Annabel Schofield in a screen shot from Solar Crisis
Last week Mirror80 published Part 1 of our interview with the lovely Annabel Schofield, an author and producer who enjoyed an acting and international modeling career in the 1980s and 1990s. Ms. Schofield shared her thoughts on ’80s fashion, and she reflected on what it was like to act and model in the midst of the decade of decadence! Today, Annabel discusses her ’80s memories, as well as her serialized novel The Cherry Alignment, which semi-autobiographically explores the life of an actress in 1980s-90s Hollywood. Her blog of the same name is a wealth of information on 1980s fashion, film and music. Read on for more fabulous ’80s details…
Your blog does an amazing job of showcasing 1980s music, fashion and film. Will you indulge us in a little trip down memory lane?…
De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising
Favorite 80s bands?
I was heavily into Prince, Big Audio Dynamite, Gwen Guthrie (and a lot of soulful dance music,) De La Soul, Public Enemy, Talking Heads, I have to admit to a tiny bit of Madonna & Michael Jackson but I was much more interested in underground music. Hip Hop in general, Grandmaster Flash, Eric B & Rakim, Schooly D, Beastie Boys, a lot of reggae.
Favorite actors to work with?
This could get me in trouble! Howard Keel from Dallas, Ben Cross, Patrick Macnee, F Murray Abraham, Patrick Warburton, Eartha Kitt, Dorian Harwood, Tim Matheson. Definitely not Charlton Heston!
Annabel Schofield and Larry Hagman in Dallas
Favorite 1980s nighttime destinations?
Crazy Larry’s, The Wag Club and the Cafe De Paris in London, Paladium, Danceteria, Area and The World in New York, Les Bains Douches in Paris.
Did you make any interesting interior design purchases during the 1980s?
No! I was traveling too much. I bought an apartment in London in about 1982 and promptly went to live in New York. I used to buy bits of artwork and things when I was traveling, but I spent most of my money on music, travel and clothes.
Annabel Schofield and Mickey Rourke in a screen shot from Exit in Red
Your serialized novel The Cherry Alignment recounts the ’80s in wonderful detail. What inspired you to revisit the decade of decadence for this piece?
It started out as a screenplay. I was watching a really bad film about 9 years ago that attempted to depict an acid trip, with very limited success. I thought that with the access we have nowadays to VFX and CGI that it would be possible to make an amazing psychedelic film with 3D effects, etc. Once I had that basic idea, the rest just kind of fell into place. The original screenplay took 3 weeks to write. The resulting novel took 5 years, but I do go into a lot more detail.
The other reason is that there seems to be a lot of misinformation flying around that the 80’s was some kind of a joke decade with terrible clothes and makeup. It was an incredibly fun, creative time and I don’t know anyone in my circle who ever wore pink leg-warmers! I remember once being at the Camden Palace (club) in London and looking around. Virtually 90% of the club kids went on to become stars, if not super stars: Duran Duran, Boy George, Hayzee Fantayzee, George Michael, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Sigue Sigue Spuknik, Bananarama, Spandau Ballet, Sade….the list goes on and on. A huge amount of talent came out of that era, and that’s just in the musical arena.
The Cherry Alignment by Annabel Schofield
The 1980s are back in such a big way! People of all ages are taking an interest in the fashion, art and interior design of the decade. Even those who didn’t live through that time are wanting to know what it was like to be a part of the ’80s scene. If you were approached about bringing your novel to the screen, would that interest you?
HELL YES! That was the original idea, but I think now it might be better served as a cable TV series….and if you’re reading this, Miss Kristen Stewart, I want you to play Angelika!
In addition to modeling, acting and writing, you’ve worked in film production and direction. Your documentary Face Value explores the world of modeling schools. How can we view it? Is it available for purchase?
Sadly not. I had a rather fractious falling out with my producing partner and now it’s tied up in legal nonsense. I remember when I first tried to pitch the idea of a reality show about modeling , NOBODY was interested. And along came Tyra Banks and the rest is history. Oh well….
What’s next for Annabel Schofield?
Gosh, I’m always looking for new challenges. I’m really enjoying creating the blog, and the overwhelming positive response is heart-warming . Hopefully, we can get it to the screen. Otherwise, I’m in LA, I have my stills production company, Bella Bene Productions, and I also have a couple of potential film projects (as producer – I have no plans to make an acting comeback any time soon!) on the horizon. But ideally, it’s all about The Cherry Alignment on HBO!
Once again, a BIG thank you to Annabel Schofield for sharing her ’80s expertise with us. It’s been amazing to hear about the fashion, music and pop culture of our favorite decade from an artist who was front and center during that exciting time. And we certainly won’t be surprised when The Cherry Alignment comes to HBO as that long-overdue series we’ve been waiting for…
Fascinating liked reading the article very good.