HBO's adaptation of Liane Moriarty's novel Big Little Lies is a star-studded venture, with Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, and Nicole Kidman receiving top-billing in the new series.
In a new interview with Elle , Kidman reveals just how real things got while filming the drama's more intimate scenes.
HBO is no stranger to skin, so it's hardly a surprise that the Eyes Wide Shut actress will have at least one sex scene in the upcoming drama. According to Kidman's interview, she wanted to make these scenes feel as "raw" and authentic as possible:
"So many of the bruises you see on me aren't fake. I had to do a shower scene where you would see a lot of them, and I asked them not to put makeup on me. It needed to be pretty raw and out there," said Kidman.
In the novel, Kidman's character is abused by her husband Perry, played by Alexander Skarsgård onscreen. Though we don't know how closely the new show will stick to its source material, that might explain why the actress felt it important to keep the bruises visible. She also wanted to make sure that nothing took the audience out of the scenes, even if it meant sacrificing safety measures:
"There's certain choreography that you need for a scene like that, so that you don't actually get your cheekbone shattered, but a lot of the time, they'd say, 'Oh, you can put some pads in your back,' and I would say no, because you might be able to see them."
For Kidman, art is sometimes pain — but let's hope that she didn't get too hurt on this set.
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