Director Stanley Kubrick is known for his perfectionist tendencies while on set. His commitment to getting the shot technically and artistically right has resulted in some of the best films of all time such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, Paths of Glory, Full Metal Jacket, and The Shining among others.
Kubrick passed away before the release of his final film Eyes Wide Shut, which starred Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who were then married. While the psychological thriller drama has been regarded as one of Kubrick’s best and is considered to be one of the greats, the filmmaker himself reportedly did not like the film and especially hated working with Cruise and Kidman.
Stanley Kubrick Reportedly Hated Working With Tom Cruise And Nicole Kidman
After working with newcomers and unknown actors for a long time, Stanley Kubrick reportedly decided to cast stars for what would be his final film Eyes Wide Shut. The filmmaker had reportedly not done so since his horror film The Shining, in which he had worked with Jack Nicholson. After Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman had visited his estate in London, Kubrick reportedly gave them the roles.
However, it was reportedly not as smooth sailing for Kubrick, who was notorious for his perfectionist attitude while filming. The filming for Eyes Wide Shut reportedly went on for four hundred days and the actors had to do multiple retakes during a scene, which the Spartacus filmmaker was known for. He was also reportedly not that happy working with Cruise and Kidman, who were married at the time.
A few weeks before he passed away due to a heart attack, Stanley Kubrick reportedly called up his friend and Full Metal Jacket actor R. Lee Ermey and spoke about his cut of Eyes Wide Shut. Ermey mentioned that he was not happy with the film and even called it a ‘piece of sh*t’. He said to Radar magazine (via IndieWire),
“He called me about two weeks before he died, as a matter of fact. We had a long conversation about ‘Eyes Wide Shut.’ He told me it was a piece of shit and that he was disgusted with it and that the critics were going to have him for lunch. He said Cruise and Kidman had their way with him—exactly the words he used.”
Ermey also mentioned that Kubrick was usually apprehensive about working with stars as he was a ‘shy and timid’ guy who felt that the stars would ‘have their way’ with him and he would lose control over the finished film.
Stanley Kubrick Forbade Nicole Kidman And Tom Cruise From Being On Set During Each Others’ Scenes
Stanley Kubrick was reportedly obsessed with the secrecy surrounding his projects. According to screenwriter Frederic Raphael, even he was sent an unmarked copy of the novel ‘Traumnovelle’ by Arthur Schnitzler in order for him to maintain secrecy over his next film (via The New Yorker). However, this was one of the reasons why many rumors surrounded Eyes Wide Shut.
Kubrick’s sets were always notorious for his obsession with getting the technicalities right and his penchant for hundreds of retakes. The actor reportedly had differences with Harvey Keitel and the latter was fired from the film and replaced by Sydney Pollack as Keitel had to do multiple retakes for a simple scene (via Another Magazine).
Kubrick also reportedly had many rules set for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Since this was the first film they starred in after their marriage and rumors circulated about the film containing many s*x scenes, it was reportedly speculated that Cruise and Kidman would be present during each others’ scenes. However, this was reportedly far from the case.
According to Another Magazine, Kubrick actually forbade them from being on set for each others’ scenes and was also not happy with them discussing scenes outside of the set. Kubrick reportedly directed both Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise separately and Cruise was not allowed to be on set when they filmed Kidman’s intimate scene with a naval officer.
Eyes Wide Shut is currently streaming on Showtime.
