Why Aaron Sorkin Refused to Write a Sex Scene for Nicole Kidman in a Movie He Wasn’t Proud of
Nicole Kidman is no stranger to sex scenes in films. The actor has gotten intimate a few times with her co-stars throughout her prestigious filmography. But there was one moment earlier in Kidman’s career where screenwriter Aaron Sorkin refused to write a sex scene for the star. And it was a movie Sorkin really wasn’t too fond of.
Why Nicole Kidman finds her sex scenes important
Many celebrities have spoken about the discomfort that comes with sex scenes. But there are other stars, like Nicole Kidman, who don’t mind indulging in that level of intimacy on-screen. In an interview with Harpers Bazaar, Kidman addressed how her films tend to go in very sexual places. But the actor asserted that these types of scenes usually serve an essential narrative purpose.
“I’m not willing to do it just willy-nilly,” Kidman said. “But if there’s a reason for it…I’ve always said that [sex] is a very important connection between human beings. Why would you not depict it on screen?”
But throughout her career, Kidman discovered that filmmakers might not always want to shoot sex scenes for the sake of the narrative. When a situation like that occurs, it could lead to an unpleasant experience for all involved.
Why Aaron Sorkin refused to write a sex scene for Nicole Kidman
Aaron Sorkin is one of Hollywood’s most prolific screenwriters. But he didn’t always have the pull over the film industry he has today. In a film that he wrote back in his younger years, director Harold Becker wanted Sorkin to write a graphic sex scene. Sorkin obliged the director.
“Early on in my career, I wrote a movie that I’m not very proud of at all, it just turned into a mess,” Sorkin once confided to USA Today. “Alec Baldwin and Nicole Kidman were in it. The director, very close to the start of photography, decided that we were missing a sex scene between Alec and Nicole.”
But the scene Sorkin wrote wasn’t up to the filmmaker’s standards.
“I went back to the hotel and wrote like four pages of banter that ended with them falling into bed and we cut to the next day,” Sorkin continued. “Harold Becker said, ‘No, no, no, you have to write the scene.’”
Sorkin wasn’t sure what Becker wanted.
“I hadn’t written that much at the time, I’d only written A Few Good Men. And I said, ‘Boy, exactly what do you mean?’ And he said, ‘Look, it’s easy, just go back to your hotel and write what you’d like to see Nicole Kidman do,’” Sorkin recalled.
The Social Network writer was shocked by the request.
“I said, ‘Are you out of your mind?’” he remembered.
Sorkin soon stepped away from the scene. But Becker followed through with the take with Kidman and Baldwin, anyway.
“It got done. It’s a terrible scene,” Sorkin said.
Aaron Sorkin believed in Nicole Kidman in ‘Being the Ricardos’ when Nicole Kidman didn’t believe in herself
Aaron Sorkin and Nicole Kidman would work together once again for the hit Amazon Prime movie, Being the Ricardos. When it was announced that Sorkin cast Kidman in the starring role as Lucille Ball, she received some backlash for the casting. This soured Kidman’s initial enthusiasm for the part.
“I’d said yes to the role. I then went, ‘Oh my gosh, maybe I’m not right,’” Kidman said according to The Indian Express. “Sorkin just believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.”
Sorkin was also confident that Kidman was more than skilled enough to surprise her vocal critics.
“I’m certain that when people see the movie, they’ll leave feeling that Nicole has made a very solid case for herself, but moreover, I’ve found that you can really leverage low expectations,” Sorkin told The Hollywood Reporter. “I learned that with The Social Network.”
His faith in Kidman recently paid off for the actor, as she recently won a Golden Globe for her performance as Lucy.
