Initially, her character Alex was set to die by suicide – but when test audiences reacted negatively, it was reshot.
In the version that made the finished edit, she was seen being shot dead by lover Dan’s wife Beth – whom she had been trying to stab.
Speaking to the New York Times, Close said: “I loved the original ending. I always felt Alex was more suicidal than psychotic.”
“The audience viscerally wanted to kill Alex, not allow her to kill herself,” co-star Michael Douglas added.
Close went on: “Six months after we finished shooting, I got a call that we had to reshoot the ending. I fought it for two weeks.
“It was going to make a character I loved into a murdering psychopath.
“I said to Michael, ‘How would you feel if it were your character?’ He said, ‘Babe, I’m a whore.’”
Eventually, she realised she had to co-operate, adding: “My friend William Hurt said, ‘You’ve fought your battle, now be a team player.’ So I shot it.
“And I learned something. It’s what the Greeks do. There’s order in the family; then some element creates chaos; then order has to be restored.
“It’s restored in tragedies through bloodshed. My blood was shed for order to be restored. It was cathartic for the audience.”
Fatal Attraction became an all-time cult classic after its release in 1987, earning six Academy Award nominations.
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
