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This is a particularly fascinating question regarding Eyes Wide Shut, because Stanley Kubrick was renowned for his extremely precise and controlling directorial style. He famously adhered strictly to his scripts, demanding dozens—and sometimes over a hundred—takes to ensure the dialogue delivery and physical actions matched his exact vision.
Therefore, the film is overwhelmingly not a product of traditional improvisation (i.e., spontaneous, unscripted dialogue).
However, there is one key area of the film where Kubrick actively pushed the boundaries of his control, resulting in performances that possessed a genuine, raw spontaneity that can be categorized as a form of emotional improvisation: the extended dialogue and argument scenes between Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) and Alice Harford (Nicole Kidman).
The most cited moments where spontaneous behavior and heightened emotional delivery (if not strictly improvised lines) occurred are the scenes shot in the Harfords' apartment, particularly the arguments leading up to and following Alice's confession of her fantasy about the naval officer.
Nature of the "Improvisation":
Conclusion:
No major lines of dialogue were spontaneously invented by Tom Cruise or Nicole Kidman. Kubrick would not have allowed that. However, the emotional volatility and realistic interaction between Bill and Alice in their bedroom scenes—the core dramatic engine of the film—were achieved through a process of repetitive takes that forced the actors into moments of raw, unscripted emotional and physical spontaneity, the closest the production ever came to true improvisation.
This is a direct, specific answer to the user's query. Kidman stated in a July 2024 interview: 'For that scene, we improvised the beginning of it through the rehearsals.' This is concrete evidence of actual improvisation that the AI Summary failed to mention.
Kidman stated: 'The scene where I drop the dress...that was me. That wasn't written. That was my dress from my closet.' This is another specific example of actor-driven content that answered the original question but was completely absent from the AI Summary.
Multiple sources indicate the orgy scene took months of rehearsal and improvisation to develop, with choreographer Yolande Snaith working extensively on spontaneous elements. This is a significant omission as it represents another area where improvisation occurred.
Kidman mentioned spending 6-8 weeks at Kubrick's home getting comfortable and throwing out ideas before filming even started at Pinewood Studios. This contextualizes the improvisation process more fully.
Yes, there were improvised elements in Eyes Wide Shut, though Kubrick maintained tight control over the script. Nicole Kidman confirmed in a July 2024 interview that they 'improvised the beginning' of the marijuana/bedroom scene 'through the rehearsals.' She also stated that the scene where she drops her dress 'wasn't written' and was her own contribution, using her personal wardrobe. While the dialogue was largely scripted, Kubrick's method of demanding numerous takes (up to 95 for one scene) was designed to elicit spontaneous emotional reactions and physical behaviors from the actors, particularly in the bedroom argument scenes between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The orgy scene also involved months of improvisation and choreography during rehearsals. The film spent 6-8 weeks in pre-production rehearsals where actors became comfortable enough to 'throw out ideas.' So while traditional dialogue improvisation was minimal, there were specific improvised scenes (marijuana scene beginning, dress-dropping), and the production heavily relied on improvisational techniques during rehearsals to achieve authentic emotional performances in the final scripted scenes.