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Starring: Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Steve Carell
Directed by: Nora Ephron
The film is an adaptation of the ABC series that ran from 1964-1972. The sitcom followed the exploits of Samantha (Kidman), a witch who -- much to her mother's disdain -- marries a mortal. He discovers her lineage only after they're wed, and she earnestly tries to abandon her powers for the sake of her mortal husband, Darren, but temptation constantly gets in the way.
In Columbia Pictures’ beguiling romantic comedy, Bewitched, an all-star cast led by Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine cast their spells on the movie version of one of TV’s most memorable and beloved shows under the direction of Nora Ephron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Delia Ephron for producers Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Penny Marshall and Nora Ephron.
Out in California’s San Fernando Valley, Isabel (Nicole Kidman), is trying to reinvent herself. A naive, good-natured witch, she is determined to disavow her supernatural powers and lead a “normal” life.
At the same time, across town, Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) a tall, charming actor is trying to get his career back on track. He sets his sights on an updated version of the beloved 1960s situation comedy “Bewitched,” reconceived as a starring vehicle for himself in the role of the mere-mortal Darrin.
Fate steps in when Jack accidentally runs into Isabel. He is immediately attracted to her and her nose, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the nose of Elizabeth Montgomery, who played Samantha in the original TV version of “Bewitched.” He becomes convinced she could play the witch Samantha in his new series.
Isabel is also taken with Jack, seeing him as the quintessential mortal man with whom she can settle down and lead the normal life she so desires.
It turns out they’re both right -- but in ways neither of them ever imagined.
REIMAGINING BEWITCHED
Producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher of Red Wagon Entertainment had long entertained the idea of turning the beloved romantic comedy series “Bewitched” into a feature film. While they were developing the project, Oscar winner Nicole Kidman indicated an interest in tackling the lead female role. For Wick, it was an inspired idea. “We always saw the movie as a love story between the most otherworldly of women and the most earthly of men,” he says. “Nicole’s statuesque beauty gives her the perfect, witchy exterior. Her brilliance as an actress makes her credible as a woman with supernatural powers. Then, there’s the added bonus of Nicole’s nose and its miraculous similarity to that of Elizabeth Montgomery’s.”
“Now,” says Fisher, “we just had to find someone who was just as perfect to write and direct it.”
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It was Columbia Pictures chairman Amy Pascal who first suggested Nora Ephron, who is responsible for several indelible romantic comedies including When Harry Met Sally… (which she wrote) as well as Sleepless In Seattle and You’ve Got Mail (both of which she co-wrote and directed).
It was Ephron who came up with the concept that convinced Kidman to commit. “I told her this basic idea of a witch in 2005 who is cast in a remake of the television show purely on the grounds that she looks exactly like Elizabeth Montgomery and would be no competition for the guy who is the lead in the show because he doesn’t really want an equal relationship with an actress,” says Ephron. “That was the beginning of it.”
What appealed to everyone involved was that Ephron’s idea paid homage to the TV show without trying to imitate it.“What Nora and Delia did was to somehow manage to maintain the romance and comedy of the original series,” says Wick, “and suffuse it with a smart, modern spirit.”
For Fisher, Ephron’s approach transformed the idea of adapting a TV series to the big screen in a fresh and exciting manner. “We always knew we didn’t want to slavishly imitate the 1960s style of the show,” Fisher says. “We didn’t just want to do a remake with movie stars. That would have been too much of a retread and creatively unambitious. What we did want to do, however, is somehow pay tribute to the essence of the show, though in a more modern, edgy context. Nora has managed to keep all the aspects people loved about the series while also taking the film in a new direction.”
As part of their research for the film, the Ephron sisters studied the original source and discovered that it held some timeless themes. “Delia and I watched a lot of Bewitched episodes and started to figure out how to actually make it work as a movie,” says Ephron. “What makes the series feel contemporary, even though it is an old-fashioned TV show, is that it’s about the balance of power between a man and a woman, and that’s always worth exploring. It did have certain elements that were specific to the period. Samantha didn’t have a job and she used most of her powers to do dishes and things of that sort. But underneath, the show was still about a couple with a very strong connection and their ability to deal with one another given the fact that she was a powerful human being.”
Kidman admits that her initial interest was rooted in nostalgia. But when Ephron got involved, Kidman realized that the project could be much more, offering her the rare opportunity to work in a romantic comedy under the direction of a filmmaker who clearly loves, and is constantly redefining, the genre. “Everyone always told me I looked so much like Elizabeth Montgomery, so that was the first thing that got me interested in the possibility of a film version,” says Kidman. “As a little girl, I watched almost every episode of the series. However, when Nora said she would write and direct, I thought, well, this is something I have to do. It was great to see her slowly construct this very, very clever dual story.”
The versatile Kidman not only looks like Montgomery but shares the rare talent to adorably twitch her nose. Respect for Kidman’s ability increased after Ephron lined up the cast and crew in front of the camera between takes one day and gave everyone a turn at nose twitching — with very limited degrees of success.
Since Kidman was involved with the movie early on, Ephron had the added advantage of being able to tailor the part especially to her. The role of Isabel is a distinct change of pace from many of the darker, edgy characters Kidman has played of late such as her Oscar®-winning turn as the suicidal Virginia Woolf in The Hours or the doomed courtesan Satine in the musical romance Moulin Rouge (which brought her another Academy Award® nomination).
Isabel is striving to be the prototypical girl-next-door and is an ingenuous delight, even when she is being undermined by those she trusts and by her own special powers. The results are deliciously comical and appealing. “I don’t even quite know how to compare this to the other parts Nicole’s played,” Ephron comments. “I can’t think of anything similar she’s ever done. The thing about Nicole is that she has immense depth and range and, as with any great actor, she works unbelievably hard to make it look as if what she’s doing is easy.”
The comic actor Will Ferrell, who was cast opposite Kidman as the self-absorbed Jack Wyatt, was also venturing into foreign terrain with Bewitched. Known for his comedic performances on Saturday Night Live and in such movies as Old School and Elf, in Bewitched, Ferrell essays the romantic leading man, one who is both funny and endearing.
Again, it was Pascal who first suggested Ferrell, and Ephron immediately took to the idea. “It didn’t feel like ‘smart’ casting,” says Ephron. “It just felt like we were exactly one minute ahead of everyone. Then Elf came out a few months later and we all thought, how lucky for us.”
“We had been fans of Will from the days of Saturday Night Live,” observes Fisher. “We loved the idea of him for this movie. Will and Nicole just clicked, although they are each in parts that are very different for them. Nicole is so girlish and feminine and soft and funny in this film, accessible and vulnerable. And Will is a wonderful romantic lead.”
“There’s a kind of Hepburn/Tracy dynamic between them,” adds Wick. “The highclass banter with emotional truth underneath and the age-old battle of the sexes — it’s all there.”
“Essentially,” adds Fisher, “it’s all about finding that someone who will love you — even if you’re a witch. Take that on any level you like,” she laughs. “But Nora gets the universal humanity of her characters and stories, which is why they are so appealing and real. And she achieves it with humor and a lot of heart.”
Ephron had the pleasure of introducing Ferrell and Kidman. “We all met at the Kaufman-Astoria studios in Queens while Nicole was making The Stepford Wives,” the director recalls. “Will arrived at the meeting in a pair of very large plaid Bermuda shorts, a baggy t-shirt, athletic socks and sneakers. We went into Nicole’s dressing room, where she greeted us wearing the most exquisite white ensemble I have ever seen, the most perfect white cashmere sweater and white skirt with perfect make-up. She looked like a fairy princess. They were the most completely ludicrous and mismatched couple I had ever been in a room with. During the meeting, I just started laughing at the enormous physical contrast between them — on every single level — yet they truly found each other charming.”
“We were so fortunate to get Will,” says Kidman. “I was excited to come to work every day because he genuinely made me laugh. And he’s so likable and genuine as a person. It’s a wonderful combination.”
As for Ferrell, “Well, let’s just say it wasn’t that hard to play falling in love with Nicole Kidman. But even beyond that, it was a treat to work with her because she is so available in her performance that any sort of awkwardness I might have felt about playing opposite someone of her caliber just disappeared immediately.
What I found really interesting was that she was a great comedienne because she is such a fantastic actress. Even though this is a romantic comedy, she still approached it with the same seriousness as she would have for a period piece or a drama.”
Kidman, Ferrell continues, remained rooted in the reality of every scene, even when it involved her witchery. “The comedy comes from the commitment to this bizarre scenario, not just, ‘oh let’s see what can I knock over in this scene to get a laugh.’”
Ferrell is known for his nimble and delightfully zany improvisations as well as his exceptional ability to mine situations for humor. His approach fits hand-in-glove with Ephron’s style. “When I first started writing screenplays, I thought, oh, you must never ever let anyone change your lines,” she laughs. “But then you do a comedy and realize that people come in with stuff that is funnier than what’s on the page. It would be idiotic not to let them bring what they can to the part, and that’s the way I like to work. Since Will is a famous improviser we had two weeks of rehearsal before production started because I wanted him and Nicole to get used to each other and discover each other’s rhythms. It turned out that Nicole was great at improvising too. Part of it was because she felt safe with Will and also that she really knew her character and was very comfortable portraying her. She did some very charming improvisations during rehearsal that ended up in the movie.”
Kidman agrees that Ephron’s rehearsal period provided an important comedic comfort zone for her. “What’s great about Nora is that she quietly gives you that one tiny bit of direction that changes the whole scene for you,” Kidman notes. “She allows a lot of latitude to play around in the scene — and encourages it because, as she says: ‘It’s comedy.’ For me, so much of doing something like this was about the things you haven’t planned, that come out of nowhere.”
Ferrell, of course, revels in serendipity. “Nora and I clicked comedically from the start and shared the same sensibility about humor,” he says. “She established so much trust during the rehearsal period that once the movie officially started, we were able to hit the ground running. Nora is not only a smart director and an amazing writer, she’s truly a funny person. So, while she gave me the freedom to invent, she would come up with even better ideas while we were shooting, much to my benefit.”
Two other key cast members who impact on Jack and Isabel’s magical romance are Michael Caine (as Isabel’s debonair if disapproving father Nigel Bigelow) and Shirley MacLaine, (who plays the indomitable diva Iris, the actress who portrays Endora on the new “Bewitched” TV series).
“Delia and I wrote the part for Michael Caine,” says Ephron. “Even though neither of us had ever met him, the minute we started writing, I could hear Michael saying the lines. I felt as though Delia and I were channeling him.” Likewise, she adds, MacLaine was a natural choice. “We knew there would be an Endora and that there would be an actress playing her who would be some sort of diva. Once we had Nicole, it seemed clear that we had to get Shirley.”
Caine mentions that MacLaine was responsible for his being cast in his first American movie and he thoroughly enjoyed reuniting with her for Bewitched. “Shirley was the star of a movie called Gambit and she had her choice of leading men. She had seen me in a very early film I’d done called The Ipcress Files and she asked for me and had me brought over from England. I did another small part in a film with her years later but Bewitched is really the first big movie we’ve been in together since then. As in Gambit, we are in love again, only it’s a little later in life.”
Caine adds that he was extremely flattered that Nora and Delia Ephron had written the part for him and notes that Bewitched is the first movie in his long career in which he found himself completely surrounded by women. “I didn’t have any scenes with Will, only with Nicole and Shirley, so between them and Nora, it felt like an all-female movie to me, which was fantastic,” he laughs.
His character in Bewitched bears a direct connection to another indelible Caine portrayal from the early days of his career. “Nigel Bigelow is a warlock and he’s keeping an eye on Isabel very much like a father in real life would do with his daughter,” says Caine. “I have two daughters, so I know exactly how to play that.
But he’s an old roué himself, and they’re especially careful about their daughters because they know what roués are like. In fact, he is very much like a character I played many years ago, a reprobate named Alfie. Nigel is a very grown-up, very sophisticated Alfie. He’s always after the ladies and, like Alfie, he just can’t help himself.”
MacLaine also brought a bit of her persona to Bewitched, which Ephron astutely incorporated into her character. “Shirley is truly a force of nature and she added a great deal to the movie because of her own special beliefs and attitudes,” Ephron explains. “She really enhanced the role in a major way. She had a very clear sense of who that person had to be in order to keep the people who loved Endora happy.”
MacLaine is renowned for her interest in the nature of reality and for her exploration of the temporal and mystical realms. So naturally the magical aspects of Endora and the film appealed to her, as did her character Iris’ more imperious qualities. “I like what Nora did with the film because it explores what it takes to create the reality of magic, which is what love is and, really, what making movies is as well,” says MacLaine. “I’m very interested in that process, in how we create our own reality and this movie taps into that. Plus, I loved the idea of playing a big, self-centered diva,” she says.
MacLaine shared several scenes with Ferrell and both their characters hate relinquishing — or even sharing — the spotlight. That back and forth brings a great deal of humor to the TV-show-within-the-movie scenes as MacLaine and Ferrell jostle for the attention and adulation of the TV audience. “Will was terrific.
He’s just a genius, very spontaneous and all his bits always have a first, second and third act to them,” MacLaine observes.
Ferrell returns the compliment. “Shirley was game for anything. She’s a gifted comedian and loves doing the broad, wacky stuff. It was great to watch her find her way with something and try different things as our characters compete with each other.”
Caine credits Ephron with helping the entire cast stay true to the comedy. “Nora has tremendous insight into humor and what is funny. I’m sure you’ve heard actors say that comedy is very difficult and it is — it’s a bugger. You have to get it exactly right and Nora has a fantastic knack for knowing when and where it is. She’s like a comedy hawk, watching everything. Nothing gets by her.”
Bewitched attracted a stellar cast that includes some of the best talents in film and television. The roster includes Jason Schwartzman as Ferrell’s unctuous manager, Kristin Chenoweth and Heather Burns as Isabel’s new mortal friends, David Alan Grier as the frustrated director of the new “Bewitched” TV show, Stephen Colbert and Jim Turner as the harried TV show writers and Steve Carell and Carole Shelley as the beloved “Bewitched” mainstays Uncle Arthur and Aunt Clara.
“The reason for this fantastic cast is completely Nora. She has a great nose for actors and everyone wants to work with her. I think we got our first choice with every person in the movie,” Fisher says.
Schwartzman made the most of his role, making offbeat choices that almost always evoked off-camera laughter from the cast and crew. “When I read the script, my reaction was, yes, this is exactly what I’ve been waiting for,” the actor says. “I loved the TV show within a movie idea because it allowed for a lot of layers — not to mention shenanigans.”
Some of Schwartzman’s personal shenanigans came from playing what has to be the ultimate Hollywood sycophant, deftly skewering the entertainment business, in particular the TV industry. “Basically, Richie is Jack’s manager/motivator. Jack is his sole purpose for being — and for his expensive car and salary,” says Schwartzman. “Richie himself is not very creative but he is very sincere about being fake. Mainly, he is blindly super-supportive of Jack and thinks everything Jack does is fantastic. I didn’t really base him on anyone, though you can’t help but see things in this business that are just ludicrous. I cherry-picked some and then made them much bigger — like those strawberries that are genetically engineered. They’re still strawberries, but they’re oversized.”
Schwartzman adds that the tremendous freedom Ephron afforded the cast helped him come up with special “Richie-isms,” such as special nods and handshakes, arbitrary arm stretching in meetings and, of course, Richie’s signature bear hugs. In addition, working with Ferrell and his cohorts Grier, Colbert, etc. was an exciting and educational experience. “It was like having a first-class seat at Second City. I just liked to hang around them and I learned so much. Will was so great at improvising, so helpful and encouraging and giving, he really wanted to play with stuff. Richie took some unexpected turns because you never knew what would happen with Will. He’s like a conductor of randomness.”
In the film, Richie does find one pleasant diversion from his single-minded promotion of Jack in the form of Maria, Isabel’s affable next-door-neighbor played by Kristin Chenoweth. Maria and Isabel also befriend Nina, an under-appreciated TV writers’ assistant played by Heather Burns. In the film, making friends is part of Isabel’s quest towards normalcy, Ephron explains.
The character of Maria is chatty, quirky and direct, in constant motion and full of ideas. In contrast, the long-suffering Nina, her talents always overlooked by the man with whom she works with, just quietly seethes. The two women have one thing in common — their affection for Isabel. As Isabel experiences the more painful parts of mortal life – betrayal and romantic heartbreak — the two women rally to her side, though the sound advice they give her unwittingly unleashes a rash of black magic.
“Maria was a really fun character to play,” admits Chenoweth. “She’s very supportive of her new friend Isabel. Maria is a career counselor, so she always wants to be as supportive as she can. The humor often comes from the fact that she just doesn’t see Isabel’s magic. She just skips over it because, really, who would think their next-door-neighbor is a witch?”
Interestingly, prior to Bewitched, Chenoweth played Glinda the Good Witch and earned a Tony nomination for her work in the hit Broadway musical “Wicked.”
While it was not a stretch playing Kidman’s friend in the movie, in real life it was — physically — a stretch. “Nicole and I were a walking sight gag,” she laughs. “She’s something like 5’10” or 5’11” and I’m 4’11. I mostly had to wear heels in the movie. I’m just glad they were able to fit us into the same frame.”
Chenoweth enjoyed the three-way friendship with the characters of Isabel and Nina. “Like Isabel, Maria is looking for a companion, so she commiserates with Isabel’s ups and downs with Jack and how the men in their lives haven’t always treated them very well. Nina, who is always stuck in the middle of a male-dominated field, also feels under-appreciated. So the three women immediately bond. They are fun, supportive and honest and that’s what I look for in my girlfriends in life. Nora made it very clear that these are real people. It’s just that their circumstances are heightened and very funny.”
Some of the film’s humor comes from the unexpected vitriol that spews from Nina’s mouth. Burns makes no apologies for her character’s secret violent streak but made the choice to deliver Nina’s outrageous suggestions in a calm, matterof-fact manner. “Nina’s a little scary,” Burns laughs. “She’s obsessed with killing Jack, which manifests itself in strangely funny ways. Basically, I decided to play it straight, as opposed to crazy. Nora and I both realized it’s funnier to deliver these insane lines in a casual, low-key tone. Beyond that, I just felt Nina was a very hard-working, dedicated girl who gets no credit and is about to snap. But since she wants to keep her job, she has become very passive-aggressive.”
Burns, who previously appeared in Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail, believes there is something magical about romantic comedies in general and Ephron’s in particular. “Nora sets the moods of her pictures so beautifully. The way she shot New York in You’ve Got Mail was breathtaking but so right for what was going on in the frame. Here, she did the same for Los Angeles. She takes locations like the San Fernando Valley and makes these magical, classic worlds.”
Release Date: June 24th 2005 (wide).
Runtime: 93 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some language, including sex and drug references, and partial nudity)
Box Office: $62,252,415 (US total)
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
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