Christie Brinkley revealed her honest reaction after finding out Daryl Hannah got the mermaid role in the movie Splash after she auditioned for the character.
“It would have been a perfect part,” the model, 71, told People about the film, which ultimately had Daryl, 64, starring opposite Tom Hanks. “Because I did spend a large part of my childhood pretending in my head to be a mermaid.”
“I mean I had a kelp bed near my house in Malibu, and my mom would always say ‘Stay out of the kelp beds’ … but I couldn’t help it. I was like a little mermaid going through the kelp beds.”
Christie said it added “insult to injury” when she got a follow-up call, only to ask for tips on how to achieve her beachy hair waves.
“They actually called me to say, ‘Can you tell us where you do your hair so we can get Daryl’s done like yours?,’” she recalled with a laugh.
Splash, which was released in March 1984, was about a young boy saved from drowning by a beautiful mermaid, who falls in love with the siren two decades later when she returns to seek him out.
Christie said she caught up with Daryl years later when a mermaid-inspired piece that hung in the Newel Art Gallery, an art and antiques emporium in Manhattan, caught their eye.
“All of a sudden, I see this mermaid clipper ship [that was a chandelier hanging] and I love clipper ships and mermaids and I said, ‘Oh, I need that. I’ll take it,’” the Uptown Girl author said.
Christie said she was told that the item would need to be shipped to her home since the employee who handled it was not around. The cover girl later got a call informing her otherwise.
“They said ‘Miss Daryl Hannah came in and wants the mermaid lamp,’” Christie shared, revealing she wasn’t allowing that to happen. “I said ‘Well, sorry, but I already bought it.’”
The back and forth exchange continued as the employee said Daryl really wanted the piece. “‘Well so do I and I’ve already bought it and I would really like to keep it,’” Christie replied.
“[Daryl] said to say that she was the mermaid in the movie,” the star, who has three children from past relationships, was told. “Well, I’ll be on the lookout for another, but I’ve been a mermaid my whole life,” Christie coyly responded.
“It’s in my entry hall,” she proudly shared of its whereabouts today.
The former Sports Illustrated bombshell previously promoted her new memoir, which details her rise to fame and personal relationships, while flaunting her frame in a triangle bikini top and matching bottoms.
“Feeling optimistic and hope [you] are too! Wishing everyone bright sun shiny days ahead! #uptowngirlmemoire drops 29 April @harpercollins @harperbooks,” she captioned her post on April 6.
Uptown Girl tells the full story of her roller-coaster life with candid new details and is set for release on April 29 from Harper Influence, plus is already available on preorder.