Ashley Judd Says ‘the Depiction of Women’ in 1995’s ‘Heat’ ‘Is Not Okay’

Ashley Judd looks back on her past projects with a critical eye. 

In an interview with Vulture, Judd reflected on her work in Heat and the movie’s portrayal of female characters, sharing that she and her partner have been rewatching all of her films. 

“The depiction of women in this movie is not okay,” Judd said of the 1995 thriller. “I look at all my movies that way.”

Judd, 57, said she now looks at her roles through a different lens, specifically regarding the representation of women and the ways in which they reflect internalized misogyny. 

“Today, when people say, ‘Kiss the Girls is my favorite movie,’ I’m like, ‘Let’s talk about that,’ because male sexual violence and male torture of women is not entertainment, and that’s what that movie is about,” she shared.

“Calling it ‘resilience’ rather than going into the structural inequality that caused the harm to happen in the first place — we’re all implicated in that,” she reflected. 

Despite its flaws, Judd admitted that she “loved being a part of” Heat.

“And I’m glad, still, that I was a part of this movie, and I do think it’s iconic,” she shared. “It’s a reflection of reality, and reality is problematic.”

“To say the movie is problematic is not to put the responsibility and focus where it lies, which is with the reality of which it’s a reflection,” she added. “Observation and critique is what I’m offering.”

In the movie, Judd played Charlene Shiherlis, who was married to Val Kilmer’s career criminal character, Chris Shiherlis. Judd described their ill-fated relationship as “Romeo and Juliet, but the reverse, right?”

Toward the end of the film, the characters say goodbye without a word, as Charlene makes a last-minute choice not to turn Chris in.

“I’m giving him freedom. I distanced ourselves from each other for this scene,” she shared about working with Kilmer, who died in April 2025.

“Once Val and I finished the other scenes, we didn’t connect again, which may have, in its own way, contributed to the feeling of the finality of this moment, and the longing.” 

In addition to Judd and Kilmer, Heat starred Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore and Natalie Portman.

Since the 1995 hit, Judd has starred in films like Frida, Divergent, and Double Jeopardy, to name a few. She has also been an outspoken activist on behalf of women, speaking out against Harvey Weinstein, working with organizations like YouthAid and the International Center for Research on Women, and the United Nations.