Why did Nicole Kidman quit David Fincher's 'Panic Room'?
Why did Nicole Kidman quit David Fincher's 'Panic Room'? She aggravated a knee injury sustained on 'Moulin Rouge' and was replaced by Jodie Foster.
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Sun 9 February 2025 2:30, UK
By the time Panic Room began shooting in January 2001, the production had already been hit with one setback. It would then suffer another one shortly after filming commenced before a third misfortune struck that threatened to shut the whole movie down. At this point, director David Fincher had an entire cast â including Forest Whitaker, Kristen Stewart, Jared Leto, and country star Dwight Yoakam â at a loose end and a crew who was unsure if their jobs were at risk. You see, the filmâs star Nicole Kidman had been forced to quit the movie only two weeks in â and it would cost Columbia Pictures $10million if they didnât find a replacement immediately.
It was rumoured that the likes of Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, and Robin Wright were quickly sounded out about coming on board Fincherâs contained thriller. However, a bizarre twist of fate brought Jodie Foster into the picture when Russell Crowe sustained an injury on the set of Flora Plum, a movie Foster was directing. That production was shuttered, leaving Foster with an opening in her schedule. She had previously come close to working with Fincher on 1997âs The Game and quickly seized her opportunity to work with him this time. In the end, Foster only had a week to prepare for Panic Room.
Why exactly had Kidman quit the movie, though? Well, thatâs where the bizarre twist of fate comes in. Amazingly, she injured herself on the set of Panic Room, which meant that two separate injuries to A-list stars were the cause of her being replaced by Foster. Kidman had aggravated a knee injury she sustained on 2001âs Moulin Rouge!, and when doctors checked her out, it transpired that the hairline fracture hadnât actually healed properly. It quickly became apparent that she wouldnât be capable of executing the physical requirements of a role that would have seen her defending her young daughter from a group of armed burglars.
In 2024, Foster and Kidman finally spoke about the unusual situation during a Hollywood Reporter roundtable discussion. âThereâs this misconception that somehow female actresses are at each other, or they donât like each other or whatever,â Foster mused. âLike, Nicole, I took over a movie that you had to leave.â To this, Kidman exclaimed, âYes! And thank you. I was in a really bad way.â
Fascinatingly, Kidman revealed she told Foster, âIâm having a breakdown,â which perhaps indicates that her reason for leaving Panic Room wasnât entirely due to her knee. After all, at the time, her 11-year marriage to Tom Cruise was ending, so perhaps a divorce and a crippling knee injury were the perfect storm. As she put it, âJodie took over. Thank the Lord.â
Who else was replaced in David Fincherâs âPanic Roomâ?
In truth, Kidman wasnât the only person who left the Panic Room production, as was alluded to earlier. Before filming even began, Hayden Panettiere (Nashville) was forced to drop out from the role of Sarah Altman, the daughter of Kidmanâs character Meg. She was replaced by Stewart, who was then an unknown 11-year-old.
When the two stars appeared in an Actors on Actors conversation in 2022, Kidman revealed, âI remember David Fincher saying we have discovered the most incredible, incredible actress.â Stewart reminisced, âWe spent a couple of weeks rehearsing,â and said, âYou were so nice to me, and I had the best time. It was a short period of time, but I was always like, âOh yeah, sheâs one of my friends.'â
The third person who also walked away from Panic Room was cinematographer Darius Khondji, who split after a short time filming. Fincher admitted in 2002 that the pair experienced creative differences despite having worked together before on 1995âs Se7en. The meticulous director confessed that his growing tendency to micro-manage every aspect of the production was responsible for their disagreement. He confessed to The Guardian, âDarius is not a light-meter jockey. He wants to be part of the decision-making process. This movie did not allow that, and it was incredibly frustrating for him.â
Related Topics
David FincherJodie FosterNicole Kidman
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