It would be hard to imagine that an actor would give up the opportunity to star alongside one of the biggest Hollywood actors, Tom Cruise. However, Czech model and actress Eva Herzigova did something similar when she was offered to star in the 1999 mystery psychological drama Eyes Wide Shut. The film follows Dr. Bill Hartford, who goes on a night-long adventure and encounters an unnamed secret society after his wife, Alice Harford, admits that she considered having an affair.

While it did quite well at the box office, the Stanley Kubrick film also received criticism for its erotic nature. People were angry with the amount of s*xual and nude scenes and the strong language used in the movie. While talking to New York Times, Eva Herzigova also seems to be stating something similar for rejecting the offer for Eyes Wide Shut.

Eva Herzigova Rejected the Offer to Star in Eyes Wide Shut

After starring on the cover pages of Elle, Vogue, and Top Model, Eva Herzigova tried her luck in acting in the 1990s. Followed by a few appearances on screen, she was offered a role in Tom Cruise’s 1999 film, Eyes Wide Shut. The film reportedly went through multiple casting changes before the Mission Impossible star and his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, landed the lead roles.

Eva Herzigova
Starring in a Stanley Kubrick film alongside two well-known stars in the industry would have been a great opportunity for the model-turned-actor. However, she denied the offer. Herzigova talked about rejecting the proposal later in an interview. The Storyteller actress shared that the makers only “needed a model”, who was given only three scenes in the entire film, and she had to do all three scenes totally naked.

Eva Herzigova Did Not Want Such a Headstart For Her Career

Eva Herzigova also shared what she was required to do in those three scenes of the film. As she shared that she was expected to be naked in all her scenes, Herzigova said that one of the scenes featured her in a 20-minute intense conversation with Tom Cruise.

A still from Eyes Wide Shut

However, the other two scenes featured her character using drugs, and in her third and final scene, her character was dead. The Les Anges Gardiens actress shared that although she was looking for opportunities in acting, she did not want to pursue it in the manner, it was expected in the film.

“I just didn’t want to start out that way,” she shared. The 50-year-old model actress shared that she tried to convince the makers to make certain changes in the character so that she could “wear a little something,” but all her requests were denied, leading her to withdraw from Eyes Wide Shut.

 Eyes Wide Shut is available to stream on HBO Max.

Source: Looper