‘What a Feeling!’ 9 Rare Photos of Jennifer Beals on the ‘Flashdance’ Set

Plus, see what Jennifer Beals had to say about the movie that made her a star

By Abbey Bender August 30, 2025

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With its MTV-inspired aesthetic and unforgettable soundtrack, Flashdance is one of the movies that defined the ’80s, and over 40 years after it first hit the screen, it remains a dance-film classic that’s inspired countless homages. The movie made Jennifer Beals a star and introduced the cutoff sweatshirt look to the world, and the ridiculousness of its “welder by day, stripper by night” plot only adds to its campy and nostalgic fun.

Shot on a low budget by director Adrian Lyne (who’d go on to helm other ’80s classics like 9 ½ Weeks and Fatal Attraction), Flashdance was a surprise box office smash, and elements of its production, from the use of dance body doubles (including, in one infamous moment, a male break dancer) to the fact that Beals’ iconic sweatshirt was the result of a laundry accident (yes, really!) has become the stuff of Hollywood lore.

Read on to see rare photos from the set of Flashdance and revel in its stylish dance movie magic.

1. Beals behind the camera

(c) Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

In a charming moment of role reversal, Jennifer Beals steps behind the camera as her director, Adrian Lyne, looks on. Lyne was enchanted by Beals’ beauty and immediately recognized her star power, and in a 2023 Yahoo interview, he said that when he rewatched the film for the first time in many years, “I thought it was actually quite fun. But most of all I was pleased about Jennifer Beals, cause I think that she has a sort of a vulnerable quality that pulled it off. I mean it was always a fairytale story.”
2. Smoke break

(c) Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

Smoking is an undeniably terrible habit, but we can’t deny that Beals looks chic here.
3. Jumping for joy

© Paramount / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Striking a power pose in an oversized coat and heels, Beals is giving ’80s girlboss vibes. Looking back on Flashdance in a 2019 Good Morning America interview, Beals said, “I think it’s so aspirational, like you’re watching somebody pursue their dream.”
4. A girl and her dog

Images Press/IMAGES/Getty

Beals was cast in her breakthrough Flashdance role while she was a student at Yale, and she returned to the prestigious university once she finished filming. Here, she shows off her school spirit in a Yale sweatshirt while posing with her onscreen dog (who was named Grunt in the movie and listed in the credits as Jumbo Red). Surprisingly, Beals said that going back to Yale after Flashdance became a blockbuster was “completely normal.”
5. A black tie affair

Images Press/IMAGES/Getty

In one of Flashdance’s most memorable moments, Beals wears a tuxedo for a date, only to then take off her jacket and show that her outfit is way more revealing than it initially appeared. Here, she rocks the full tux for a glamorous promotional shot. In 2020, the actress admitted that when she rewatched the movie, “I was like Oh my gosh, I didn’t realize how sexual it was. That was really funny, I was surprised by it. Which I shouldn’t be, but I was.”
6. Steel mill chic

Images Press/IMAGES/Getty

To make ends meet, Beals’ character works as a day job welder at a steel mill and moonlights as a stripper. Here, the star poses in her bulky welding gear during filming, and if the idea of her doing such hard labor requires us to suspend our disbelief, it might help to know that the director thought the same thing! In his Yahoo interview, Lyne said, “I thought the idea was a little slim . . . It's totally absurd. It's totally absurd. Of course it is. But we got away with it.”
7. Strike a pose

Nancy Moran/Sygma via Getty

In this cute candid, Beals playfully poses with a youngster. Lyne said that the actress’ youthful spirit made her a natural for the role, telling USA Today, “She was devastatingly beautiful without any kind of awareness of that beauty. That lack of awareness was really lovely. And she had that sweet laugh, like a kid.”
8. Shrugging in the streets

Nancy Moran/Sygma via Getty

While shooting on location in Pittsburgh, a casually attired Beals (dig those Nikes!) shrugs and makes a face. We wonder what she’s carrying in that oversized bag!
9. 'Flashdance' florals

Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Flashdance had come out two weeks before this picture was taken, and Beals looks happy about its success. Reflecting on her early years, she said her positivity was totally authentic, telling The Guardian, “I didn’t even feel like I wanted control or impact. I wanted joy, full stop. It was completely pleasure principle: ‘This is fun. I enjoy this. And I can feel myself expanding—it’s really exciting and totally terrifying.’”

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