More than 20 years after Coyote Ugly was released, LeAnn Rimes admits that prior to the cult classic, she had never been to bars, let alone danced on them.
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While chatting with The Guardian, LeAnn Rimes confessed that her bad girl streak occurred on the film’s set. “I was only 17 when Coyote Ugly came out,” Rimes explained. “And until this point in my career, I’d be constantly on the road, doing press and working in the studio.”
However, Rimes said that she had her own teen angst as well as was hormonal during that time. “I had done 500 shows in three and a half years, so I was tired. I hadn’t been to many bars before, let alone danced on top of them.”
Rimes then shared that after Coyote Ugly was done filming, the movie’s director David McNally decided to add her single Can’t Fight the Moonlight into a scene at the end of the film. She described the set as being like a big reunion for the cast and crew.
“Everyone was in good spirits, it was super sweet and supportive,” LeAnn Rimes recalled. “But the outfit and the performance were a big change for me. I didn’t feel comfortable in my own sexuality yet, so I had to do a lot of pretending to play the part of a woman with confidence.”
However, Rimes believes the video for the track became an introduction to her own sexuality. She said it was something that she could own herself. “It was a bit of a shock at first,” the country music star said. “But it became an introduction to a different side of myself that I wanted to explore.”
LeAnn Rimes Talks About Old Photos, Career Success, and Fallouts with Family
Meanwhile, LeAnn Rimes spoke about how hard it used to be for her to not cringe at photos of herself.
“I was coming into my own in the media spotlight, which is very awkward in many ways,” Rimes explained. “But now I see someone who was a survivor and a true fighter. Not only was I turning into a woman aesthetically, but this moment marked a pivotal point of asserting my need for autonomy professionally.”
Also speaking about Can’t Fight the Moonlight and its success, LeAnn Rimes gushed about how the song was everywhere. It then helped her figure out that she needed to find her own way in the world. However, while the song was pretty successful and pushed her music career forward, things took a turn when there were struggles within her own family. She ended up severing ties with her father, who was her former co-manager.
“There’s no pretty way of cutting those ties,” Rimes added. “It was traumatic, but we’ve all moved through it, and me and my father have a relationship now. Navigating that situation as a teenager was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.”
