With a star-studded cast, "The Perfect Couple" is quickly taking over Netflix globally. The crime drama about the wealthy and their murderous secrets, starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber in lead roles, has remained in the top ranks since its release. While it may not quite match the level of "The White Lotus" or "Knives Out", the imaginative and surprising opening sequence has caught viewers’ attention.
"The Perfect Couple": A Scene That Almost Didn’t Make It
When the actors first heard about the concept for the show's opening scene, they didn’t understand what was going on. The series focuses on an investigation into the murder of a bridesmaid the day before a wedding, with the wealthy elite as suspects. Meanwhile, the director asked everyone to dance on the beach as if they were in a line-dance at an all-inclusive resort. Meghann Fahy, who plays the victim in "The Perfect Couple", admitted in an interview with "Variety" that they were even planning a rebellion - they discussed "overthrowing the director" on a messaging app.
Everyone was saying they didn’t want to do it because they didn’t understand it. I had a big issue with it too, as I struggle with learning choreography and was really nervous about the shoot
- she explained.
Nicole Kidman, who plays the perfectionist and somewhat unsettling Greer, also had doubts about the scene:
I don’t think Greer would dance with the others. I imagine she would stand off to the side and observe the dancing
- Kidman said.
Only one person fully embraced the dance scene from the start: Liev Schreiber. He was the only one who didn’t join the "rebels":
Everyone was against the scene except me. I was practicing the moves in my trailer right away. I just love dancing and was disappointed there weren’t more scenes like that.
The beach dance sequence seems almost disconnected from the sometimes dark tone of the series. None of the characters reveal their true selves, and only the near-perfect choreography and synchronization hint at the layers of intrigue to come. The choice of Meghan Trainor’s song "Criminals" adds an ambiguous touch to the scene.
The idea came from someone with experience in thinking "outside the box" creatively. Gail Berman suggested the dance, knowing that it worked so well in "Wednesday", a project he had recently worked on. The actors' rebellion was finally overcome when Nicole Kidman agreed to film the scene. However, there was no shortage of grumbling:
Nicole came onto set and said she couldn’t do it. 'My dress is too tight, I don’t know how to dance'
- the show's director, Susanne Bier, joked.
In the end, the sequence was filmed on the last day of shooting. The most enthusiastic participant, Liev Schreiber, still regrets that his scenes were cut down to just two seconds.
