Nicole Kidman had everyone โbewitchedโ on the set of the early aughts Nora Ephron comedy.
Will Ferrell and Stephen Colbert marked the 20th anniversary of โBewitched,โ which premiered in June 2005, during a recent episode of โThe Late Show.โ
The actors reminisced about the movie, including their experiences working alongside Kidman. In the film, Ferrell portrayed the narcissistic actor Jack Wyatt and Kidman played Isabel Bigelow, a witch who wished for a normal life, while Colbert played a writer.
During the interview, Colbert recalled the โmeet cuteโ scene between Ferrell and Kidmanโs characters while they are portraying Darrin and Samantha Stephens in the fictional remake of the classic television show.ย
โNicole Kidmanโs over there across the studio, and me and all the other people playing the writers are at video village watching the first scene,โ Colbert explained. โAnd you, Will Ferrell, go to play Darrin to go be in the scene with Nicole and when the sceneโs over, do you remember what you came and said to us?โ
Ferrell said that he โhad no ideaโ what he had previously said, so Colbert filled in some of the gaps as he continued to recall the moment.
โYou came over to us because when the scene started, and when Nora (Ephron) called action, we saw why Nicole Kidman was a movie star,โ Colbert explained. โBecause the moment (Ephron) called โaction,โ (Kidman) flipped some switch. She became the most alluring and beautiful woman โ sheโs a beautiful woman, but something preternatural happened โ and we did the scene, and all of us are in a fever of desire for the character that sheโs playing.โ
Colbert said that the group of actors could โbarely breatheโ before sharing Ferrellโs own reaction to the moment.
โAnd you walked over and you went, โWhat the f— just happened out there?โโ Colbert said. โAnd we all went, โI donโt know.โ And you went, โI couldnโt even remember any of my lines! I couldnโt get out of her eyes! What the f— just happened?โโ
Ferrell said it was as if โan alien being had come and told us everythingโs going to be OK.โ
โIt was extraordinary,โ Colbert said. โShe literally glowed from the inside.โ
Despite the stacked cast, โBewitchedโ was not well received, with a current 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie also received several Razzie Award nominations, including worst actor, worst remake or sequel, worst director and worst screenplay, with Ferrell and Kidman taking home the award for worst screen couple.
Ferrell and Colbert poked fun at the movie’s quality from the get-go, including when they were met with complete silence from the audience after announcing the film’s milestone anniversary.
โWhen people ask Nicole Kidman about the pantheon, the body of work, she always lists โBewitchedโ as No. 1,โ Ferrell joked.
