Katy Perry To Star In ‘Clueless’ Musical? Director Noncommital

Rumors abound that pop star Katy Perry is first pick to star in the musical version of the 90s hit, Clueless. This week, the director of the musical has spoken about the rumors and cleared up the speculation, saying that Perry is interested, but not confirming that there’s anything official.

In fact, Amy Heckerling, writer and director on the movie and the musical, says that Perry is only one person who she has considered. Speaking to Vulture, she was very positive about the star herself, but neutral about Katy Perry as a potential lead in the project. She suggested that the hectic schedule Katy works already might be a factor, preventing her from being a choice.

She did say that Perry had expressed an interest, but went on to say that she might like Iggy Azalea, whose music video for Fancy is a tribute to Clueless, to perform in the role.

It sounds like a gentle deflection — a refusal to say outright that Katy Perry likely won’t be cast, while suggesting someone else.

Perhaps Perry’s full schedule really is the reason, or maybe there are concerns about Katy’s current image, with lawsuits swirling around a song that some Christian artists say she ripped off, and her image being stolen by counterfeit merchandisers, and any negative publicity that might be dragged along into the musical project.

On celebrity gossip site Perez Hilton, though, another suggestion arises:

“That would be crazy amazing! We mean, obviously, she’s a little old to play a high schooler but hey, it’s Broadway! They can make it work!”

Whoa. Perry’s not even 30 yet, and plenty young-looking. Besides, adults play teenagers all the time, especially in stage performances! The actress (Stacey Dash) who played teenaged Dionne in the movie, in fact, was 27 at the time, so surely age shouldn’t be a major factor here.

Perry is on tour right now, with dates in Canada all week, and has definitely been keeping busy, between a whirlwind Disney vacation, dealing with legal issues, and being labeled one of the top two female artists for 2014.

Still, if she has already spoken to the director to express an interest, maybe Katy Perry would be the best one to make the judgment about her own schedule and whether she could make it flex to fit with a Broadway part, and let the director simply select the person she thinks can best fill the role.

[Photo Credit: Eva Rinaldi]