Jason SchmidtThelma and Louise are hitting the road together once again.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the iconic film, the movie's original leading ladies Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis have recreated the roles that transformed them into legendary actresses for the May issue of Harper's Bazaar.
While the movie has had a lasting impression on female-focused scripts and feminist debates since its debut, the actresses couldn't anticipate at the time how unique the project would be in cinematic history.
"When we did Thelma & Louise, I really didn't think it would have the kind of resonance it had," Sarandon revealed to Harper's Bazaar. "It wasn't seen as any feminist statement. I was very concerned that it wouldn't be seen as a revenge film. The real thing Louise is asking throughout the movie is, 'Why do guys think this is okay?'"
Instead, initial critics were concerned the road trip saga was too rough.
"There was all this talk about how it was so violent—and this was after Lethal Weapon came out," Davis added. "We've been stuck in this world where Hollywood operates under the assumption that women will watch men, but men won't watch women."
Despite the premature flack, the movie went on to inspire a new outlook on women who wanted to pursue something other than what society expected of them. According to Sarandon, the results are visible in the work of many female modern movie stars.
"Today I think there is a crop of young women who are interested in having fun and having lives but are not necessarily trying to please all of the time—even though they are scrutinized constantly," Sarandon continued. "The Melissa McCarthys, the Amy Poehlers, all of the gals who are creating work, being funny and independent."
After all this time, Sarandon is sure about one thing.
"Well Thelma's definitely not with her husband anymore! One would only hope she found Brad (Pitt) again," she said of Davis' character. "Maybe Louise became a lesbian. That would be fabulous."