2012’s The Paperboy was a lot more stressful for actress Nicole Kidman than she thought it would be. Directed by Lee Daniels, the film also featured Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray, John Cusack, and Scott Glenn.
Kidman really liked the idea and characters of the film so she decided to accept the role, however, it came with some consequences. During one of her intimate scenes with actor John Cusack, the actress got some visible injuries and that worried the director of the film. In order to hide some injuries, the actress had to put on makeup. Despite all the controversial scenes, Kidman highlighted that it wasn’t shocking or traumatic for her.
Nicole Kidman got injured while filming intimate scenes in The Paperboy (2012)
The director of 2012’s The Paperboy, Lee Daniels, once interviewed actress Nicole Kidman for Interview Magazine and talked about Kidman’s intimate scenes with John Cusack in the movie that gave her a lot of bruises. Daniels said,
“I remember the love scene you did with John Cusack. I said, ‘John, you’re hurting her.’ You were bent over the washer and dryer. I said, ‘Nicole, are you okay?’ And you said, ‘I’m fine.'” Daniels further added, “Nic showed up with purple and blue bruises all over her legs! I said, ‘You crazy bi***h – go put some makeup on your legs!”
Kidman and Cusack wanted to portray an authentic violent love intimate scene, and that’s why things went too far.
Nicole Kidman explained that it was a part of the process
Kidman once explained that she didn’t complain during those scenes because she and Cusack stayed in character as much as possible while filming. She explained why she didn’t oppose it,
“As actors, we have to protect each other in a way. The last thing I want to say is, ‘Oh my gosh, you hurt me.’ Most actors are like that. We all go, ‘No, no. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.’ Because that’s how you release into things and find stuff.”
Kidman wasn’t fazed by the shocking controversial scenes because she believed “violence is a lot more shocking.“ The Paperboy earned $3.8 million worldwide on a budget of $12.5 million, making it a box office bomb.
Zac Efron got uncomfortable while filming intimate scenes with Nicole Kidman
Unlike Kidman’s scenes with Cusack, her intimate scenes with actor Zac Efron were much more toned down. However, Efron got uncomfortable while filming those scenes. During a press conference, Efron revealed that the director didn’t yell cut, which led to some issues,
“We just kept going and going and going, and eventually it left us partly undressed and things started to happen. Yeah, we went there. It was uncomfortable just because I didn’t know when we were going to stop.”
The Paperboy is known for its gritty and provocative storytelling. Despite the mixed reviews, the film garnered attention for its bold and unconventional approach to storytelling.
Source: Interview Magazine
