Forever the Tai to his Travis. During the Clueless reunion panel at 90s Con 2023, Breckin Meyer opened up about the death of his late costar, Brittany Murphy, 14 years after her tragic passing.
“The one thing that really bummed [me out] about Brittany not being here [is thinking about] what she’d be doing now because of how talented she was,” the 48-year-old Good Girls alum said during the cast’s convention panel on Sunday, March 19, which was attended by Us Weekly. “Brittany could sing like nobody’s business, and I look at things like [how] they’re doing the movie Wicked now. I hear about that, [and I know] Brittany would be killing this stuff right now. You know, [projects like] West Side Story, all that stuff.”
Meyer, who played Travis Birkenstock in 1995’s Clueless, added: “The [tough part] is, like, we all don’t get to see the incredible work she was gonna do, which sucks.”
Murphy, who played new girl Tai in the iconic ’90s flick, died in December 2009 at the age of 32. Her death — which was ruled as “accidental” — was a result of pneumonia, anemia and multiple drug intoxication.
Following her tragic passing, her Clueless pals have frequently been candid about her enduring legacy, including Meyer.
“10 years ago this magical, fantabulous angel left us WAY too early. So crazy talented & the sweetest lil fairy ya ever could meet,” the Franklin & Bash alum, who played the Uptown Girls star’s love interest in Clueless, tweeted in December 2019. “Full Disclosure: Travis kisses Tai on the head because Brit was always like a lil sister to me. Missing Brit lots today.”
During Sunday’s panel, Meyer — who was joined by costars Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash and Elisa Donovan — revealed that he had known Murphy “forever” prior to their Clueless audition.
“So Brit and I played boyfriend and girlfriend in a couple things [before Clueless],” the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past actor recalled during the convention, which was held at the Hartford Convention Center in Connecticut. “I was tight with someone who played her big sister on a sitcom and I had no job, so I was around the set a lot [and] so I played Brittany’s boyfriend there. We were tight already [when we got the Clueless roles].”
He added: “When I auditioned, it was nice because any time you audition with someone you know, you’re just like, ‘One box, I can check: Comfortable.’”
Meyer, who arrived via skateboard to meet director Amy Heckerling at his Clueless callback, noted the roles of Travis and Tai nearly went to his pal Seth Green and his then-girlfriend, Alanna Ubach.
“It was just kind of one of [us or] the other,” the Garfield: The Movie star added. “It was between the two couples and luckily [Seth and Alanna are] not together anymore. So it worked out! But, yeah, when I saw Brittany [audition], I [thought], ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna get the part, but obviously, if you don’t make a movie with her, don’t make the movie,’ she’s that great. She was.”
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With reporting by Stephanie Webber
