Spanning an entire floor of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the museum exhibit, “John Waters: Pope of Trash,” looks at the beloved cult filmmaker’s career.
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Museum director Jacqueline Stewart asked him how it felt to see his life laid out in these galleries during a press panel on Thursday, Sept. 14. “My parents, I honor them with this,” Waters said. “I wish they could be here because they always made me believe that I could do whatever I want to do, even though they were horrified by what I was doing.
From there, guests flow into a gallery dedicated to his lifelong collaborators, including actors such as Mary Vivian Pearce, the only actor to appear in all of Waters’ films, along with Mink Stole and David Lochary. Then there is his behind-the-camera crew, such as art director Vincent Peranio, whose archives at Yale University provided material for the exhibit, and casting director Pat Moran.
“The little things in the cases, like my original notebook that had receipts of 26 cents for scotch tape and everything for the movie,” Waters said. “And then the grosses. You’d look through I’d have $32 and $10. And it would add up and I would pay my dad back. I did always pay him back, you know.