People liking the movie you’re in? It truly doesn’t get better.”

We’ll always love Cher — and clearly, Alicia will too!

[Image via WENN/Avalon & Paramount/Netflix]