Jessica Lange recalls a funny Tootsie moment

Published on October 28, 2026 01:48 UTC · Updated on October 28, 2026 01:49 UTC

In a new Jennifer Hudson interview, Jessica Lange recalled her granddaughters failing to recognize her in Tootsie and revisited the film that won her an Oscar.

Add as a preferred source on Google WhatsApp Telegram

Jessica Lange during her October 2026 interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show — · Photo: Courtesy of The Jennifer Hudson Show

Jessica Lange says her granddaughters did not realize she was on screen when she tried to introduce them to one of the best-known films in her career. The actress shared the family story during an interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show, aired October 23, 2026, while looking back at her work in film and television. The funny memory also brought attention back to Tootsie, the 1982 film that earned Lange the Academy Award for supporting actress.

The girls were about four and six at the time, Lange recalled. She expected them to recognize her in the movie, waited for a reaction, and eventually pointed herself out. Their response—asking which character was their grandmother—became the punchline of the story she told host Jennifer Hudson.

Jessica Lange during her interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show — Jessica Lange appeared on Jennifer Hudson’s show on October 23. (Courtesy of The Jennifer Hudson Show)

What Lange remembered about Tootsie

Lange said she was watching television with her granddaughters when Tootsie came on. She thought the film offered an easy way to explain what she did as an actress. The scene continued, but the children did not identify their grandmother. Lange finally pointed to the screen and said, “Girls, look, that’s me.” They asked, “Which one?” she recalled, describing the answer as a perfect ending to her introduction.

The joke depends on the scene: in Tootsie, Dustin Hoffman plays an actor who disguises himself as a woman to get work. Lange plays Julie Nichols, a colleague and love interest of Hoffman’s character. Hoffman’s wig, large glasses and dress made Lange’s face less obvious to the girls, who were very young when they watched the movie.

Lange also said that her granddaughters first knew her as their grandmother, rather than as a performer. The interview identifies Adah and Ilse, now adults. Lange has worked across film, television and theater, but the anecdote shows how a public career may be separate from the everyday image small children have of a family member.

The film that brought Lange an Oscar

Released in 1982, Tootsie was directed by Sydney Pollack and starred Hoffman. Its cast also included Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray and Geena Davis. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records that Lange won the 1983 supporting-actress Oscar for the film. Tootsie received ten nominations, and Lange was the movie’s sole winner that year.

The memory came during a broader conversation about Lange’s career. On the same program, she discussed her film debut in King Kong (1976) and more recent work. The appearance also included a surprise message from Angela Bassett and Sarah Paulson, Lange’s colleagues on American Horror Story.

A conversation across different career stages

The official Jennifer Hudson Show page describes the October 23 segment as a conversation about Lange’s King Kong debut and her granddaughters’ reaction to Tootsie. The show also posted a separate segment featuring the surprise from Bassett and Paulson. The videos make the context clear: this is not news of a new Tootsie production or a sequel, but a personal recollection shared as Lange revisited her filmography.

The conversation is timely because Lange has been visible again through recent work, including American Horror Story: 13 and Long Day’s Journey Into Night, both mentioned in the show’s guest publicity. Her career spans movies, television and the stage. Hudson’s interview moved across those chapters without announcing a new project from the actress.

Why the story resonated

The anecdote brings together a family moment and a recognizable piece of film history. Viewers who know Lange mainly from American Horror Story get a route back to an earlier part of her career; people revisiting Tootsie can see how a performance lands differently across generations. The story does not change facts about the movie, but it adds a personal detail shared by the actress herself.

It is also an example of a recent interview bringing an older film back into conversation without announcing a remake or sequel. The news is Lange’s memory and the context of the new appearance; the film and award details can be checked against Sony Pictures and Academy records. Revista Pixel’s TV and series section follows entertainment news; read our coverage of other television and streaming stories.