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October 7, 2006 | celebrity | editor | 0 Comments
Stanley Kubrick told his friend R. Lee Ermey that "Eyes Wide Shut" was a "piece of shit" that was ruined by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Ermey's first role was as the drill instructor in Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" and the two remained friends until Kubrick's death in 1999. Ermey says:
"Stanley called me about two weeks before he died, as a matter of fact. We had a long conversation about "Eyes Wide Shut". He told me it was a piece of shit and that he was disgusted with it and that the critics were going to have him for lunch. He said Cruise and Kidman had their way with him – exactly the words he used. He was kind of a shy little timid guy. He wasn't real forceful. That's why he didn't appreciate working with big, high-powered actors. They would have their way with him, he would lose control, and his movie would turn to shit."
Tom Cruise? Controlling? No, no that can't be right. There must be some misunderstanding. Like when my father (the Colonel) thought he could buy my love and get me to work at the firm. Well no dad, I'm not gonna work at the firm. I don't want your blood money! I only care about the dolphins! And the children! And, I guess, by extension, the dolphins children.