Lars von Trier knows how to be provocative. Even when he makes films which don’t themselves court controversy, he finds a way to say the wrong thing and cause the controversy himself. With his upcoming film The Nymphomaniac, a two part tale about a woman discovering and acting on her erotic desires, he won’t be breaking that trend. With lensing set to begin rather soon, von Trier is looking to fill more roles and he is starting the process by casting Nicole Kidman.
The actress revealed in the interview that she would be joining the cast of The Nymphomaniac (which already includes Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgard and Willem Dafoe) for only a few days of shooting.
To be honest, this is quite surprising. Kidman and von Trier previously worked together on Dogville and Kidman’s experience with the filmmaker was reportedly rather heated. The actress was said to have shouted at the director on numerous occasions, especially during the filming of the notorious rape scene.
The friction aside, Dogville is the crowning achievement in the careers of both the filmmaker and the actress, he has never been more disciplined and she had never been better and hasn’t been better since. So the fact they have managed to patch things up (even if it is for a small part) is a good for everyone as they appear to get the best out of each other.
Of course, it is possible that the experience on The Nymphomaniac may drive them further apart, as the sexuality of the film and its treatment of women are likely to be head turners. Von Trier has been on record as saying the film will feature in both softcore and hardcore versions and although there will be stand ins for the full blown sex acts, Stellan Skarsgard has said that he is required to strip naked for the film.
Whether the relationship is tempestuous or not doesn’t really matter as it produces fabulous results, whether the film lives up to the promise of the performers in its cast will remain a mystery until we get to see it.
The Nymphomaniac has a 2013 release date pencilled in and is set to begin shooting this summer.
Source: The Playlist
