“I don’t want to embarrass him/ her”: Stanley Kubrick Fired a Mystery Actor From Tom Cruise- Nicole Kidman’s Movie After 2 Days in the Kindest Fashion

Tim Blake Nelson, the talented actor known for his roles in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, who is also set to appear in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, has opened up about his experience being cut from Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. Appearing on the Inside of You podcast, Nelson recalled being heartbroken when his role was ultimately cut from the final version of Dune 2.

However, while addressing his heartbreaking cut from Dune: Part Two, Tim Blake Nelson mentioned how his experience bears a striking resemblance to the legendary story of Stanley Kubrick’s compassionate firing of a mystery actor. Nelson discussed how his story runs parallel with Kubrick’s incident of firing an unnamed actor from Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s 1999 film, Eyes Wide Shut.

Stanley Kubrick’s Unusual Approach to Firing an Actor from Eyes Wide Shut

Acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, renowned for his perfectionism and attention to detail, has often made headlines for failing to get along with his actors. However, in a shocking twist of events, Tim Blake Nelson revealed a story that showcased Kubrick’s sympathetic side in a difficult situation.

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Speaking with Inside of You podcast host Michael Rosenbaum, Tim Blake Nelson recalled a story from Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s Eyes Wide Shut, wherein Stanley Kubrick fired an unnamed actor. Revealing how the filmmaker eased the process and fired the actor in the kindest possible way. Narrating the story, Nelson said:

I won’t say the actor’s name, because I don’t want to embarrass him/ her, but it’s such a funny story. I had a friend who went to do Eyes Wide Shut. And he/she was playing a nice role, and did a couple of days and Stanley Kubrick came and knocked on his/her door and took him/her down the hall and put him/her in front of a monitor and said, ‘i wanna show you your scenes’ and showed the scenes.

Showed his/her footage coverage and then proceeded to say, ‘I’m gonna let you go, it’s not working.’ and then he said, ‘it’s not you it’s me’. And this person of course said, ‘yeah, Stanley Kubrick. It’s not me, it’s Stanley Kubrick. Right’.

Narrating the story to Michael Rosenbaum, Tim Blake Nelson then noted how his friend being fired from Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut bore a striking resemblance to his own loss of role in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. 

Tim Blake Nelson was Heartbreakingly Edited Out of Dune: Part Two

After sharing his friend’s funny but heartbreaking story of losing their role in Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 movie, Tim Blake Nelson proceeded to discuss how the sentiment echoed with his own experience of being cut out of Dune 2. According to MovieWeb, Nelson was hired to play a role in Denis Villeneuve’s magnum opus, which fans speculated to be of Count Fenring.

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Although nothing about his role was disclosed, it was eventually edited out of the film since Denis Villeneuve exceeded the movie’s runtime. Therefore, speaking on the podcast, Nelson noted that although he realized that the director “had to cut it” to shorten the Dune 2’s runtime down to 2 hours and 46 minutes, he was still heartbroken.

I was supposed to be in [Dune: Part Two]… Of course, one always wonders as an actor whether if you just been a little bit better then they wouldn’t have been able to slice that part out.

And so there’s a part of me that’s saying, ‘yeah right, Denis Villeneuve. It’s that the movie was too long, it wasn’t that I f*cked the performance up’. I love Denis, I had a great time, and I hope I get to do something with it again. And I’m just glad. I would still go over and do the part, just for being directed by him, and filmed by Greg Frasier and working with Josh Brolin. I would go do it again, even knowing that I was cut out of it, ’cause I had a great time.

Tim Blake Nelson mentioned filming the scene for Dune: Part Two, only to be left “heartbroken” when his role was ultimately cut from the final version. But despite his disappointment, Nelson expressed understanding and admiration for Villeneuve’s vision, stating that he had a great time shooting the scene and holds no hard feelings towards the director.

So, in the end, Nelson’s revelation bears a striking resemblance to the story of Stanley Kubrick’s firing of the mystery actor from Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s Eyes Wide Shut.

Dune: Part Two will be available to stream on Max from May 21.

Eyes Wide Shut is available on Prime Video.