Diane Lane Says The Outsiders Set Was a Heartthrob Overload
Diane Lane says filming the 1983 classic The Outsiders left her feeling out of place—thrilling but overwhelming—as she navigated a set packed with hot, up-and-coming male co-stars. She reflected on the testosterone-charged shoot during a visit to The Drew Barrymore Show.
Diane Lane just looked back at making Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 teen drama The Outsiders, and yeah, it was a lot. Imagine being the only young woman on set while surrounded by a small army of soon-to-be movie stars revving their engines. Fun? Absolutely. Overwhelming? Also yes.
Lane on being the lone girl in a sea of future leading men
On The Drew Barrymore Show, Lane called the experience both "hot" and "great," but admitted she sometimes retreated a bit because the vibe was, in her words, intense. She was thrilled to be there, kind of pinching herself, and also slightly drowning in it all. It even clarified something about her taste: spending that much time around that many dudes made her realize she liked men.
"It was kind of... too much testosterone for one girl. So I kept to myself."
Who was on that set? Basically half the 80s
- Tom Cruise
- Rob Lowe
- Emilio Estevez
- Ralph Macchio
- C. Thomas Howell
- Patrick Swayze
- Matt Dillon
The cocoa-dust windstorm (yes, really)
Lane shared a very specific on-set memory from the movie theater sequence: the crew built a windstorm with giant fans and used cocoa powder as airborne "dust" so it wouldn't be toxic or sting eyes. After night shoots, the cast would lick the cocoa off their hands and, as Lane joked, they all looked "tan and delicious." Extremely 80s, extremely resourceful, and honestly, kind of hilarious.
Coppola says the powder keg never blew
Coppola also reflected on corralling that many young egos and ambitions in one place. It could have easily turned competitive or weird, but according to him, the energy turned into mutual respect instead. Or as he put it, it might have been volatile, but it became a positive environment.