Why Rebecca Hendrix From Law & Order: SVU Looks So Familiar
By Emily Bell
In 1993, Mary Stuart Masterson starred in the romantic comedy "Benny and Joon" alongside Johnny Depp. The film follows Juniper "Joon" Pearl (Masterson) and her brother Benny (Aidan Quinn) who allow the eccentric and overly creative Sam (Depp) to live with them.
Benny is stressed; following the sudden death of his and Joon's parents, he is scrambling to support himself and his sister, who deals with mental illness. He feels guilty leaving her alone, but it is increasingly difficult to make a living to support them while Joon also fails to cooperate with the hired help. In a poker game with his friend Mike (Joe Grifasi), Benny loses a bet, which results in Mike's cousin Sam going to live with him and Joon. Though initially upset, Benny finds that having Sam in the house helps ease their living situation since Joon isn't alone all the time anymore.
Sam and Joon fall in love due to their similarities; Sam enjoys magic tricks and Joon loves painting. Interestingly enough, Masterson was the real painter behind all of the work shown in the movie. Entertainment Weekly shared that director Jeremiah Chechik decided Joon's art should be more representational, which resulted in Masterson painting them. Masterson, however, didn't claim to be an expert. "I never had the nerve to paint before. It definitely became a great outlet," she said.
Sadly, for Masterson, most of the paintings were destroyed in a fire scene that was ultimately cut.
