Isabella Rossellini wanted the “Death Becomes Her” set to be a shared experience, even if she wasn’t the one disrobing onscreen.
The actress told Variety that while she didn’t believe she was fit enough at the time to show off her rear end in one sequence of the film, which co-starred Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, Rossellini didn’t want her body double to feel abandoned at all.
“I went up to my double and I said, ‘I will stay here in my trailer. If you need me, just let me know and I’ll come out and be here with you,’” Rossellini said. “I was there like a mother saying, ‘I’m here to protect you.’”
Rossellini previously told Vulture that there was a “bodily nudity” to the scene in question.
“I think it’s important, if you do a nude scene, to take responsibility,” Rossellini said, “and also you’re there, so you can say to the director when something makes you feel uncomfortable. But in the case of ‘Death Becomes Her,’ the body double had to be Barbie and I just didn’t have that body. Later on, I thought it could have been me because they could have photographed me a certain way.”
While the cult classic “Death Becomes Her” has influenced modern projects such as Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” music video with Jenna Ortega and buzzy Cannes breakout film “The Substance” starring Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore, the 1992 feature almost looked very different.
Steven Soderbergh revealed in 2024 that he almost directed “Death Becomes Her” before Robert Zemeckis was hired. The film centers on Streep and Hawn who play rival immortals fighting over a love interest (Bruce Willis).
“There was no universe in which I could do it,” Soderbergh said of directing the film. “I knew you needed somebody with a Zemeckis-like technical facility to execute it. […] I do remember reading it and immediately thinking it was very funny. And also immediately recognizing that this is so far beyond my capability. The technology they were using was intimidating. It was a hard ‘you got the wrong guy,’ is what it was.”
“Death Becomes Her” director Zemeckis is still working with cutting edge technology, as his latest film “Here” stars digitally de-aged Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. Zemeckis will be honored with the Directors Spotlight title at the 2024 AFI Fest, where “Here” will have its world premiere.
