Daryl Hannah was barely 21 when she walked onto the rain-slicked, neon-drenched sets of Ridley Scott’s dystopian masterpiece. She wasn’t a superstar yet. Honestly, she was mostly just a young actress with a gymnastics background and a very weird idea for a character. But what she did with the role of Pris changed sci-fi forever.
Most people remember the "raccoon" eyes. The shock of blonde hair. The way she moved like a broken doll before suddenly snapping into a lethal predator. Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner wasn't just another supporting actress in a box office flop; she was the physical embodiment of the film’s "more human than human" philosophy.
But there’s so much more to her performance than just looking cool in a punk rock outfit.
The Audition That Almost Didn’t Happen
It’s a bit of a "what if" moment in Hollywood history. Ridley Scott originally had his eye on Debbie Harry from Blondie for the role of Pris. Can you imagine? It would have been a totally different vibe. When that didn't pan out, Hannah stepped in with an audition that was—to put it mildly—unconventional.
She didn't just read lines. She showed up in a DIY costume that she’d put together herself, leaning into a quirky, punk-rock aesthetic. When she saw the other women auditioning in more traditional "sexy" outfits, she actually got embarrassed. She thought she’d blown it.
Scott saw something else. He saw a "basic pleasure model" that felt authentic to the grime of 2019 Los Angeles.
💡 You might also like: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
That Infamous Broken Elbow Scene
If you watch the movie closely, there’s a moment where Pris is startled by J.F. Sebastian. She bolts away, slips on the wet pavement, and smashes her arm right through a car window.
It looks violent because it was.
That wasn't a stunt. Hannah actually slipped. Her elbow went through real glass, chipping the bone in eight different places. Most actors would have screamed and called for a medic. Hannah? She didn't even flinch. She stayed in character, grabbed her bag, and finished the take. That’s the version you see in the final cut.
Talk about commitment. It’s that raw, unpolished energy that makes Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner so unsettling to watch. You never quite know if you’re looking at a girl or a machine.
Designing the Look: Raccoon Eyes and Kabuki Masks
Did you know Daryl Hannah actually came up with the signature "raccoon" eye makeup herself? It wasn't some high-concept idea from a makeup department head. She wanted something that looked like a mask, something that obscured her humanity.
📖 Related: Kate Moss Family Guy: What Most People Get Wrong About That Cutaway
The look was a mix of influences:
- New Wave fashion calendars from the early 80s.
- Klaus Kinski’s haunting appearance in Nosferatu the Vampyre.
- The "punk" street style emerging in London and New York at the time.
The makeup acts as a psychological bridge. When she’s "on," she’s a toy for Sebastian. When the makeup goes on, she becomes a soldier. It’s a literal and metaphorical mask that "takes away the mask" of her subservience.
The Stunt Confusion
There’s a common misconception that Hannah did every single flip and tumble in the final showdown with Deckard. While she was a trained gymnast and pushed to do her own stunts, the reality is a bit more complicated.
She performed several of the gymnastic moves, but for the most extreme sequences, a stunt double was brought in. Interestingly, the female stunt double was so exhausted from rehearsals that they actually had to hire a male gymnast during a lunch break to film the final acrobatic attack on Harrison Ford. If you freeze the frame, you might catch a glimpse of the difference, but the editing is so tight most people never notice.
Why the "Pleasure Model" Script Matters
Pris is officially designated as a "basic pleasure model." It’s a dark, uncomfortable bit of world-building.
👉 See also: Blink-182 Mark Hoppus: What Most People Get Wrong About His 2026 Comeback
The tragedy of the character is that she was built for one thing—sex—but she’s fighting for something entirely different: survival. Her fighting style is erratic because she wasn't programmed to fight. She’s using her high agility and "pleasure model" programming in ways it was never intended to be used.
When she dies, it’s one of the most disturbing scenes in cinema. She doesn't just die like a person. She malfunctions. The screaming, the rhythmic kicking of her legs—it’s the sound of a machine breaking down. It’s haunting because Hannah makes you feel the "glitch" in the system.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Filmmakers
If you're looking to understand why this performance still resonates 40 years later, look at these specific elements:
- Physicality over Dialogue: Hannah has relatively few lines. She tells the story through her posture—the way she tilts her head like a doll or squats in a pile of trash.
- Duality of Character: She balances being a "child" (with Sebastian) and a "predator" (with Deckard). This contrast is what creates the tension.
- Collaborative Design: Don't wait for a director to give you a look. Hannah’s initiative with her makeup and costume is what made Pris iconic.
If you want to dive deeper into the legacy of Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner, your next step should be watching the Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner documentary. It features incredible behind-the-scenes footage of her stunt rehearsals and interviews about the grueling shoot. You can also compare her performance here to her later role as Elle Driver in Kill Bill to see how she evolved the "deadly blonde" archetype she essentially invented in 1982.
Next Steps:
- Watch the Final Cut version of the film to see the color-graded version of her makeup in high definition.
- Research the work of costume designers Charles Knode and Michael Kaplan to see how Pris's "sexy punk" look influenced 90s high fashion.