Editing Working Girl (section)

==Production==

===Development===
Screenwriter [[Kevin Wade]] was inspired to write the screenplay after visiting New York City in 1984 and witnessing throngs of career women walking through the streets in tennis shoes while carrying their high-heels.<ref name=afi/>

===Casting===
Melanie Griffith read the screenplay for ''Working Girl'' over a year before the production began, and expressed interest in playing the role of Tess McGill.<ref name=afi/> Approximately a year later, [[Mike Nichols]] agreed to direct the film after reading the screenplay while shooting his film ''[[Biloxi Blues (film)|Biloxi Blues]]'' in [[Arkansas]].<ref name=afi/> Following Nichols's attachment, Griffith had a formal audition for the role.<ref name=afi/> [[Molly Ringwald]] auditioned but was deemed "too young."<ref>[https://variety.com/2024/film/actors/molly-ringwald-brat-pack-the-bear-feud-creative-vanguard-award-1235957763/ Molly Ringwald Felt Limited by ‘Brat Pack’ Label, But ‘The Bear’ and ‘Feud’ Roles Excite Her for What’s Next]</ref> Nichols was so determined for Griffith to have the part that he threatened to drop out of the production if the studio, [[20th Century Fox]], would not hire her.<ref name=afi/>

Following the casting of Sigourney Weaver and Harrison Ford—both major stars at that point—the studio agreed to cast Griffith, as they felt Weaver and Ford's involvement gave them a higher chance of box-office success.<ref name=afi/>

===Filming===
[[Principal photography]] of ''Working Girl'' began on February 16, 1988, in New York City.<ref name=afi/> Many scenes were shot in the [[New Brighton, Staten Island|New Brighton]] section of Staten Island in New York City. One half-day of shooting to complete the skiing accident scene took place in [[New Jersey]].<ref name=afi/> Four different buildings portrayed the offices of Petty Marsh—1 State Street Plaza; the Midday Club, which served as the company's club room; the lobby of [[7 World Trade Center (1987–2001)|7 World Trade Center]] (one of the buildings destroyed in the [[September 11 attacks]]); and the reading floor of the L. F. Rothschild Building.<ref name=afi/> [[One Chase Manhattan Plaza]] was featured at the end of the film as the Trask Industries building.<ref name=afi/> Filming completed on April 27, 1988, with the final sequence being shot on the [[Staten Island Ferry]].<ref name=afi/>

Throughout the shoot, Griffith was in the midst of struggling with a years-long alcohol and [[cocaine]] addiction, which at times interfered with the shoot.{{sfn|Carter|Kashner|2019|pages=206–210}} "There were a lot of things that happened on ''Working Girl'' that I did that were not right," Griffith recalled in 2019. "It was the late '80s. There was a lot going on party-wise in New York. There was a lot of cocaine. There was a lot of temptation."{{sfn|Carter|Kashner|2019|p=211}} After Nichols realized that Griffith had arrived on set high on cocaine, the shoot was temporarily shut down for 24 hours.{{sfn|Carter|Kashner|2019|p=212}} Griffith elaborated on the experience:

{{Blockquote|Mike got so mad at me, he wouldn't talk to me. Mike Haley, the first [assistant director], just came up and said, "We're shutting down. Go home", and I knew I was in so much trouble. … The next morning he (Nichols) took me to breakfast and said, "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to pay for last night out of your pocket. We're not going to report you to the studio, but you have to pay for what it cost", and it was $80,000. They wanted to get my attention and they really did. It was a very humbling, embarrassing experience, but I learned a lot from it.{{Sfn|Carter|Kashner|2019|p=212}}}}

Three weeks after filming was completed, Griffith entered a rehabilitation facility to receive treatment for her addiction.<ref name=biography>{{Cite web|work=[[Biography (TV program)|Biography]]|title='Working Girl' Was Melanie Griffith's Big Break — and Helped Her Get Sober|last=Bertram|first=Colin|date=February 4, 2020|url=https://www.biography.com/news/melanie-griffith-working-girl-movie}}</ref> Ironically, according to the biography ''Mike Nichols: A Life'', written by [[Mark Harris (journalist)|Mark Harris]], Nichols had been battling a cocaine addiction of his own around the same time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mike Nichols: The Last Director Who Knew Everyone and Did Everything|url=https://www.gq.com/story/mike-nichols-biography|last=Tashjian|first=Rachel|magazine=[[GQ]]|date=February 9, 2021}}</ref>

===Music===
{{Main|Working Girl (soundtrack)}}

The film's main theme "[[Let the River Run]]" was written, arranged, and performed by American singer-songwriter [[Carly Simon]], and won her an [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Academy Award]], a [[Golden Globe Award]], and a [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Grammy Award]] for Best Original Song,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carlysimon.com/timeline/Awards.shtml|title=Carly Simon Official Website – Awards|accessdate=March 29, 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019020216/http://www.carlysimon.com/timeline/Awards.shtml|archivedate=October 19, 2007}}</ref> making Simon the first artist to win this trio of awards for a song written, as well as performed, entirely by a single artist.<ref>{{cite web|website=ASCAP.com|url=https://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2012/founders_award.aspx|title=Carly Simon - ASCAP Founders Award|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901044750/https://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2012/founders_award.aspx|archive-date=September 1, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a single, "Let the River Run" reached No. 49 on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and No. 11 on the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary]] chart in early 1989.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/carly-simon/chart-history|title=Carly Simon Chart History|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>

The film's additional soundtrack was scored by Simon and [[Rob Mounsey]]. The [[Working Girl (Original Soundtrack Album)|soundtrack album]] was released by [[Arista Records]] on August 29, 1989, and peaked at No. 45 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/working-girl-mw0000198985/awards|title=Awards|website=AllMusic.com |accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref>