A performer in Kubrick made movies in a wide variety of genres, with some of his most famous works being the sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, the dystopian crime drama A Clockwork Orange, and the horror film The Shining. Kubrick's final film, finished just days before his death in 1999, was the erotic drama Eyes Wide Shut.

As a director, Kubrick was known for his intense attention to detail, including his infamous tendency to shoot countless takes of the same scene, which often confused or frustrated his actors. One of the most infamous examples of this was on The Shining ​​​​​​when Kubrick shot over a hundred takes of the scene in which Wendy (Shelley Duvall) walks backward up the stairs fending off Jack Nicholson's character with a baseball bat. Shooting this scene over a hundred times had an intense emotional and physical effect on Duvall, causing exhaustion and extreme stress.

Alan Cumming Explains Why Stanley Kubrick's "Millions Of Takes" Approach Was Totally Justified

The Actor Appeared In Eyes Wide Shut For One Scene

Alan Cumming, who appeared in Eyes Wide Shut for one scene, explains why Kubrick's "millions of takes" approach was totally justified. Written and directed by Kubrick, his 1999 film follows a Manhattan doctor whose wife confesses that she contemplated having an affair a year earlier, sending him on a night-long odyssey that involves him infiltrating a masked orgy hosted by a secret society. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star in the lead roles, while Cumming appears in the movie for a single scene as a hotel desk clerk.

Appearing on Vanity Fair's series in which actors rewatch scenes from their classic works, Cumming recalled collaborating with Kubrick for his one scene in Eyes Wide Shut. The actor explained that the director's insistence on shooting countless takes was justified since every additional shot provided an opportunity to refine even the smallest detail that elevated the performance. With every take, Cumming knew exactly what they were trying to improve on, which made him excited about doing it again. Read his full comments or watch the portion of the video below:

This is, well, I don't even know, a four minute, three-four minute scene, if that. And it's two people talking across a counter. So, you would normally have a wide shot, you might have been a mid shot, and you'd have two closeups. Even on a big film, this would be one day max. And this took a week to shoot. We did, however, shoot this for about two days, and Stanley decided to scrap it and start again, and shoot it in a different way. It was millions and millions and millions of takes.

Often on films, or stuff, you know, you'll finish it, and they go, "Cut." And you'd hear the director going, "Perfect. One more." You think, well if it was perfect, why the f**k are we doing one more? With Stanley, every single time I did another take, I went to the monitor with him, he looked through it, and he showed me a little detail to change, a little intonation, even a little facial movement. I knew exactly why I was going to do it again, and what we're aiming for. And so that made me excited about doing it again. I loved making this film. It made me, truly made me excited about being an actor in film again. 'Cause, you know, there are no small parts, just small actors.

What Alan Cumming's Comments Mean For Stanley Kubrick's "Millions Of Takes" Approach

Why It Was Totally Justified, At Times

Although other actors, such as Shelley Duvall, may have had completely different experiences with Kubrick's countless takes, Cumming's comments are a testament to the effectiveness of the director's approach. While Kubrick's relentless pursuit of perfection was understandably exhausting for some, it often elevated performances by empowering actors to refine every nuance and ensure that every moment was crafted with precision. Stanley Kubrick's approach was not only justified at times, but was necessary for achieving the kind of greatness he aspired to.

Source: Vanity Fair