Woman's Day
(New Zealand)
12 March 2001
Stars' Blue Move - Mum's Going to see us Naked!
Sexy screen stars Kevin Smith and Danielle Cormack admit
that the prospect of being naked for this season’s theater ticket has sent a rush of
anxiety through their early rehearsals for The Blue Room.
While keen to play down the nudity as a
selling the Auckland Theater Company's March production, the actors are flustered by the
racy script that calls for them to bare all in 1 0 steamy trysts. When The Blue Room
premiered in London last year with Nicole Kidman, one critic described it as "pure
theatrical viagra".
"My mum is coming to the opening
night and I'm mortified,' says Kevin. "I know she'll probably say, 'Oh, I've
seen it all before', but hell, Mum that was like 36 years ago."
Adds Danielle, "I have a basic fear
of stage anyway, but I think it's absolutely frightening to have to get up there and take
off your clothes as well. Hopefully by the time the rehearsals are over I will have
exorcised those demons.'
Kevin admits that when he first read the
script, bas on the risqué turn-of-the-century play La Ronde, he was hit by a sense of
deja vu. "I thought, 'Is there someone in New Zealand who hasn't seen my arse?'
he laughs.
The father of three says that working with
Danielle makes him more relaxed about the R16 scenes when the curtain rises on March 21.
The long-time friends have already stripped away any awkwardness with steamy scenes
together in the Kiwi movie Channelling Baby.
Danielle admits her partner Hayden isn't
complete comfortable with the prospect of her being naked on stage with one of New
Zealand's most desirable men "But I think I'd be slightly miffed if he wasn't;' she
says.
Kevin says his wife Sue usually laughs
when he tells her he has another love scene. 'When she found out about the nudity in
the play she said, 'Oh, you'll be wanting to go to the gym even more now you're having
sex'!' But Danielle says she's been too busy with the American promotion of her new film
The Price of Milk to concentrate on any physical preparation for The Blue Room, which is
directed by ex Shortland Street star Oliver Driver. 'The temptation is there but I'm
learning to resist it.' she says.
Story. James Graham