Nicole Kidman Had Final Say Over Her Nude Scenes In Eyes Wide Shut

Nicole Kidman revealed that director Stanley Kubrick let her have final say over which of her nude scenes made it into the finished version of Eyes Wide Shut. Consistently among the world’s highest-paid actresses, Kidman began her Hollywood career with a string of hits throughout the early- and mid-’90s, most notably Batman Forever and Days of Thunder opposite then-husband Tom Cruise. She has received four Oscar nominations, ultimately winning Best Actress in 2003 for her performance as Virginia Woolf in The Hours.

Kidman reteamed with her husband Cruise for the third time in Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick’s final film released in 1999 about a man’s sexual odyssey over the course of one night after his wife admits to almost having an affair. The dreamlike erotic drama was a box office success, earning over $162 million worldwide and becoming a new high water mark for Kidman’s career. Similar to 2001: A Space Odyssey and other Kubrick classics, reviews for Eyes Wide Shut were lukewarm at the time of release but have grown more positive in the years since.

And while Kubrick is widely known for his perfectionism and total control over his films, Kidman’s interview with The New York Times Magazine this week indicates she had some influence on his decision-making during filming Eyes Wide Shut. While she was initially skeptical when Kubrick wanted her to go full-frontal nudity, they eventually reached an agreement where she would have a say in which scenes would be used.

He would show me the scenes with the nudity before they made it into the film. Then I could feel completely safe. I didn’t say no to any of it. I’d wanted to make sure that it wasn’t going to be me standing there nude and everyone laughing at me. I was protected, so I got to explore a complicated marriage and the way in which Tom’s character is having those jealous images. I would never think of not wanting the storytelling to be told properly. Having them say, “Once you’re OK with it, great, that’s it” – what a fantastic place to be in as a woman.

Kidman went on in the extensive interview to say that nudity in film should never be exploitative but instead a healthy contract between the actor and filmmaker. Due to Eyes Wide Shut‘s immersive and sexually charged nature, her on-screen nudity and sex scenes needed to feel safe. This, she notes, was something that came down to Kubrick’s willingness to let her choose which images she felt comfortable with. This agreement between Kidman and Kubrick is perhaps why Eyes Wide Shut has received the acclaim it has, as the actress felt more comfortable to perform to the best of her ability.

Eyes Wide Shut was arguably Kidman’s most high-profile project up until that point, not just because it was the legendary director’s last movie but also because the media frenzy surrounding her relationship to Cruise was reaching its apex. Despite all of that attention, her Eyes Wide Shut performance feels somewhat lost to time, as her acting chops have only strengthened over the last 20 years with a diverse range of lead roles. From appearances in blockbusters like Aquaman to searing dramatic turns in indies like Destroyer, Kidman has clearly had several different career apexes, with Eyes Wide Shut being just one of them.

Source: New York Times Magazine

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Alex McGuire
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Alex McGuire is a news writer for Screen Rant who over the last decade has covered everything from entertainment to finance. A graduate of LIU Brooklyn’s MFA screenwriting program, Alex has worked in location management on several high-profile TV shows. He believes everything is at least 20% better with Stephen Root. Follow him on Letterboxd: @a_mac1992

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