An Eyes Wide Shut star thought their performance was too over the top for Stanley Kubrick’s movie, but then received a valuable lesson in acting from the great director. Kubrick is widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, making movies in a wide variety of genres. Some of his greatest films include the sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, the dystopian crime drama A Clockwork Orange, the costume drama Barry Lyndon, the horror film The Shining, and the Vietnam War film Full Metal Jacket.

Kubrick’s final film, finished just days before his death, was Eyes Wide Shut. Based on the 1926 novella Dream Story, the 1999 film follows a Manhattan doctor whose wife confesses that she considered having an affair a year earlier, sending him on a night-long odyssey that involves him infiltrating a masked orgy hosted by a secret society. The movie stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in the lead roles alongside Sydney Pollack, Marie Richardson, Rade Šerbedžija, Todd Field, Vinessa Shaw, and Alan Cumming.

Alan Cumming Thought His Performance Was Too Over The Top For Eyes Wide Shut

Stanley Kubrick Taught Him A Valuable Lesson In Acting

Alan Cumming thought his performance was too over the top for Eyes Wide Shut, but then received a valuable lesson in acting from Kubrick. The actor is known for his roles on both the stage and screen, including his Tony Award-winning role in Cabaret on Broadway. In film, he has also starred in the 1995 James Bond movie GoldenEye. Cumming appears in Eyes Wide Shut for only a single scene as a H๏τel desk clerk who crosses paths with Cruise’s character looking for his friend.

Appearing on Vanity Fair‘s series in which actors rewatch scenes from their classic works, Cumming recalled collaborating with Kubrick on Eyes Wide Shut. The director encouraged him to embrace an exaggerated, theatrical performance as long as it remained grounded in truth, challenging Cumming’s ᴀssumptions about acting for film. He also recalled Kubrick’s meticulous style, including his endless takes and precise adjustments. Read his full comments or watch the portion of the video below, starting at the 12:00 minute mark:

This is one of the most outrageous performances I’ve ever given. That’s me saying that. I was the one saying to Stanley Kubrick, “Oh, that’s too much Stanley, I should dial it down.” He’s like, “No. Go on, Alan. Go for it, go for it.” So I was schooled in camp by Stanley Kubrick. Not something that you might imagine. I took something from the theater that Stanley then reinforced for me, and it’s been a big mantra for me in my life, as an actor, and when I was very young, in theater, said “You can be as big as you like, as long as you mean it.” And that is exactly what I’m doing. I’m doing a huge performance here. I mean, it’s so ridiculous. But Stanley encouraged me to keep going with it, and keep going more. But if it comes from a place of truth, then you can be as big as you like. Then I didn’t think those two things were, I thought, you know, that was what you did in the theater and film was a different thing. You have to bring everything down. And now I clearly do not adhere to that.

This is, well, I don’t even know, a four minute, three, four minute scene, if that. And it’s two people talking across a counter. So you would normally have a wide sH๏τ, you might have been a mid sH๏τ, and you’d have two closeups. Even on a big film, this would be one day max. And this took a week to shoot. We did, however, shoot this for about two days, and Stanley decided to scrap it and start again, and shoot it in a different way. It was millions and millions and millions of takes. Often on films, or stuff, you know, you’ll finish it, and they go, “Cut.” And you’d hear the director going, “Perfect. One more.” You think, well if it was perfect, why the ҒUCҜ are we doing one more? With Stanley, every single time I did another take, I went to the monitor with him, he looked through it, and he showed me a little detail to change, a little intonation, even a little facial movement. I knew exactly why I was going to do it again, and what we’re aiming for. And so that made me excited about doing it again. I loved making this film. It made me, truly made me excited about being an actor in film again. ‘Cause, you know, there are no small parts, just small actors.

Our Take On Alan Cumming’s Performance In Eyes Wide Shut

Why It Works So Well

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Cumming’s campy performance in Eyes Wide Shut works so well because it contrasts with Cruise’s more serious performance. While most of Kubrick’s film maintains a cold dreamlike tension, Cumming’s playful intonation, suggestive hand gestures, and flirtatious energy all bring an unexpected burst of playfulness, as if he’s the only character aware of the absurdity beneath the surface. By leaning into theatricality, Cumming delivered one of the most memorable moments in Eyes Wide Shut.

Source: Vanity Fair