Chapter 108: Basic Instinct

"Is the war over just like that?" Arthur sat on the couch at Nicole Kidman's Long Beach house, watching the news on TV.

Iraq had surrendered unconditionally, and the Gulf War had ended in just over a month.

"The Soviet Union is almost gone!" Arthur muttered to himself.

Walking to the window, Arthur lit a cigarette. Nicole Kidman came out of the bathroom after her shower and saw Arthur smoking by the window. "Are you worried about something again? You should be on top of the world right now!"

Arthur turned around and looked at the freshly showered, sexy Nicole Kidman. "When is Disney's Touchstone releasing Billy Bathgate?"

"Early November, after Halloween," Nicole Kidman said as she walked over to Arthur, took the cigarette from his hand, and took a puff. "When are you planning to release To Die For?"

"It's aiming for an awards season release, so probably December," Arthur said with a smile. "Why, do you have an idea?"

Nicole Kidman shook her head. "I don't have any ideas. Of course, it's up to you! You know more about these things than I do."

"Have you received any scripts lately?" Arthur asked, taking the cigarette from Nicole Kidman's hand and putting it out in the ashtray.

"Yes, there's a script from Carolco Pictures inviting me to star, but the role is quite bold," Nicole Kidman said, looking conflicted. "I'll let you take a look at it."

Nicole Kidman went to the bedroom and came back with a script, handing it to Arthur.

Arthur took it and looked at the title, Basic Instinct.

Last year, when Total Recall was released, Arthur knew that Paul Verhoeven was planning to develop this erotic thriller.

"Carolco is producing it, and the distributor should be TriStar Pictures. Kim Basinger, Emma Thompson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Greta Scacchi, Julia Roberts, and Meg Ryan have all turned it down," Arthur said as he flipped through the script.

Nicole Kidman added what she knew.

"I know about this script. It's by Joe Eszterhas, and Carolco won it in a bidding war for $3 million," Arthur explained.

"Carolco is being very generous now. Last year's Total Recall did well at the box office, and this year they have Schwarzenegger's blockbuster Terminator 2: Judgment Day coming up.

The script is quite explicit, and it's hard to find a top American actress willing to take the role. They've also reached out to European actresses, but even Isabelle Adjani, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, turned it down.

So now, they're lowering their standards and looking for lesser-known actresses who want to make a name for themselves with their looks and sex appeal."

Arthur put the script down. "European actresses generally don't mind doing nudity, but this film's commercial nature is too strong, and many top European actresses lean more towards artistic films.

You don't need to take this role. Although you're still a newcomer in Hollywood, this script could indeed make a newcomer famous quickly, but it would also label the actress as a sex symbol."

Nicole Kidman nodded. "That's what I thought too, but the producers won't agree to change the script."

Nicole Kidman had done nudity in her debut films, and she was willing to take on such roles as a newcomer from Australia. Dead Calm, BMX Bandits, and Days of Thunder all had scenes where she undressed, but Basic Instinct was too much.

And with Arthur around now, she didn't need to keep fighting for roles that required her to bare her body.

Arthur leaned back on the couch with a smile. "Although this film has a decent budget, the script will surely stir up controversy. However, it will likely do well at the box office."

Nicole Kidman sat on Arthur's lap. "Do you think it will be a big hit?"

Arthur nodded. "Even if they can't get a big-name actress for the lead, they'll definitely cast a big-name actor. I heard Carolco's Mario Kassar offered $14 million to Michael Douglas to play the male lead.

As for the female lead, plenty of beautiful actresses will take it if they don't mind their reputations. The script's complexity, with its mix of a psychopathic killer, crime thriller, suspense, violence, and eroticism, will surely draw audiences in."

Nicole Kidman kissed Arthur's neck. "Director Peter Weir wants to add a love scene between you and me in To Die For. It would help the box office. Why don't you want to do it?"

Arthur's hand wandered under Nicole Kidman's robe, feeling the softness. "It's meaningless. Neither of us are big stars, and I want to keep the film's rating at R.

Village Roadshow Pictures is new to the scene, so they don't have the clout to get favorable ratings from the MPAA. If the film gets an NC-17 rating, we'd have to keep editing and cutting scenes, which would be a hassle.

Besides, it's already great that I get to be in the film. There's no way I'm doing a love scene on screen."

To Die For was owned by Australia's Village Roadshow Pictures, with Columbia Pictures only handling North American distribution.

With a budget of around $12 million, it's unreasonable to expect Columbia to take it too seriously.

Moreover, To Die For was more of an artistic film with low commercial appeal, clearly aiming for awards.

"Hollywood's MPAA seems to have no clear rules for ratings. Some films with mild content still get R ratings, while others with intense violence and gore also get R ratings," Nicole Kidman said, puzzled.

"They're stricter with sexual content and nudity. Any film with those elements will get at least an R rating. Violence and gore are more lenient," Arthur explained with a smile. "And remember, the MPAA members are representatives of the seven major studios!"

However, now MGM is owned by an Italian conglomerate and is purely a film company, not as big as the other six.

Hollywood is famously conservative, especially about sex. Explicit films are mostly in the independent art market or made by foreign filmmakers.

In contrast, Hollywood is more lenient with violence and gore. The MPAA reacts very differently to a pair of breasts and a loaded gun on screen.

*****

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