Nicole Kidman’s infamous urine scene with Zac Efron in the 2012 thriller The Paperboy was not a special effect. According to Deadline, Kidman actually urinated on Efron during the beach sequence after his character, Jack Jansen, is stung by a jellyfish.
In the scene, two girls suggest that urine could help relieve the pain. Charlotte Bless, played by Kidman, then volunteers to help.
“If anyone is gonna pee on him, it’s gonna be me!”
Kidman later confirmed that the scene was filmed as written and that no stunt urine was used.
“Yes, I did the scene. That was what Lee [Daniels, the director] wanted. It was in the script,”
Kidman explained.
“And it’s pretty out there. I mean, I love Zac. He’s such a great guy, and let me just say, I am glad it was him. I feel safe with Zac, and hopefully he feels safe with me,”
Despite the scene’s shocking nature, Kidman said she was surprised that it became the main topic of discussion on social media after the film premiered.
“Of course it would be all over Twitter,”
she said with a laugh.
Why Nicole Kidman Fought to Keep the Zac Efron Scene
Later that year, director Lee Daniels told Vulture that Kidman was the person who fought to keep the controversial moment in the finished film. Daniels said no one was particularly nervous about filming the sequence, but he became more hesitant when he reviewed it during the editing process.
“We just went for it and never thought twice about it, because it made sense for the film,”
the director recalled.
“I think that I became more nervous about it in the edit room.”
After watching the footage, Daniels questioned whether he could include it in the movie.
“I’m not actually going to show this, right? Is it vulgar?”
Kidman reportedly objected when she learned that Daniels was considering cutting the scene. She told him:
“You made me pee on Zac Efron. If you don’t put it in the movie…you need to man up.”
Daniels ultimately assured Kidman that he would not “p—sy out,” and the scene remained in The Paperboy at her request.
