'Purple Rain': 18 Surprising Behind The Scenes Facts About the Hit Movie

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to remember Purple Rain, one of the hottest movies to come out in 1984. The movie Purple Rain is a semi-autobiographical musical drama film, starring the iconic musician Prince in his acting debut.

The film follows the character known as The Kid, played by Prince, a talented but troubled young musician struggling to escape the shadow of his abusive father while navigating the competitive music scene in Minneapolis.

Purple Rain is renowned for its electrifying musical performances, featuring several of Prince's greatest hits, including When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy, and of course, Purple Rain. These performances are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story, serving as emotional crescendos that propel the narrative forward.

Forty years after Purple Rain came out, we look at surprising behind the scenes facts.

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1. Purple Rain wasn’t projected to be a box-office success

To nearly everyone’s surprise, the film earned nearly $70 million at the box office (almost 10 times what it cost to make). The soundtrack album was No. 1 on the Billboard album chart for a remarkable 24 consecutive weeks, from the summer of 1984 into early 1985.

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2. The script went through many revisions

Originally the movie was slated to be a vehicle to showcase Prince’s musical talents, but quickly turned into a semi-autobiographical tale reflecting his own experiences as a struggling musician in Minneapolis. It went through many revisions, with input from Prince, director Albert Magnoli, and screenwriter William Blinn.

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3. Minneapolis had its shining moment

While New York, L.A., Detroit and other U.S. cities are often the location for films, Prince was adamant that Purple Rain be shot in Minneapolis. He wanted to pay homage to the city's vibrant music scene and cultural diversity.

From its gritty streets to its bustling nightclubs, Minneapolis serves as a character in its own right, shaping the narrative and atmosphere of the film. Many of the film's locations, including the iconic First Avenue nightclub, were real-life landmarks frequented by Prince and his contemporaries.

4. Prince won an Oscar for Purple Rain

At 26, Prince was the youngest person to win the Academy Award for Best Score, surpassing George Harrison, who was 27 when he won for Let It Be (1970).

The movie’s soundtrack spent nearly a full half-year at Number One on the Billboard charts, sold 20 million copies worldwide and won two Grammys.

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5. Dancing and acting lessons for all

Prince arranged for all the actors and musicians in Purple Rain to take dance and acting classes three times a week at the Minnesota Dance Theatre prior to filming.

6. The sex scene in Purple Rain was shot three ways

The cast and crew shot The Kid and Apollonia's love scene with three different MPAA ratings in mind. The R-rated version was kept in.

7. Vanity was originally going to play Prince’s love interest

But she couldn’t because she was cast to play Mary Magdalene in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. Ironically, Scorsese’s biblical flick got delayed because of financing, and Vanity's part in the production was eventually scrapped.

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8. Prince made Apollonia break up with her real-life boyfriend

The role finally went to Apollonia Kotero, who was dating Van Halen band member David Lee Roth at the time. Prince demanded the couple break up so fans would speculate on whether Apollonia and Prince’s on-screen relationship was real.

She complied. He also demanded that she didn’t publicly date anyone during the film’s promotion.

9. School vs. starring role

Jennifer Beals of Flashdance fame was offered the role of Apollonia. She turned it down in order to study at Yale.

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10. Darling Nikki caused a stir

Tipper Gore (then-wife of Al Gore) founded the Parents Music Resource Center in 1985 after hearing Darling Nikki — with its sexual references — playing on her 11-year-old daughter’s stereo.

The song became one of the “Filthy Fifteen” the PMRC committee objected to, along with Cyndi Lauper’s She Bop. After a Senate hearing, the Record Industry Association of America agreed to use their own discretion to label potentially offensive music. This was the start of the Parental Advisory stickers that started showing up on CDs, warning of adult content.

11. Prince and Morris Day had a complicated relationship

By the time the film was released, Morris Day and Prince were not on speaking terms due to creative differences.

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12. Hindsight is 20/20

The Purple Rain script was shopped around to numerous production companies, including Indigo Films, which was owned by Jim Brown and Richard Pryor. In his memoir, Jim Brown: All American (2002), Brown expressed his disappointment about not acquiring the project.

13. The culture significance of Purple Rain

The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2019.

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14. Apollonia’s famous lake scene in Purple Rain

While shooting the Lake Minnetonka scene, Apollonia actually jumped into freezing cold water, take after take after take (she did it four times). It was so cold that she developed hypothermia. Her takes were then moved to Los Angeles, California.

15. Pre-night jitters

A few days before the premiere, Prince was convinced the movie was going to bomb. He had nightmares that Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, the two biggest film critics at the time, were going to tear it apart. Fortunately, Siskel and Ebert both loved the film and gave it positive reviews.

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16. Too racy to show?

Scenes of Wendy and Lisa kissing, suggesting a same-sex relationship, were deleted from the final version. In real life, they were in a relationship. Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin and keyboardist Lisa Coleman kept their relationship private, and stayed together for 20 years.

17. Father and son

When The Kid's father is playing the piano during Father's Song, it was actually Prince who recorded it. His dad, however, did compose the piece.

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18. There was a name change in Purple Rain

An early, simpler version of the unpronounceable symbol that Prince changed his name to during his dispute with Warner Bros. is painted on the side of his motorcycle's gas tank. It also appears on a wall of the overpass his motorcycle rides under during the song When Doves Cry.

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