John Waters has a knack for finding the beauty in what society calls trash. When he cast Traci Lords in Cry-Baby, he wasn't just looking for a pretty face with a rockabilly aesthetic. He was looking for a grenade. It was 1990. The world was still reeling from the revelation that Lords, the biggest adult film star of the eighties, had actually been underage for almost her entire career in that industry.
Casting her as Wanda Woodward was a genius move of subversive reclamation.
A Bad Girl With a Subpoena in Her Trailer
Wanda Woodward is arguably the most polished "Drape" in the gang. She’s the girl who comes from a "good" suburban home but hates her yuppie parents so much she’d rather hang out with the juvenile delinquents in Baltimore. Honestly, the meta-narrative here is impossible to ignore. Lords was playing a girl pretending to be bad, while in real life, she was a young woman trying desperately to prove she could be "good" enough for a mainstream Hollywood production.
The pressure was immense. You've got to remember that at this time, the FBI was literally trailing her.
During the tail end of production, federal agents actually showed up on the set of Cry-Baby. They weren't there to watch Johnny Depp's pompadour get styled. They were there to serve Lords with a subpoena. She had to testify because a company had sold one of her underage films to an undercover agent.
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Imagine that. You’re finally on a big-budget Universal Pictures set. You’re working with a rising star like Depp and a legend like Iggy Pop. Then, the reality of your past knocks on your trailer door in a suit and tie. Lords later wrote in her memoir, Underneath It All, that she felt like an "imposter" and a "loser" in that moment. She was terrified that the "real actors" would realize she didn't belong.
Why Wanda Woodward is Iconic
Despite the behind-the-scenes trauma, what ended up on screen is pure magic. Wanda isn't just a background character. She’s the one who delivers some of the film's most biting, campy lines with a sneer that would make a sailor blush.
- The Look: Those arched eyebrows and the peroxide blonde hair.
- The Attitude: She famously told a "Square" to "Beat it, creep!" with more conviction than most actors find in a whole career.
- The Satire: She mocks the very idea of the "bad girl" trope while simultaneously embodying it perfectly.
Basically, John Waters gave her the space to parody her own public image. By playing a hyper-sexualized, rebellious teen on his terms, she took the power back from the people who had exploited her when she actually was a teenager.
The John Waters Factor
Waters is famous for his "family" of misfits. He didn't care about her scandal; in fact, he probably loved it. He cast her alongside Patricia Hearst—yes, the kidnapping victim turned urban guerrilla—and Ricki Lake. This wasn't a mistake. It was a statement.
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The director saw that Traci Lords in Cry-Baby could be more than a headline. He saw a legitimate comedic actress. She wasn't just "the porn star." She was Wanda. She was a Drape. And for many fans who grew up on 90s cult cinema, she became the ultimate style icon of the rockabilly revival.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often think Cry-Baby was just a fluke for Lords, a one-off stunt casting. That's not true. This role was the foundation for a legitimate, decades-long career in television and film. She went on to do Roseanne, Melrose Place, and even cult classics like Blade.
But Cry-Baby remains the turning point. It's the moment she stepped out of the shadow of a fake birth certificate and into the light of a movie projector.
The film itself didn't set the box office on fire in 1990. It was technically a "flop." But like most things Waters touches, it grew into a massive cult hit. Today, you see Wanda Woodward's influence in fashion, in the "soft-grunge" aesthetic, and in every girl who decides to draw her eyebrows a little bit higher than they probably should be.
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How to Appreciate the Performance Today
If you're going back to watch the movie now, pay attention to her timing. Camp is hard. If you play it too straight, it's boring. If you play it too big, it’s annoying. Lords hits that sweet spot of "sincere ridiculousness."
Practical Steps for Film Fans:
- Watch for the Meta-Commentary: Look at the scene where she's "fixing" Allison's look. It’s a girl who was forced to grow up too fast teaching another girl how to play a part.
- Check Out the Soundtrack: Though her singing was dubbed (as was Johnny Depp's), her physical performance during the musical numbers is incredibly sharp.
- Read Her Autobiography: If you want the full context of what was happening in that trailer when the FBI arrived, Underneath It All is a brutal, honest read.
Traci Lords didn't just survive the 80s; she reinvented herself through 50s nostalgia. Wanda Woodward remains a testament to the idea that your past doesn't have to be your punchline. Sometimes, it can be your superpower.
To truly understand the impact of this performance, your next step is to watch the "Drape" transformation scene in the movie and note the specific way Lords uses her physicality to command the screen—it's a masterclass in screen presence that often goes overlooked because of the film's campy nature.