RW307 - Bonus - Under the Skin

In this episode of The Rewatch Podcast, Cory and Nathan try to figure out what's going on in Glasgow as they discuss "Under the Skin."

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Director Jonathan Glazer decided to adapt Michel Faber's novel Under the Skin (2000) after finishing his debut film Sexy Beast (2000), but work did not begin until he had finished his second film, Birth (2004). Glazer's producer James Wilson sent him a script that closely adapted the novel; Glazer admired the script but had no interest in filming it, saying: "I knew then that I absolutely didn't want to film the book. But I still wanted to make the book a film."

The film took nearly ten years to be made, and one of the early drafts of the scripts included a Scottish married couple who were revealed to be aliens in disguise. Brad Pitt was, at the time, cast as one half of the couple. 

Glazer shot commercials while the film was in pre-production, which he used to "sketch" ideas and test equipment. Under the Skin was jointly financed by Film4 Productions, the British Film Institute, Scottish Screen, Silver Reel, and FilmNation Entertainment. Glazer secured final backing after cutting the elaborate special effects scenes from the script.

Eva Green, Gemma Arterton, January Jones, Abbie Cornish and Olivia Wilde were considered to play the lead role. It was Scarlett Johansson who stayed on board for the project for four years before it reached completion.

As Glazer wanted the film to feel realistic, most characters were played by non-actors. Many scenes, such as those set in the nightclub and shopping centre, and the scenes in which Johansson's character picks up men in the van, were unscripted sequences filmed with hidden cameras. The production team would inform the subjects they had been filmed and ask permission to use the footage. Glazer said the men were "talked through what extremes they would have to go to if they agreed to take part in the film once they understood what we were doing"

The crew built their own cameras to shoot some scenes. Johansson drove the van with the crew inside, and towed a trailer containing a generator for their equipment. To create the black room in which the character traps men, the crew built a bespoke set with a reflective floor, blackout, and custom lighting. The actors were filmed walking into a pool whose floor sank as they walked, submerging them. The scenes were finished with computer graphics.

Adam Pearson, who plays the disfigured man who is lured into the vehicle, broke his leg when he was struck by a cab on his way to audition for his role. Director Jonathan Glazer auditioned him the next day at the hospital and gave him the job. 

Jonathan Glazer did not want to use make-up for the man with neurofibromatosis. Adam Pearson was cast after the production team contacted Changing Faces, a charity supporting people with facial disfigurement. His ideas about how Scarlett Johansson's character could seduce his character were added to the script. 

Scarlett Johansson did the nude scenes herself without the use of a body double.

The first proper line of dialogue happens 13 minutes into the film.

Championship motorcycle road racer Jeremy McWilliams was cast as the motorcyclist to handle the treacherous driving conditions of the Scottish Highlands. 

A paparazzi still of Scarlett Johansson, in character, falling down became a wildly popular Internet meme in which users would Photoshop Johansson into various situations. As the scene was shot with hidden cameras, it was not until the movie's release that it was revealed the fall was intentional. 

One of the locations where this film was shot was in the Robert Street area of Port Glasgow (where the second victim is lured). Filming had to be delayed for a number of days as there was a real-life murder in the next street prior to filming and the police had cordoned the area off. 

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider. 

What's Up Next?

Next up, Cory & Nathan get in the Christmas spirit with "The Ref."

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