No matter what they have done in their subsequent years, some actors will forever be associated with the one particular character that made them famous.
In Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Gray will always be Baby Houseman, Sarah Jessica Parker will always be Carrie Bradshaw, and Marlon Brando will always be The Godfather.
To me, she will always remain “Hatchet-Face” Malnorowski from Cry-Mona Baby.
Kim McGuire became an overnight Hollywood phenomenon thanks to the cult smash that was released in 1990, but only six years later, her popularity had completely faded and she had vanished.
What happened? Due to terrible circumstances, Kim lost everything, went without a place to live, and was permanently traumatized.
Kim originally desired to pursue her father’s career as a lawyer.
Kim wanted to be a dancer after finishing high school in New Orleans. She consequently pursued a master’s degree in theater and dance at the University of New Orleans.
Kim was interested in law, but her father had implanted a strong tradition in her. Her legal career began at Loyola Law School.
Kim was a master of entertaining. She made others laugh and feel unique since she was “a joyful person and always smiling.”
Kim developed her acting abilities while attending the University of New Orleans, where she appeared in various plays produced by the theatre department. In 1989, Kim relocated to New York City to perform.
“Hatchet-Face” was first written by John Walters in 1985. But even though the movie was never made, John Walters’s reputation endured. Walters wanted a comparable character in the cast when he began casting Cry-Baby.
It has been suggested that Harris Glenn Milstead, better known by his stage name Divine, was intended to play Mona “Hatchet-Face” Malnorowski.
The American drag queen, singer, and actress had multiple appearances in Walter movies. However, Milstead passed away unexpectedly in March 1988, a year before Cry-production Baby’s got underway.
Hatchet-Face, a vicious and obnoxious juvenile gang member led by Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, played by Johnny Depp, was first cast in 1989.
For those of you who don’t know, Cry-Baby is a 1950s Baltimore-set musical romantic comedy starring teenagers.
Hatchet-Facead has drawn interest.
Candidates were requested by Cry-Baby productions to send a card. Kim McGuire leaped in.
“That week, I sent six casting directors my photo at random. The casting director for Reversal of Fortune, Paula Herold, got it. In It Came From Baltimore, a bonus feature on the director’s cut DVD of Cry Baby,” Kim said, “And I suppose I had a reversal of fortune because they called me in for Cry-Baby.”
After Kim’s audition, Waters hired her “quite quickly.”
“I’ve wanted this since I was three. I wanted to perform Shakespeare and Chekhov as a dancer and be a triple threat. Simply magical. I’ve always wished to be well-known.”
Kim underwent a transformation for the part, solidifying her legacy in cinema. Her screen performance was memorable.
Cry-Baby made Kim’s already distinctive facial features even more distinctive. Kim was no longer Kim.
Walters continued, “That expression that she wears in the movie is obviously makeup; Kim has a relatively blank face in real life.”
Kim was referred described as “a Cubist poster-child” by a reviewer due of her over the top makeup.
Kim handled the criticism of her appearance admirably.
She said to The Atlanta Journal in 1991 that “people believe I look incredibly wonderful after witnessing that.”
More than only her appearance and facial tics were discussed. Kim, who was 34 at the time, did well in an ensemble cast that also featured Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, and Troy Donahue. Her acting talent was underappreciated.
According to Walters, test screenings for Kim’s “Hatchet-Face” performance went well.
Despite having a $12 million budget, Cry-Baby failed at the box office in 1990.
The movie gained cult status and was turned into a Broadway musical with fresh songs. According to IMDB, the musical had its debut in 2008 at the Marquis Theater in New York. After 68 performances, it received nominations from the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Book, and Score.
After Cry-Baby, Kim McGuire found it difficult to advance her acting career.
Acting on Impulse and Serial Mom both feature Kim.
1995 saw her last episode of New York Undercover.
A few years after the wedding, she opened up an office in Los Angeles as an entertainment attorney. She did well at her new job, but she was unable to stop acting, which was her true calling.
In the early 2000s, “A Last Hoorah in Theater” brought her and Gene to New York. We’ll never be able to tell whether Kim’s career would have flourished in New York.
They left New York following 9/11. In order to start over, Kim and Gene relocated to Biloxi, Mississippi, which is on the Gulf of Mexico.
At the Mississippi Repertory Theater Company, they began a new life. Gene, her husband, was in charge of marketing and promotion, while Kim was in charge of law.
Their home and lives were “slabbed” by Hurricane Katrina in August.
“We settled in Biloxi.” The outcome is “everything’s a shame,” Kim McGuire said.
One summer day, Katrina devastated their lives.
Kim lost her house, images of her family, and way of life. The New Orleans actress was unprepared for Hurricane Katrina.
To save her, Gene carried Kim on his back. They sought refuge behind a school breezeway, but they had to endure the storm for eight hours before the winds calmed down. Kim was flown to Mobile, Alabama, for foot care.
Kim’s life crumbled while her foot recovered.
Except for Gene’s Emmy, which was discovered broken amidst the debris that once housed them, they lost everything, according to reports.
The couple alone moved into low-income housing in November 2005. Kim’s parents, who reside in New Orleans, suffered total loss.
“We relocated to a Section 8 apartment. Change. We had money in Los Angeles. Then there was nothing. Nothing in Beverly Hills. H uge changes to one’s way of life. Not just material things. Roots being lost.” Kim said in 2015, “I haven’t seen my parents in three years, which is dreadful.”
Kim was hired as a lawyer by Alabama. She helped the widows after Hurricane Katrina.
In ten years, Kim and Gene moved five times. They were perpetually plagued by the natural disaster.
“There is never enough planning done. I informed a friend about all of that after the disaster,” and he replied, “Do me a favor and tell me where you’re moving next,” he said, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.
After a decade of being homeless and having financial problems, the couple relocated.
Kim and Gene were happy in Naples, Florida. Kim persisted in the face of obstacles. Katrina had a negative psychological and physical impact on Kim and Gene.
In 2005, the Cry-Baby actress published a book in which she detailed how Katrina affected her and her family.
Sadly, Kim’s new life in Florida didn’t last long. In September 2016, pneumonia brought her to Naples’ Physicians Regional Hospital ICU.
Doctors were powerless since Kim didn’t respond.
Her friends and husband Gene openly regretted Kim McGuire’s passing in 2016.
The love and prayers of Kim’s family, friends, and supporters have been incredibly reassuring. Kim was described in her obituary as “a dancer, choreographer, actor, lawyer, and novelist who praised her lovely father for instilling a passion for learning.”
After reading about Kim McGuire’s life and achievements, I realize she was much more than just “Hatchet-Face” in Cry-Baby.
Kim was a brilliant, upbeat individual who excelled in theater and worked as an attorney in several locations; truly an exceptional woman! We appreciate the memories and your help for the Katrina-affected women. To honor Kim, share this story on Facebook.