Embodying the classic femme fatale in the movie, Basinger earned widespread praise for her performance, including an Oscar. However, in a recent interview, the actress revealed that she initially turned down the offer for the movie.
Basinger shared that she received the offer soon after she gave birth to her daughter, Ireland Baldwin, whom she shares with ex-husband Alec Baldwin. And she did not want to continue playing seductive and overly s*xualized characters.
“I said, ‘Well, I’m not interested in playing a wh*re,” she told Variety before adding, “Not doing it. I’m a mom, so I’m not going to play that.”
She also recalled how the late filmmaker and the director of L.A. Confidential, Curtis Hanson, went to great lengths to convince her for the movie. But Basinger remained unsure until she eventually read the script.
Further, during the interview, Kim Basinger also shared why she eventually agreed to star in the Oscar-winning crime drama. While she left her meeting with Curtis Hanson unconvinced, it was the film’s script, written by Hanson and Brian Helgeland, that eventually persuaded her to accept the part.
“There are just those times in your life when a script will come, and you’ll close the last page and go, ‘I want to say these words,'” she said while reflecting on why she accepted the offer for the movie.
She continued,
So I said yes to the role, and I found myself bringing my baby to work and putting her on a picnic blanket next to Russell Crowe rolling around in the grass.
The film went on to be a huge hit, earning $126 million worldwide (Box Office Mojo), and won two out of its impressive nine Oscar nominations at the 70th Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress.
L.A. Confidential has since been considered one of the best crime movies of all time and a career highlight for Basinger as her most acclaimed work.
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