Diane Lane is getting real about what it was like being one of the only girls on set while filming *The Outsiders*. During a recent appearance on the October 29 episode of *The Drew Barrymore Show*, the 60-year-old actress opened up about her experience working on the 1983 movie alongside a mostly male cast.
“It was hot! It was great,” Lane recalled. But she also admitted, “It was kind of too much testosterone for one girl. So I kept to myself. But I was definitely pinching myself. I was definitely overwhelmed.”
Based on the novel by S. E. Hinton, *The Outsiders* tells the story of a teenage gang known as the “Greasers,” who are in constant conflict with a rival group of wealthier teen boys called the “Socs.” Lane portrayed Cherry, the girlfriend of one of the Socs, whose friendship with a Greaser sets off a chain of traumatic events.
The film’s cast included many young actors who would go on to become Hollywood’s biggest stars, such as Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Ralph Macchio.
In her recent interview with *People*, Lane reflected on the challenges of filming alongside so many boys during long night shoots. “You could sit back and just observe the male—the way they’re working it out with each other,” she explained.
She added, “And it’s interesting because how much were they in character? And how much were they actors, roughhousing or what have you, keeping each other awake during these night shoots? There was so much to observe. I’m still kind of back there, people-watching.”
Following her role in *The Outsiders*, Lane went on to appear in several acclaimed films, including *Unfaithful*, the movie that earned her an Academy Award nomination. In a recent interview on *The Howard Stern Show*, Jennifer Lopez revealed that she was originally offered Lane’s role in *Unfaithful*, joking, “It haunts me.”
“It haunts me a little bit, because it’s, like, the one that I turned down,” Lopez said. “It was just like, ‘Why did you turn down working with Adrian Lyne? What were you thinking?’ I don’t know what was going on in my mind at the time. Who knows what was going on with me at the time?”
Lane is currently promoting her latest film, *Anniversary*, which also stars *Bridgerton* alum Phoebe Dynevor and *Friday Night Lights* alum Kyle Chandler. The movie follows a couple who come together with their children each year to celebrate their anniversary. However, tensions rise one year when their son brings home his girlfriend, who is involved in a controversial movement known as the Change.
Speaking to *CBS Mornings* in October about what she hopes audiences will take away from the film, Lane said, “I think that silencing people can radicalize people, and I think two ears one mouth—it’s more important that we listen to each other.”
She continued, “I don’t think you go to war with people whose moccasins you’ve walked in a mile. Isn’t that the old adage? So, empathy like we always talk about, sympathy, empathy, compassion.”
https://nypost.com/2025/11/02/entertainment/diane-lane-says-the-outsiders-had-too-much-testosterone/