'Miss Congeniality' stars Heather Burns and more celebrate 'April 25' day
It's April 25, and several "Miss Congeniality" stars are celebrating the "perfect date."
On Friday, stars from the iconic movie took to Instagram to commemorate the date, which has unofficially been dubbed "Miss Congeniality" Day in pop culture for the 2000 film's iconic scene with actress Heather Burns.
This year, the date also coincides with the film's 25th anniversary.
In the movie, April 25 is mentioned when Burns' character Cheryl Frasier, aka Miss Rhode Island, a contestant in the Miss United States pageant, answers an interview prompt from William Shatner's character, pageant MC Stan Fields.
"Describe your perfect date," Stan says in the scene.
Cheryl replies, "That's a tough one. I'd have to say April 25th, because it's not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket."
Burns, who has commemorated the day several times over the years, took to her Instagram story on Friday and shared a photo from the film with her co-stars, writing, "Happy April 25th! Wishing everyone peace and love 💜."
Shatner also shared an image from the film on his Instagram story, writing, "Happy 25th anniversary!"
Actresses who starred as other pageant contestants in the movie, including Melissa De Sousa, Deirdre Quinn and LeeAnne Locken, also celebrated the date on social media.
In her post, De Sousa, who played Karen (Miss New York) in the movie, wrote, "April 25th is the perfect date! HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY MISS CONGENIALITY!!! 🥳💖💃🏽."
"What an unforgettable experience we had shooting this movie," she added. "Such fond memories, starting with Sandra Bullock, who is the kindest human being. I made lifelong friends with these beautiful women!❤️."
According to a synopsis, the film followed Bullock's character, Gracie Hart, a detective who "is forced to infiltrate the Miss United States beauty pageant as a contestant after her department learns that the event is under threat from an anonymous bomber."
Since its release, the film has become a cult classic.
A sequel for the film, "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous," was released in 2005.
Quinn, who played Mary Jo (Miss Texas) in the movie, also marked the date with an Instagram post Friday, saying in a video, "Happy perfect date! It's been 25 years and I'm still obsessed. Happy April 25th to 'Miss Congeniality.' Cheers!"
Quinn also praised Bullock for creating a welcoming environment on set.
"This experience was truly life-changing," she wrote in the caption of the post. "Sandy created an environment that was not only fun, creative & unifying but she was a trailblazer in empowering women, which is why I believe this movie has stood the test of time."
She added that she felt "lucky to have been a part of something so iconic" and "blessed that I created lifelong friendships."
