Yeardley Smith Reveals the Thing She Wishes She’d Known Before Filming ‘Legend of Billie Jean’ Scene

Lauren Novak May 28, 5:44 pm

Yeardley Smith, 60, recently opened up about her experience filming 1985’s The Legend of Billie Jean. In the Instagram clip, Smith talks while a scene from the movie, in which a then-20-year-old Smith played 13-year-old Putter, plays in the background. She says, “This clip from The Legend of Billie Jean, which was my second movie, popped up in my feed the other day and I remember shooting this night.”

During the scene, Billie Jean watches an old film about Joan of Arc and decides to cut off her hair into a buzz cut much like Joan of Arc. Meanwhile, Smith says that “the rest of us were in the a scene in the backyard of this huge house in Texas and I ate an entire chocolate cake because nobody told me you could use a spit bucket between takes. So yeah, you know, live and learn.”

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The Legend of Billie Jean is a teen action drama set in Corpus Christi, Texas, which follows Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her younger brother Binx (Christian Slater), who become fugitives after a violent confrontation with a local bully and his corrupt father.

It all starts when Binx’s scooter is stolen and trashed by Hubie Pyatt, leading Billie Jean to demand justice. But when she seeks reimbursement from Hubie’s father, Mr. Pyatt, things spiral out of control after he assaults her and Binx accidentally shoots him. The siblings, along with friends Ophelia and Putter, go on the run.

As their story gains media attention, Billie Jean becomes a folk hero to teens, especially after releasing a video demanding fairness and donning a rebellious, Joan of Arc-inspired look. But with the police closing in, she must decide whether to keep running or stand her ground.

THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN, Peter Coyote, Martha Gehman, Yeardley Smith, 1985

TriStar Pictures/Everett Collection

If you haven’t seen the film, you may also recognize Smith as the voice of Lisa Simpson among other characters on The Simpsons. Most recently, she also appeared in the movie Possessions.