Ione Skye was in our eyes Tuesday morning when she stopped by TODAY to talk about the 30th anniversary of the classic romantic comedy “Say Anything...”
In the film, the actress plays overachieving student Diane Court, who falls for aspiring kickboxer Lloyd Dobler, played by John Cusack. Their love culminates in the classic boombox scene, where Lloyd holds a giant radio over his head while Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" plays in order to let Diane know he wasn't giving up on love.
Surprisingly, Skye, 48, said she didn't realize the scene would captivate audiences like it did.
“I didn’t know the boombox thing would be something ‘cause you can’t really predict that,” Skye said.
Three decades have passed since the movie came out, but that scene continues to transcend time. What would a scene like that look like now?
“I don’t know," she said. "It’s like a serenade. A modern-day serenade, it was a very clever serenade, so I don’t know.”
But she does know why the film continues to wow audiences all these years later.
“People relate to the characters because they’re both unusual, outcast characters," she said. "A man will say, ‘I was Diane Court’ or just I think just having these outcast kind of characters people really related to them. It’s nice to be in something that people who’ve seen the film seem so close to.”
On set, the actors and crew started to realize how powerful the movie would be, Skye said.
"I think halfway through (filming), everybody was like, ‘Wow, this is gonna be amazing,’” she said.
Movies have come a long way since "Say Anything..." came out, but the actress, who recently starred on HBO's "Camping" with Jennifer Garner, believes it has a certain charm that appeals to fans, who continue to embrace Diane and Lloyd's love story.“It’s very earnest and kind of simple and nowadays it’s kind of a little more sophisticated,” she said.
The movie has certainly bonded Skye and Cusack, who continue to enjoy a warm friendship. “Every few years we would hang out. We really, really love each other," she said.
And when she watches old clips of him from the movie, the actress is struck by one thing. "I just think how cute John Cusack was, really."
As for being part of a beloved movie, Skye, who had only been in two other movies at that time, has only great memories of making it. "I was kind of in heaven” she said. “It was exactly what I wanted to be doing."