What happens when an actor was excellent during auditions but unable to reproduce the same level of performance during filming?
Paul Verhoeven auditioned a lot of actresses for the lead role in Basic Instinct.
However, most of them turned down the role, especially because it included nudity and the film's theme was quite subversive.
Actresses who turned down the role included Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kim Basinger, Geena Davis, Ellen Barkin and Demi Moore.
Paul Verhoeven finally offered the role to Sharon Stone, a relatively unknown actress, but who had given an excellent audition.
She also played a supporting role in his previous film, Total Recall .
However, when filming her first scene for Basic Instinct , Sharon Stone was very nervous and uncomfortable. This time, she was the star of the film and she wasn't sure if she was up to the task.
This first scene was a disaster, to the point that Paul Verhoeven questioned his choice. He decided to replace Sharon Stone with another actress.
Obviously she had done a good audition, which happens, but she was not able to reproduce the same performance.
Just before firing Sharon Stone, Verhoeven finally decided to give her a second chance, coaching her to relax.
The coaching was hard work and time consuming, but it paid off.
Incidentally, this investment of the director towards the actress created tensions with Michael Douglas, the other star of the film, who felt sidelined. While Verhoeven simply thought that an actor as experienced as Douglas did not need coaching.
As a little anecdote, Douglas ended up emptying his bag in front of Verhoeven during a heated argument in his dressing room.
The two men will yell at each other.
The stress of this spat will be so violent that Paul Verhoeven will get a bloody nose.
When he finally emerges from Michael Douglas' dressing room, his shirt stained with blood, the film crew, who had heard screams, will be convinced that the two men have come to blows...
Comments
Post a Comment