Eyes Wide Shutstar Nicole Kidman explains how Stanley Kubrick really made movies, including his on-set persona. Released in 1999,Eyes Wide Shutmarks the only collaboration between Kidman and Kubrick, the latter of whom directed iconic films like2001: A Space Odyssey(1968),The Shining(1980), andFull Metal Jacket(1987). Kubrick, who died in 1999, shortly before the release of theTom Cruise-starringerotic thriller, has remained a legendary figure not only due to the movies he made, but also due to his on-set persona and his exacting methods of filming.
In a recent interview withBritish GQin which she breaks down her most iconic characters, Kidman speaks about her experiences filmingEyes Wide Shut, sharing new details about what Kubrick was like to work with and his approach to filmmaking. Instead of touching on more talked-about Kubrick details like his pursuit of perfection,Kidman explains just how collaborative the director was with his actors and everyone on set. According to Kidman, one of Kubrick’s great strengths was being receptive to everyone’s ideas. Check out her comment or watch the video below:
Extraordinary. It changed my life. His understanding of the human condition and human beings, and his extraordinary intelligence, it was just like being with someone that… and just knew so much about everything. It was more than just making a film. It was like, “Okay, someone has come into my life now who is extraordinary and who is going to challenge me, help me, teach me.”
He didn’t want to be, “And now he has spoken.” You know, that sort of demigod thing was not going to work for him. He just wanted to be creatively working on things and trying to find the scenes, and that’s how he approached it. And he would always try to demystify it and just make it kind of feet-on-the-ground normal.
He was always open to ideas and going, “Okay, well, what do you think?” He would listen. Like, he would take 10% of what you think. 90%, he’d be like, “No, terrible idea.” But he had also a rule that you were never allowed to shut something down when you threw it out on the table.
A lot of our instincts, I think, as human beings, is an immediate “no.” “Ugh, no, that’s not good.” And so he’d say, “You have to wait.” No one is allowed to say yes or no, you just have to mull it over, any decision that’s thrown out, and never ridicule. There was to be no ridiculing of an idea, which is so good. You’re just trying things.
What Kidman’s Comments Mean For Kubrick’s Legacy
The Filmmaker’s Treatment Of Shelley Duvall On The Shining Has Been The Stuff Of Legend
Kubrick’s work onThe Shiningis what often comes to mind when thinking about how the director operates.There are reports of Kubrick forcing his actors to do dozens or even more than a hundred takesfor certain scenes to achieve perfection. The late Shelley Duvall, in particular, has become an exemplary figure in this respect, and it’s long been thought that her broken-down, tortured performance as Wendy Torrance inThe Shiningis partly a result of Kubrick’s mistreatment of her on set.
Why Shelley Duvall Left Hollywood (It Wasn’t Because Of The Shining)
Shelley Duvall disappeared from Hollywood in the early 2000s and rumors pointed to Stanley Kubrick as the culprit but the truth is much more personal.
Though Duvall herself has admitted during an interview withComingSoon.netto having a “really bad anxiety attack on set,” she has also spoken far more happily about the experience. In reality, it does seem as if Kubrick created a toxic environment for Duvall, but her experience has also been exaggerated and mythologized.Kidman’s comments further add to this complicated portrait of Kubrick, speaking to the other side of the director that existed and how he evolved over time. There’s nearly twenty years, after all, betweenThe ShiningandEyes Wide Shut.
Eyes Wide Shutholds the recordas the longest continuous film shoot. The production lasted a grueling 400 days.
Our Take On Kidman’s Recollection Of Working With Kubrick
Kubrick Remains An Enigmatic Figure
Eyes Wide Shutmarks the final entry inKubrick’s impressive filmography, and it certainly is an enigmatic final work. Though perhaps not seen as an iconic film in the same way2001: A Space OdysseyandThe Shiningare, the 1999 movie features powerful Kidman and Cruise performances and an intriguing mystery at the center of the story.
Kubrick remains a complicated figure 25 years later, and the reports of his on-set persona have almost become as legendary as his films. With Kidman’s latest comment highlighting just how collaborative and open Kubrick was, his reputation has only become more complex and harder to pin down. Like all people, Kubrick wasn’t just one thing. Evidently, however, Kidman had a very positive experience with the director makingEyes Wide Shut.
Eyes Wide Shut
Cast
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama mystery directed by Stanley Kubrick centering on a Manhattan doctor who goes to unexpected lengths to please his wife after she admits she was unsatisfied and almost had an affair a year earlier. Eyes Wide Shut stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as husband and wife.
