Getting into the 2000s, with performances in films like ‘Shade’ (2003) and ‘The Night We Called It a Day’ (2003) flatlining at the box office, offers for television and film trickled to nothing. Instead of giving up, Mel reinvented herself by turning to the stage.
In 2003, she hit the stage on Broadway and packed the place with her performance as the villainous Roxie Hart in ‘Chicago’. One New York Times theater critic raved, “Ms. Griffith is a sensational Roxie, possibly the most convincing I have seen. Vultures who were expecting to see Ms. Griffith stumble . . . will have to look elsewhere.”
A Winning Role
During the late 1990s, Melanie was handed a part that she shined in. In 'Another Day in Paradise', she played an addict who with another junkie spirals into a life of crime. Her work in the independent film brought strong reviews, some critics raved it was the best performance of her career.
It also brought another role, 'RKO 281' (1999), which earned her a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress. While her career was on a comeback track, behind the scenes she was developing a dependency on painkillers.
Another Daughter of Hollywood
Dakota Johnson was born in 1989. Ten years later, hanging out with mom on the set of the dark comedy, 'Crazy in Alabama' - a film directed by Antonio Banderas about an eccentric woman who commits a serious crime and moves to Hollywood - is where Dakota made her movie debut.
Though they allowed her to play the role, her parents encouraged her to finish high school before auditioning for more roles. Once she graduated high school, she landed a small part in 'The Social Network'. By 2016, she earned a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination.
The Early 2000s Slump
'Shade' and 'The Night We Called It a Day' were not the only losers. 'Crazy in Alabama' also fell flat. The TV series 'Me & George' (1998) didn’t even make it to television. And, in 2000, 'Cecil B. DeMented' and 'Forever Lulu' nosedived at the box office.
Her performance in these two independent films earned her a nomination for a Golden Raspberry Award for worst actress. Her career took a solid hit, as did her reputation as an actress. Finding roles became so difficult that she turned to Broadway.
Opening Up About Substance Dependency
“I was never loved unconditionally. The drink gives you a feeling, a physical sensation . . . a buzz inside your body that takes the place of something you should have when you were a child,” Melanie told Vanity Fair in a 1989 interview. She discussed with the magazine why she didn’t get help and turned to substances instead.
She also revealed that she was introduced to drinking as a child. At 10 years of age, she would frequently drink wine. It was “like a soft drink. I was medicating myself so I could escape my pain and insecurities.”