Trending badgeTrendingPosted 1 hour agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownI Won't Watch "Clueless" The Same Way After Reading These 34 Fascinating Behind-The-Scenes Facts Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ben Affleck were almost cast...by Jenna GuillaumeBuzzFeed ContributorFacebookPinterestLink This week marks the 30th anniversary of Clueless - and what better way to celebrate than to learn some fun facts about the classic? It's greater than a game of suck and blow... CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 1. Writer/director Amy Heckerling originally pitched Clueless to Twentieth Century Fox as a TV series called No Worries - but the executives thought it "needed more boys". CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 2. Even when working on it as a movie, it took awhile to settle on the title Clueless. Before that, Amy Heckerling used the titles I Was A Teenage Teenager and later Clueless in California. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 3. Cher was partially inspired by Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which Amy Heckerling also directed. She recognised he was the most popular character she'd created and decided that that was because he's "positive", so she wanted to create a lead who was positive and happy - which became Cher. John Springer Collection / Corbis via Getty Images 4. It was when she was re-working the idea from a TV show to a movie that Amy Heckerling revisited Jane Austen's Emma and realized Cher was basically a modern Emma, and she could base the plot of Clueless on Jane Austen's novel. Larry Ellis Collection / Getty Images 5. When she was writing the script, Amy Heckerling pictured the Beastie Boys' Adam Horovitz as Josh. Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images 6. Reese Witherspoon, Alicia Witt, Keri Russell, and Tiffani Thiessen all auditioned for the role of Cher - and so did Brittany Murphy, who went on to play Tai. Steve.
Granitz / WireImage, Jim Smeal / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images 7. Ben Affleck and Zach Braff both auditioned for the role of Josh, as did Jeremy Sisto, who got the role of Elton, and Justin Walker, who went on the play Christian. Ron Davis / Getty Images, Getty Images 8. Before being cast as Josh, Paul Rudd originally asked to read for the role of Murray, not realising the character was black and thinking he was a "white guy who's trying to co-opt black culture". He also read for Christian and Elton before Amy Heckerling suggested he try Josh. Paramount Pictures 9. Seth Green - who is Breckin Meyer's best friend - was the other top choice for Breckin's role of Travis. Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images 10. And Terrence Howard, who is close friends with Donald Faison, was a top contender for the role of Murray. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 11. Lauryn Hill auditioned for the role of Dionne. Patrick Ford / Redferns 12. Sarah Michelle Gellar was offered the role of Amber, but couldn't get out of her obligations to All My Children, which she was working on at the time. ABC Photo Archives / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 13. Alicia Silverstone thought Cher was a "materialistic, annoying little bitch" when she first read the script. She changed her mind when she realised how much Cher cares about her dad and other people. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 14. She had no idea that Clueless was based on Emma until after she'd finished filming. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 15. Stacey Dash, who played Dionne, was 27 years old and had a six-year-old son at the time of filming. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 16. Before making Clueless, Jeremy Sisto had previously worked with Alicia Silverstone on a movie called Hideaway - he played a serial killer who goes after her character. Archive Photos / Getty Images 17. Amy Heckerling based the role of Mr. Hall on a friend of hers who was a teacher, who helped her observe real classes while she was working on the script, and even had a cameo as the principal in the final movie. Paramount Pictures 18. But she always had Wallace Shawn in mind to play Mr. Hall - and he was actually a teacher for three years in real life. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 19. Amy Heckerling had a cameo as a bridesmaid for Miss Geist's wedding to Mr. Hall - she is best friends with Twink Caplan, who played Miss Geist, in real life. Paramount Pictures 20. Amy Heckerling borrowed the unique slang used in the movie from a bunch of places, including real teens at Beverly Hills High School and those auditioning for the movie, the castmembers and crew, the queer community, and, of course, her own brain. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 21. Executives wanted Josh and Cher to be next-door neighbours because they thought the ex-step-sibling relationship was "too incestuous" - but Amy Heckerling pushed back, arguing (truthfully) that her own grandparents had been step-siblings who met as teenagers. C