Lesley Ann Warren played the iconic Miss Scarlet in the 1985 movie "Clue." She speaks to "CBS Mornings Plus" about the movie marking its 40th anniversary and how the movie was not initially a hit.

Lesley Ann Warren, who played Miss Scarlet in the 1985 film 'Clue,' spoke about the movie's 40th anniversary and its evolution into a cult classic. She recalled initial surprise at the film's modest reception and described how its popularity grew over time, with fans and cast members noticing increased attention years after its release.

Warren discussed the unique aspects of filming, including the surprise of multiple endings and the director's efforts to capture a specific comedic style by screening 'His Girl Friday' for the cast. She also reflected on how she brought elements of herself to the role and shared fond memories of working with the ensemble cast, highlighting the film's lasting impact.

Lesley Ann Warren talks 40th anniversary of 'Clue'

You're not being blackmailed. Oh, I'm being blackmailed, all right. But I did what I'm being blackmailed for. What did you do? Well, to be perfectly frank, I run a specialized hotel and a telephone service which provides gentlemen with the company of a young lady for a short while. Oh, yeah? What's the phone number? That is the iconic Leslie Ann Warren. As the iconic Miss Scarlet in the 1985 movie Clue, we are marking the 40th anniversary of the classic murder mystery, which also stars comedy legends Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, just to name a few. It is, of course, based on the classic board game, but it features a group of strangers who are all brought to a mysterious mansion where they learn they are each being blackmailed. As the body count rises, Miss Scarlet and her fellow blackmail victims have to solve the mystery of who did it and where and with what. And Leslie Ann Warren joins us this morning. Good morning. What a great little synopsis that was. Isn't that perfect? It's exactly the film. And the first thing I want to ask you is, are you surprised at how much of a cult classic this film has become over the years? No question. Yeah, I mean, when it first came out, we were surprised that it didn't land in a big, huge way. I remember, because I remember when it came out and I thought, okay, it's a good movie. Yeah, it's a good movie and people loved it, but it wasn't what we thought and hoped. And then slowly over the years, and one never knows why that happens, but I remember getting a call from Martin Mull, the Martin Mull genius. And he said, are you getting a lot of mail about Clue? And I said, I am. All of a sudden it sort of, you know, hit the zeitgeist in a way that it hadn't and then grew from there. It's astounding. So the movie famously has three different endings, but when you were filming, did you know that that's how it was going to be formatted? No, we did not. We found out, I think, maybe three quarters of the way in, you know, and I think that was a decision made from, you know, high up, but I was glad that I was one of them. I love that. You know, you've said in the past that the character of Miss Scarlet fit you like a glove. And for people who don't know, I mean, when I was a kid, you starred, you were Cinderella, and you were Cinderella in 1965. And that was, for me and for kids of my generation, the image of Cinderella was you. And so was there, I know, so I just thought, is there a little bit of Cinderella, a little bit of you in Miss Scarlet? Well, I think that always holds true. I think, you know, at least for me, I always bring essences of myself into the character or see where I can utilize parts of myself in the characters, you know, and I was like Cinderella in my own life at that time. I was really like her. And there are aspects of me that are like Miss Scarlet too. And on and on. But Scarlet was saucy. Yes. She was saucy. She was saucy. Right? Friend and escort service. Yeah. Not done that yet. Yeah, yeah, took no prisoners. Yeah, she was great. So what about the script? I mean, Miss Scarlet, as Adriana points out, there are three different endings and one of the endings, Miss Scarlet is the killer. When you were all going through the script, did you know before you started reading the script that who was going to ultimately end up being the killer? No, we did not know. So that was kind of great because it allowed for us to be surprised at each turn, you know, each new sort of, each new murder, you know, all of that. I think that was a smart thing for Jonathan Lynn, the director, to have created for us, you know, an element of surprise for us as well. There's so many amazing lines in this movie. I mean, we quoted one in the opening of our show. Yes, which is probably one, it's the one that's probably one of the most iconic lines. Well, what's your favorite line from the movie and can you deliver it in character? Thanks. Thanks. If you want. It's my defense mechanism. Ah! Ah! Ah! Still got it. Amazing, amazing. Of course, the whole, you know, the body count, the bullet count thing is funny because at one point you're just like, shut up, you know, to Tim Curry. And the way he sort of deadpans when he fires the gun into the chandelier. He was brilliant because of all of us, he had the most lines and the most, the director did a really interesting thing. He brought us all into Paramount before we started shooting and ran His Girl Friday with Cary Grant and Rosalyn Russell so that we could have a sense of the timing and the clipped speech and the sort of behaviors of that era. I didn't know that because that is considered one of the classic, like, romantic comedies of all time and that, everything you just said, so he wanted you guys to watch that. He wanted us all to have that sensibility when we got to the set and started shooting. And, you know, Tim had a Herculean job to learn those lines, deliver them in that kind of speed and keep his character and his brilliant sort of comedic timing, so yeah. I love these behind-the-scenes nuggets. Leslie and Warren, thank you so much.

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