Hollywood is jam-packed with stories of on-set feuds. While some of them are very true (George Clooney still despises David O. Russell), others get exaggerated over time, or simply turn out not to have any basis in reality whatsoever. One famous Hollywood feud that’s turned out to be nothing more than gossip was the rumoured discord between stars Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke on the set of 9 1/2 Weeks, which was directed by Adrian Lyne (Flashdance, Fatal Attraction).
In a recent, lengthy interview about her career with Variety, Basinger set the record straight, with her saying the rumor is likely due to the fact that neither of them spoke on-set outside of filming. As per Basinger, this was at her request, as it was something she needed in order to get into the character. She says the scene where she meets him for the first time in the grocery store is actually the first time they ever met in person. “I did not want to say hello to him before. I didn’t want to talk to him on the set. It had nothing to do with all the stuff you read on the internet about he and I hating each other. I loved him. He’s a brilliant actor, too. But when I met him for the first time, it was on film. And I never saw him any other time.”
She also says she doesn’t believe a movie like 9 1/2 Weeks could be made today and takes issue with the idea of intimacy coordinators. “I can’t imagine having somebody come up to me and say, ‘Do you mind if they put their hand here?’ That’s just another person in the room. Either we work it out, or we don’t…”
Basinger also weighed in on Guy Pearce’s recent allegations of predatory behaviour from Kevin Spacey on the set of L.A. Confidential. Basinger, who didn’t have any scenes with Spacey, said she never personally witnessed anything, so can’t confirm or deny what might have happened. “I shot very closely with Russell Crowe. I shot very close to closely with Guy Pearce. So I really don’t have, honestly, any recollection of even seeing Kevin and Guy. But Guy is a lovely human being. I’ve been out to dinner with Kevin years and years ago with someone else that was very famous in the music business, a woman. But other than that, I really don’t know Kevin Spacey.”
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed