Priscilla Presley has had quite the life, and quite the career, on-screen and off it, but one of her most iconic movie roles will not be revisited, in news that might disappoint fans of her funniest role. Speaking at FanExpo San Francisco, during a panel that reflected on her career, Presley was asked about her experiences on The Naked Gun alongside the late and legendary Leslie Nielsen. Presley played Jane Spencer in The Naked Gun series, and is a key character in the franchise as she serves as the love interest of Nielsen’s bumbling detective Frank Drebin. She appeared in all three movies: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994).
While she dismissed encouragement from fans who wanted to see her appear in the reboot — which will star Liam Neeson in Nielsen’s role as Frank Drebin — she did reflect fondly on her time with Nielsen, and admitted her curiosity at seeing how Pamela Anderson would handle her role.
“It was difficult to get through a scene with him. He was great, and I miss him very much, but he passed. It was hard to get through these things, laughing at each other. He would start laughing, crying with laughing until the director would come and he would say ‘Okay kids, we’re going to take this seriously’. Now we’re on our fourth take and as he’s talking to me, you don’t see me, I’m looking away, I’m cracking up. He was so good, so deadpan. Well, I was good too. I guess they’re going to do a new one now. I hear Pamela Anderson is going to play my part, and
I’m sure she’ll be good. I’d like to see her and how she plays it.
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Priscilla Presley Won’t Return to ‘The Naked Gun’
This isn’t the first time that Presley has ruled herself out of returning to the series, particularly in the wake of Nielsen’s death. Speaking to the London Evening Standard in 2022, Presley stated that she felt it was perfect the way it was, and that there was no point attempting to improve something to her mind which was already perfect.
“No, I won’t [be in it]! I wouldn’t do it really if I was asked because you don’t fix something that’s already fixed. That movie I don’t think can be rebooted in the way that Leslie Nielsen and I did it. It was just a great relationship and friendship and we got along great on the set and that was just all fun and what a great experience. Now, in this one, gosh, the actors who are playing the characters, I can’t see it visually. Maybe it will come across great, but I wouldn’t be a part of it.”
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the Naked Gun reboot starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
- Release Date
- December 2, 1988
- Director
- David Zucker
- Cast
- Leslie Nielsen , Priscilla Presley , Ricardo Montalban , George Kennedy , O.J. Simpson , Susan Beaubian
- Runtime
- 85 minutes
- Writers
- Jerry Zucker , Jim Abrahams , David Zucker , Pat Proft