Alicia Silverstone at 49: How the ‘Batman & Robin’ Star Still Wins Hearts Nearly 30 Years Later
Alicia Silverstone, 49, has been a familiar face in Hollywood for almost three decades, and fans still admire her work today. She first appeared on television in 1992 on The Wonder Years, playing Kevin’s high school crush in the episode “Road Test.”
Shortly after, she made her movie debut in the thriller The Crush, where she played a teenager who targets an older man after being rejected. Silverstone was only 15 at the time and became legally emancipated so she could work the long hours required for filming. The role earned her two MTV Movie Awards in 1994, for Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Villain.
Her early success continued with small TV movies like Torch Song, Cool and the Crazy, and Scattered Dreams. After The Crush, director Marty Callner cast her in Aerosmith’s music video “Cryin’,” where her navel piercing became a cultural trend. She also appeared in Aerosmith’s videos for “Amazing” and “Crazy,” which helped make her a household name. It was after seeing these videos that director Amy Heckerling cast her in Clueless as Cher Horowitz, a charming but spoiled Beverly Hills teenager.
The movie became a huge hit in 1995, earning Silverstone awards from MTV, Blockbuster, the Kids’ Choice Awards, and more. The success of Clueless also landed her a multi-million-dollar deal with Columbia-TriStar and her own production company, First Kiss Productions.
In 1997, Silverstone took on the role of Batgirl in Batman & Robin. The movie had a massive $160 million budget but only earned $238 million worldwide. Critics were harsh, and Silverstone received a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. Despite this, she won a Kids’ Choice Award for the same role. That year, she also released Excess Baggage, the first film produced by her company, but it earned modest returns and mixed reviews. Later, she starred in Blast from the Past in 1999, which had a limited box office success.
During the 2000s, Silverstone focused on smaller films, theater, and television. She appeared in Love’s Labour’s Lost in 2000, voiced the lead character in the animated show Braceface, and made her Broadway debut in The Graduate. She also starred in films like Scorched, Global Heresy, and Beauty Shop, and led the NBC series Miss Match, earning a Golden Globe nomination despite the show’s short run. Her roles during this period varied, from a villain in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed to a mother in Stormbreaker, and she continued to act in theater productions like Boston Marriage and Speed-the-Plow.
Silverstone also explored writing and advocacy. In 2009, she released The Kind Diet, a vegan guide that became a New York Times bestseller. She became a vegan in 1998 and has been active in animal rights ever since. She has worked with PETA, set up a pet sanctuary, and campaigned for vegan options in schools and prisons.
In the 2010s and 2020s, Silverstone returned to acting in independent films and TV series, including The Art of Getting By, Butter, Vamps, American Woman, The Baby-Sitters Club, and Masters of the Universe: Revelation. She also appeared in Book Club and thrillers like The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Reptile. She continues to work in projects that align with her interests and values, including executive producing the 2024 documentary I Could Never Go Vegan.
On a personal note, Silverstone married musician Christopher Jarecki in 2005 after dating for eight years. They have a son together but divorced in 2018. She is known for her eco-friendly lifestyle, including living in a solar-powered home with a vegetable garden and rescued pets.
Alicia Silverstone’s career has had its highs and lows, from the breakthrough of Clueless to the criticism of Batman & Robin, but she has remained a recognizable and respected figure in Hollywood. She continues to act, advocate for animals, and inspire fans with her work and lifestyle choices.
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