Introducing... Matty Walker / Kathleen Turner
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 10:43PM 
by Nathaniel R
We thought that a nice subversive way to end our 1981 retrospective party would be to focus on the year's most memorable beginning.
A lot of very famous actors began their big screen careers in 1981 including (but not limited to) Ben Affleck, Kim Basinger, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Jeff Daniels, Holly Hunter, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bill Nighy, Alfred Molina, Kenneth Branagh, Demi Moore, Sean Penn, and Meg Ryan. Some of those debuts were quite promising. Others gave no clear sign of a superstar to come, just the site of an unknown actor with the ink not yet dry on their SAG card. But the year's most exciting debut, hands down, belonged to Kathleen Turner. She was the only one of them to emerge fully formed right out of the gate; a movie star merely waiting at the bar for her filmography to arrive. Risking the ghosts of both Lana Turner (figuratively) and Barbara Stanwyck (literally) for your debut and coming out the other side without remotely suffering from the comparisons is an all time flex...
It's not every day that a great movie star's introduction to the cinema also aligns with a great cinematic introduction for their first character but such was the case in Lawrence Kasdan's Body Heat (1981), a modern reinterpretation of the 1944 noir classic Double Indemnity.
So let's look at Matty Walker's first scene which is also Kathleen Turner's first scene in cinema.
Introducing... "Matty Walker"
[you can click on any of the images to see a larger version]
The first shot in all of cinema of one of the great film stars of the 1980s
We're seven minutes into the sweaty sinister Body Heat when Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner) first appears, the camera holding on her, if passively, in longshot, as she stands up and strolls out of the outdoor concert that Ned Racine (William Hurt) has just strolled into. He can't take his eyes off her.
Ned's eyes follow Matty as the camera loses her just offscreen. Hurt somehow conveys the jaw-drop of all this new erotic information without even letting his cigarette slip. He lets his eyes do the jaw-dropping via a perfect squint. How can what I'm seeing even be real? Moviegoers had to have been asking the same question about Kathleen Turner in 1981.
He follows this stranger just a few yards away where she's stopped for a smoke and a steady ocean gaze. He saunters up and drops a slimy-funny icebreaker, invading her space.
NED: You can stand there with me if you want but you'll have to agree not to talk about the heat.
Turner holds her pose looking out to sea for a beat too long. It's a delicious bit of go-away warning -- why is this man bothering her, but then she turns and stares him down. It's brutal dismissal by silence at first. Her eyes drop and then size him up, before she turns back to the sea; he's nothing to see.
MATTY: I'm a married woman.
NED: Meaning?
MATTY: Meaning I'm not looking for company.
NED: You should have said I'm a happily married woman.
MATTY: That's my business.
NED: What?
MATTY: How happy I am.
NED: And how happy is that?
Ned isn't giving up and his badgering flirtation produces a surprising response. Turner's hairpin performance pivot is sensational, Matty Walker suddenly shifts without warning from annoyed to interested... or at least playing along. His persistence prompts what became an immortal line of movie dialogue:
You're not too smart are you? I like that in a man.
As she smiles and pivots, the film cuts and pivots with her, shifting camera angles with her sudden mood swing. While Kathleen Turner's debut has been amply (and correctly) praised over the years it's worth noting that Body Heat, the movie, always keeps up with her. It's expertly written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan (also his directorial debut - The Big Chill followed to even greater success) and this meet cute sleazy sequence is an elaborate dance between gestural performance, killer line readings, interesting blocking, and long-game arousal.
Ned sees a window with Matty suddenly flirting back.
NED: What else do you like... Lazy? Ugly? Horny. I got 'em all.
MATTY: You don't look lazy.
Hurt chooses a perfect half giggle at her insult, like Ned can't believe his luck that this scorchingly sexy bitch is not giving him an inch despite the fact that he's got several for her. It's the genius of Turner's nimble effortless playing that Matty's reads so simultaneously sensual and utterly removed. Every time she cuts him off, she also invites him to continue.
MATTY: Tell me does chat like this work with most women?
NED: Some. If they haven't been around much.
MATTY: I wondered. Thought maybe I was out of touch.
Ned sees the now strangely relaxed Matty as confirmation that oh yeah, we're gonna fuck. But Matty isn't done keeping him guessing, and turns the ice back on, mid thaw.
NED: [leaning in, visibly horny] I wanna buy you a drink.
MATTY: I told you. I've got a husband.
NED: I'll buy him one, too.
I've seen Body Heat many times I'm always fascinated by the physicality of these two performances, both of which deserved Lead Acting Oscar nominations. Turner and Kasdan due a surprising bit of gestural blocking here, Turner's Matty stops to fix or fluff her hair and temporarily cuts off our view of her face completely, just as we've become as horny to "read" her as Ned. It's deliciously disruptive to expectations (most movies would opt for a closeup here, or a shift in camera angle), purposefully opaque, erotically suggestive, and just as teasingly dominating as what Matty is doing to Ned.
MATTY: He's out of town.
NED: My favourite kind. We'll drink to it.
MATTY: He only comes up on weekends.
NED: [Laughs] I'm liking him better all the time.
Though Ned was the aggressor it's obvious that Matty has completely taken the reins. She's flirting now with a complete absence of coyness. Just as she's announced her availability for sex, though, she stops as Ned thinks he's invited to her bed. She drops her cigarette to put it out, suddenly quiet.
Ned is now restless to get on with it and tries to make a joke of it.
You gotta take me up on this quick. In about 45 minutes Im going to give up and go away.
Matty, who might turn any which way given Turner's electric playing, offers Ned another win with another 180 temperature shift with a warm smile.
MATTY: Wanna buy me something? I'll take one of those.
NED: What kind?
MATTY: Cherry.
NED: [to street vendor] Make it two.
[An aside from the genius of Kathleen Turner's star turn for a moment. Can we talk about the location scouting / production design / and camera choice to frame every image of Ned walking away from Matty during this conversation as positioning him between "Ladies" and "Mens" bathroom signs. It's so subliminally brilliant for one of the greatest (and dirtiest) hetero movies of all time.]
Cherry ice procured, Ned returns to attempting to seduce the woman who has already done all the seducing (he's not too smart about who is running this show... and she likes that in a man pawn. But let's not get ahead of ourselves)
NED: You're not staying in Miranda Beach. I would have noticed you.
MATTY: This town that small?
NED: [incredulously, this woman is a goddess] No.
[Trying to guess where she lives...] Pine Haven. You're staying down in Pine Haven. Down on the waterway. You have a house?
MATTY: How'd you know that?
NED: You look like Pine Haven.
MATTY: How does Pine Haven look?
NED: Well tended.
A great mysterious beat in Turner's performance: She has Matty turning back to her ocean view. Ned has entirely vanished from her mind at this moment hasn't he? It's a tantalizing glimpse of something else... but she remains unknowable.
MATTY: [Cryptically] I'm well tended all right. Well tended. What about you?
NED: I need tending. I need someone to take care of me. Someone to rub my tired muscles. Someone to smooth out my sheets.
MATTY: [Bored] Get married.
NED: [A playfully caddish "but..."] I just need it for tonight.
At this second Turner begins to play what we'd argue are purposeful false notes in the scene -- every line from here on out in this introduction is just a notch too-much whatever it is, only one color per line reading replacing the previously enticingly mysterious tones. It begins with Matty spitting out her ice, "spontaneously" as if "shocked" by Ned's lewdness. Matty's hairwire turns of feeling and reactions are suddenly revealing themselves as performative calculations. But to what end? [Aside: That's for you to discover by streaming the movie though if you've never seen it you'll be horrified that Turner wasn't even nominated for the Oscar she probably should have won.]
MATTY: [Embarassed] Ohhhh nice move, Matty.
NED: [Trying out her name] Matty? I like it. [About the stain] It's right over your heart.
MATTY: [Suggestively, whilst sliding her hands up and down her chest] At least it's cool. I was burning up.
NED: I asked you not to talk about the heat.
MATTY: [Damsel in distress] Would you get me a paper towel or something, dip it in some cold water.
NED: I'll even wipe it off for you.
Ned, begins to walk away to "rescue" her, when Matty spins to face him, her tone shifting to hard and raw.
You don't wanna lick it?
Damn, queen!
When Ned emerges from the bathroom, though, his sure-thing sexual conquest has vanished. He's alone again in the heat, in heat, with no relief in sight. At least he's got a cold paper towel to wipe up the sweat.
More from our 1981 retrospective
- The 1981 Supporting Actress Smackdown
- Katharine Hepburn's fourth Oscar
- Meryl's first Best Actress nomination
- Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Jessica Harper in Pennies From Heaven
- Marilia Pera in Pixote
- Only When I Laugh and the Razzies
- Kathryn Harrold in Modern Romance
- Vintage: Pop Culture in 1981
- Vintage: Sexiest People Born in 1981
Reader Comments (30)
Turner is electric in Body Heat. She drives the movie and is in complete control. A most deserved Oscar nomination, and I would rank her No. 3 of the year behind Mason and Keaton respectively. I would also give her nominations for The War of the Roses and Serial Mom. And I think she's awfully damn close in Romancing the Stone.
Love this terrific writeup and the beautiful reactions, Nathaniel!
Wonderful post!
She would be a great choice for an Honorary Oscar
Such a great performance and film. And as a former Palm Beach County resident, they get the South Florida heat just right.
"...though if you've never seen it you'll be horrified that Turner wasn't even nominated for the Oscar she probably should have won"
and not just the oscars; all she managed were newcomer nominations at the golden globes and bafta [didn't even make their best actress categories]
not too smart. i hate that in an awards body
As the kids say, Turner is [fire emoji].
Drooling.
What a great description of one of my favourite actresses. You could have been sitting beside me back in 1981 - you describe this perfectly.
We all live for these moments in cinema, those times when talent hits you straight on. You can see it, feel it, and barely breathe.
The academy should have nominated her back then, but the least they could do is give her an honourary Oscar and a damn good retrospective.
Thanks Nathaniel.
In can’t imagine Kathleen Turner getting an Oscar at this point. She’s way too outspoken. But that’s one of the things I love about her. She’s a bad ass.
great article, nathaniel! smart breakdown of a wonderful scene. it is shocking how much control and power turner had in her first movie. her run as a movie star was far too brief.
this article also really makes me miss william hurt. he had a staggering run in the 80s too and is such a deeply talented actor.
not to keep bashing on On Golden Pond, but yes, both of these performances are far more interesting than that year's winners.
She is so very hot in this film the ultimate film noir femme fatale
Some actresses make you laugh. Some make you cry. Some make you think.
Kathleen Turner makes you her bitch every moment she's onscreen.
Body Heat and Romancing the Stone are my favorite perfs from her, even better than Peggy Sue (her only Oscar nom). Pity that Golden Globes that year were involved in Pia Zadora’s affair but at least they nomiated Turner and not overlooked her as Ampas
Cinematography.
Having just watched the HBO documentary, I think a better way to end the 1981 retrospective would be to speculate about the possible career longevity of Natalie Wood, deceased Nov. 1981. Had she lived on, would she had any more significant times/Oscar nominations? Scanning through what’s been nominated since her passing, I’d have to conclude that the answer is no, but she’d most likely be the recipient of an Honorary Award since she accomplished more film work than Donald Sutherland or Cicely Tyson.
Had NW made it back to another nomination, I could kind’ve picture her in Terms Of Endearment (Debra Winger could pass as her daughter) or (not sure of her age at this point) possibly the BSA in Silver Lining Playbook (probably too old). I thought about Testament, The Morning After and Six Degrees of Separation, but couldn’t envision it. So, do you think there were any roles at she might’ve improved upon and gotten another nomination for?
JF -- perfectly put.
Mirko -- true. credit where it's due thought that Pia fiasco sure robbed us of one of the Globes most unique offerings to film history "newcomer"
Is it me, or is it hot here in this post?
forever1267 -- NED ASKED YOU NOT TO TALK ABOUT THE HEAT ;)
"It's gonna fall off."
LOL I'll take my punishment with Ned for that!
*insert Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham "oh my" GIF here*
Can we also talk about the hotness of Hurt in this too,face fuzz isn't my thing but he seemed to always be taking his hhirt off during the 80's.
I wonder if Sharon Stone took notes on this performance as they are both very similar even down to the Iconic white outfits.
She is on fire in this movie and it is a stunning cinematic debut but I was familiar with her before from her stint on the soap The Doctors where she played the (surprise! surprise!) troublesome Nola.
She was memorable but despite soap operas reputation for bad acting there were many fine actors on the various soaps through the years who never broke out so I didn't necessarily foresee her being a huge star. But I've always had that little extra bit of affection for her since I saw her starting out.
It's a damn shame about her health problems but she's still out there working so it would be great if someone wrote a killer part and got her back center stage again.
Wasn't she once the top grossing 80's actress.
mark -- she was actually once referred to as "the definitive female box office commodity". Lots of hits in the 1980s yes.
Really Nat,she was everywhere in the 80's,I don't think her dramatic gifts were always exploited though.
Turner IS the breakout STAR circa 1981/82, I guess her performance is way too saucy for the academy back then.
Damn! Hurt is soooo deliciously sexy & sleazy back in the early 80s!!
If Streep/Irons are freezing our hearts out in The French Lt's Woman, Turner/Hurt are burning up our screens w their sizzling chemistry in Body Heat!
I haven't even seen this movie and you evoke it - and the lead performances - SO vividly I both want to see it and kinda feel like I've seen it. Terrific writing as always, Nathaniel.
As somebody who loves Kathleen Turner in Peggy Sue(the movie not the often embittered commenter lol) Got Married, Serial Mom, War of the Roses and Virgin Suicides, I swear to god I’ve seen body heat but have literally zero recognition of it. So even if an Oscar snub was bad, if it could fade so completely I can’t be too mad. I mean we ignore a 8.5/10 Emma Thompson performance winning over a 10/10 delicious diva McDonnell, so we all carry who is worthy career-wise into all Oscar considerations.
Fantastic breakdown of the sizzling, unparalleled debut of the 80's. I never noticed the subtle brilliance and nuances of her opening scene. I definitely am looking at it differently and I have seen it many times. Thank you for that. Larry Kasdan took a chance in casting her for the lead and we are forever grateful for it. She should have received an Oscar nomination, at least, for this. She completely has Hurt and the audience by the balls (She even literally leads him in the boathouse sex scene).
She was also overlooked for an Oscar Nom for Prizzi's Honor. She was so brilliantly subtle in her performance, playing both sides of the fence both innocent and cold-blooded at the same time. I would definitely recommend checking that one out too. Some say she was overshadowed by Angelica Huston's in-your-face mafia princess performance, but I disagree. She had everyone eating out of the palm of her hand. Her character's one true downfall in the film was that she actually loved Charlie.
The critics LOVED her. If you watch Siskel and Ebert's reviews of her films, they completely gush over her. For some reason, the Academy just didn't want to bite on her. She does have a vocal disdain for the Hollywood environment, even admitting if she would have 'played the game' more, she probably would've had several nominations under her belt and, perhaps, even a win. She doesn't say what roles she turned down, but I'm betting (like Winger), she was first choice for just about everything after the success of Romancing The Stone. I have to agree, I doubt the Academy would give her an honorary award, although she deserves it.
Her stage work is equally breathtaking as well. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Graduate and Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolf? Just brilliant!
Graham -- i've only seen her on stage twice (Virginia Woolf and a quickly closing play about a nun, i forget the name) but she was indeed breathtaking there.
love her so much. Thanks for your comment!