Nastassja Kinski acting like a supermodel Bob Dylan on Letterman in 1982

John Candy’s appearance after Kinski on the same night:

She was one of the most beautiful stars ever.

R2 I loved Nasti and 1982 was her big year.

File this under #beautyinevergot. And she couldn’t act either so it’s not like she made up for it.

She could act just fine. She was great in Tess and no trace of a German accent which I found very impressive.

Cocaine

She started very young and was only 21 on that 1982 appearance. Early Dave shows were so quirky and fun.

The possibly apocryphal story about Avedon and Kinski and the snake was that at the photo shoot at the last minute Polly Mellen (the vogue stylist) shrieked “Wait! We’re not a girlie magazine! Get something on her we can SELL so we’re not banned.” Then she slipped the bracelet onto Kinski and the rest was fashion (and bestselling poster) history.

R4 is suffering from vaccine-induced brain embolism and diabetic glaucoma. Her sad, last days.

It's still funny to me that just a year or so after this, she got cast as Susie the Bear in Tony Richardson's generally very faithful film adaptation of The Hotel New Hampshire. So, we had a scene with the young Nastassja Kinski telling Jodie Foster, Rob Lowe, and Paul McCrane that they were all beautiful people and didn't realize what things were like for an unattractive person. Lowe is the only one whose looks really lined up appropriately with the dialogue. (Not that Foster and McCrane were UGLY...)

She was well cast here.

Incredible scene.