1998 was a weird year for movies. We had giant asteroids hitting the earth in two different blockbusters, and then we had Six Days Seven Nights. On the surface, it looks like your standard, breezy Hollywood rom-com. You've got the rugged, grumpy pilot and the high-maintenance New York magazine editor stranded on a tropical island. Classic stuff. But if you look closer at the story of how Anne Heche landed the role and the storm that followed, it’s actually a pretty wild tale of career-ending risks and surprising loyalty.
Honestly, the movie itself is almost secondary to the drama that was happening when the cameras weren't rolling. People still talk about the chemistry—or lack thereof—between Heche and Harrison Ford. But the real story is about how a single red-carpet appearance nearly cost Heche the biggest break of her life.
The Harrison Ford Factor: A Hero On and Off Screen
When most people think about Anne Heche and Six Days Seven Nights, they think about the casting. Originally, the role of Robin Monroe was supposed to go to Julia Roberts. When she passed, the studio was scrambling. Heche was a rising star, coming off hits like Donnie Brasco and Volcano, but she wasn't a "household name" yet.
Then everything changed.
Heche went public with her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres. Today, that’s a Tuesday. In 1997? It was an earthquake. The studio, Touchstone Pictures (a Disney brand), reportedly wanted her out. They were terrified that audiences wouldn't buy a lesbian as a romantic lead opposite the world's biggest male movie star.
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This is where Harrison Ford steps in.
Heche famously recounted that Ford called her personally when the studio was ready to fire her. He basically told her, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn who you're sleeping with." He fought for her. He told the brass that they were making a romantic comedy, and she was the one for the job. Without Ford’s "hero" moment, as Heche called it, she never would have been on that island in Kauai.
Why the Island Chemistry Actually Worked
Critics at the time were brutal. They looked at the screen and tried to find reasons why it didn't work, mostly because they knew about Heche’s personal life. But if you watch it now, the bickering is actually pretty sharp.
- The Contrast: Heche plays Robin with this frantic, type-A energy that perfectly grates against Ford’s "leave me alone" vibe.
- The Practical Effects: They didn't use a ton of CGI. That plane crash? They actually suspended a de Havilland Beaver from a helicopter. The fear on their faces isn't all acting.
- The Physicality: Heche did a lot of her own stunts, including jumping off cliffs and trekking through jungle terrain.
It’s a "popcorn movie" in the truest sense. It’s light. It’s fun. It doesn't ask much of you. But for Heche, it was a gauntlet. She had to prove she could be the "straight" leading lady while the world was obsessed with her private life.
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The Fallout Nobody Talks About
Despite the movie being a box-office success—it grossed about $164 million worldwide—it was the beginning of a long cold shoulder from Hollywood for Anne. She often said she didn't work in a major studio film for ten years after this.
Ivan Reitman, the director, was reportedly frustrated. He allegedly felt the "distraction" of her relationship with Ellen overshadowed the film’s marketing. There’s a story in Heche’s posthumous memoir, Call Me Anne, about Reitman and Ford confronting her on set with a newspaper clipping about her and Ellen. They were worried the movie was being "sunk" by the press.
It’s a harsh reality. A movie about a tropical vacation was, for the lead actress, a fight for her professional survival.
Is Six Days Seven Nights Still Worth Watching?
If you can separate the 90s tabloid noise from the actual film, yeah, it is. It’s got that Ivan Reitman touch—the guy who gave us Ghostbusters. It’s well-paced. David Schwimmer is also in it, playing the "hangdog" fiancé, and he’s doing peak 1998 Schwimmer.
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The movie captures a moment in time before every romantic comedy became a cynical meta-commentary on the genre. It’s just two people, a broken plane, and some very persistent pirates.
What You Can Do Next
If you're looking to dive deeper into this era of film or Anne Heche's career, there are a few things worth checking out:
- Watch the Movie: It’s often streaming on platforms like Hulu or Disney+. It holds up better than you’d think.
- Read "Call Me Anne": Her final memoir gives the raw, unfiltered side of what it was like to be at the center of that 1998 media firestorm.
- Compare the Roles: Watch Donnie Brasco right after this. The range Heche shows between playing a gritty mob wife and a bubbly magazine editor is actually pretty incredible.
The legacy of Anne Heche in Six Days Seven Nights isn't just about a movie. It’s about a turning point in how Hollywood treated its stars. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most interesting story isn't the one on the screen, but the one happening just off-camera.