‘RoboCop’ Actress Nancy Allen Shares Her Film Franchise Memories at Hollywood Show

At the recent Hollywood Show in Burbank, California, 1980s icon Nancy Allen recently shared some stories of her memories on set during the ’80s science fiction film franchise RoboCop. Allen is best known for her role as Anne Lewis, a cop working in crime-ridden Detroit and the partner of Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), who becomes RoboCop after being shot and almost killed. Allen played her role in the first three films: RoboCop (1987), RoboCop 2 (1990) and RoboCop 3 (1993).

Courtesy Hollywood Show and POSE

Allen’s first impressions of the script:

Orion Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

“I received the script from my agent. I took it out of the package, and I saw RoboCop. I thought, ‘They’re going to change this title, right?’ That was the first thing. I picked up the script and thought I’d read a few pages. I read the whole thing immediately, and when I got to Anne, I just felt very passionate about her. I desperately wanted to play this role. My father had been a New York City cop, so I felt like I knew this person. I know this relationship. I feel really honored that I got to play her, especially in the first film, because that relationship they had was so important. I will say it was the first time in my career I got so many letters from young girls who were inspired by her. So very, very special.”

Allen’s on-set memory:

Photo by Mike Pingel

“So, here’s one of my memories. It’s a horrible memory, but I’m going to tell you. At the end of the film, we were at the steel mill, and I had to go in the water to be shot and all of that. It was freezing cold, rusty and disgusting, and they said I needed to put on a wetsuit. So, I’ll tell you how vain I was. I said, ‘I am not putting a wetsuit on; I will look like a whale in the movie,’ and they said, ‘No, no, no. You have to.’ I said, ‘I’m not doing it.’ So, when I got dressed, I didn’t put it on. I went in that water; it was freezing cold. I’m amazed that I’m still alive because it was really disgusting. After that, I said, ‘OK, I’ll put the wetsuit on,’ and of course, they made a picture of that, and I indeed looked like a whale. So, there you have it.”

Allen on director Paul Verhoeven:

Orion Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

“It was a delight to make this movie every day. I really think every day was action-packed because of Paul Verhoeven, who was truly a master filmmaker, and you could feel every second of every day that this was going to be a great film. So, here we are all these years later, and I’m happy to be here.”

Allen’s take on RoboCop’s technology:

Orion/courtesy Everett Collection

“[RoboCop writer] Michael Miner: It was because of him that they had GPS, which, of course, we did not have in those days. That really came from him and all the studies. He was totally into science. I don’t know, it doesn’t seem antiquated, but we’re certainly not there yet with AI. I remember we talked about it being futuristic, and I think that those costumes, the jumpsuits, were really so stupid. Paul hated the helmets, saying, ‘Get rid of them, get rid of them, they’re horrible. I hate them.’ But I think now technology is far more advanced.”

Allen’s favorite line in RoboCop:

“Let’s just say Dan O’Herlihy somehow ended up with the best line in the movie: ‘Dick, I’m very disappointed.’ My favorite line.”

RoboCop, the film series, is streaming on Max. For more behind-the-scenes content, check out the 2023 film RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, an in-depth look at the hit ’80s film with the cast and crew.

Here are some photos from the panel:

Photo by Mike Pingel

Photo by Mike Pingel

Photo by Mike Pingel

Photo by Mike Pingel

Photo by Mike Pingel