For the record: Apollonia never did purify herself in Lake Minnetonka. In fact, she's never been to the Twin Cities' biggest lake. And she hasn't been in Minnesota since filming "Purple Rain" in 1983.
That will change Saturday when the Los Angeles actress returns to First Avenue to appear at the third annual Benefit 2 Celebrate Life, organized by former Prince and the Revolution drummer Bobby Z to raise awareness about heart health. She might even sneak in a trip to the lake.
Prince's entreaty to her — "You have to purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka" — became the most quoted line from the movie, repeated time and again by singers who perform at First Avenue.
"I had no idea that it was going to be such a standout scene," the real-life Patricia Kotero, 54, said by phone last weekend. "I thought it was the stage performances that would capture people's hearts and souls."
Apollonia also had no idea what she was getting into when she stepped into that exurban backwater near the Minnesota River town of Henderson, southwest of the Twin Cities.
Let's set the scene. It was Nov. 2, 1983, the second day of the film shoot. It was freezing — the season's first snow had fallen that day — and Apollonia was wearing a skimpy outfit. A stuntman was stationed in the water to catch her and keep her from getting stuck in the mud.
"As an actor, I was like, 'Let's go for it, man. I can do this.' I did it and when I got out, I kicked [Prince]. I could feel the mud. There was dialogue, but it became improv. I couldn't breathe when I got out. I wanted to check my body parts to see that they were still on me. They said 'Cut' and then we did it three more times. By the fourth time, I felt delirious. They took me to a tent, where they dried me off and there was a nurse."
Apollonia was experiencing hypothermia. "I couldn't see anymore and everything sort of faded to black. Prince came into the tent and he held me and I could hear the nurse, like it was in a faded dream: 'We're losing her' and someone yelled 'Ambulance!' Prince started to tear up and said, 'Please, don't leave me, don't leave me. I love you.' It was surreal. I had no control. The two of them held me really tight with the blankets, and with the body heat, I started to come back. At one point, I was finally coherent and I was able to talk and I said, 'We've gotta get more film in the can, man.' "
