Wild Orchid

Zalman King doesn't do fainthearted movies. Neither does Mickey Rourke. The last time the two teamed was for "91/2 Weeks," with King as producer and Rourke as the sinister arbitrager who involves Kim Basinger in steamy sadomasochism. Word that King and Rourke were reuniting to make "Wild Orchid," this time with King in the director's chair, suggested that sizzling fare was headed for the screen. And it was. Someone extremely closely connected with the production, who prefers anonymity, supplied Playboy with the following account:

Call me the fly on the wall: I was there, from the casting of the all-important role of Emily Reed—the young attorney who's whisked to Rio on her first important job and finds herself lost in a consuming tropical passion—to the shooting of the climactic, and I use that word advisedly, love scene. It wouldn't be your typical Hollywood (text concluded on page 172)Wild Orchid(continued from page 82) undercover tumble: Mickey wanted it to be the most erotic love scene ever played on film.

First, the girl had to be tall. Mickey apparently has a penchant for big women. She had to be thin, with full lips, and someone who could measure up against the other woman in the film, Jacqueline Bisset, who's not exactly chopped liver.

Director King saw hundreds of actresses. His first likely choice was Brooke Shields, who, as it turned out, was eager for the part. But there was one problem: She wouldn't do nude scenes.

Next: Cindy Crawford, model and Playboy cover girl. King thought he had her. She was even scheduled for a fitting with designer Luciano Soprani in Milan. Then she, too, asked that nudity be written out of the script. And by then, King and the production staff were already in Rio, ready to shoot.

Enter a model named Carré Otis, a wildly beautiful and exotic girl. Never mind that she had never uttered a word on screen: This was the girl. "I have a feeling about her," Mickey said. "I know she can be great." After testing her three times, King was convinced she could do it.

On location in Brazil, Carré and Jacqueline took to each other immediately, Jackie taking the ingénue under her wing and giving her guidance and confidence.

If she needed warming up before the final love scene, Carré had ample opportunity. In the film, her character chances upon a construction worker and a woman uninhibitedly making love in a deserted building. Later, she watches Assumpta Serna, the beautiful Spanish actress who stars in Pedro Almodovar's Matador, and Oleg Vidov, playing her husband, make love in the back of a speeding limousine—the result of Mickey's seductive wiles. Next, with one week left in the shooting schedule, there is a scene in which Mickey persuades Carré to make love to another man (Bruce Greenwood). Rumor has it that by that time, Rourke was jealous. At any rate, he insisted on being on the set during filming of the scene.

As the clock ticked toward the main event, for the first time, Mickey refused to come out of his trailer. All of a sudden, he didn't like his wardrobe, he detested the dialog, he hated the make-up. The producers called it Mickeyitis. They had even budgeted for it.

Carré, on the other hand, was calm and controlled. Up to that point, Mickey had guided her, glowing with pride every time she excelled on screen. Now the tables were turned: The student, confident, prepared, had become the teacher. Shooting was scheduled for the following day.

But half the day went by: no Mickey. Lights and camera were ready, the set dressed. The producers paced the halls; King sat in a corner rewriting something. Still no Mickey. And since Carré was always with Mickey, no Carré, either.

At last, word arrived: Mickey had overslept, and so had Carré. Fifteen minutes later, dressed in identical terrycloth robes, the stars arrived. Only those crew members essential to the filming were allowed to stay on the set. The doors were locked, guards posted. Mickey and Carré took their places on the floor at the foot of the bed. A camera pointed down from the ceiling. Another was on the left, one on the right—they were everywhere, because who knew how many times King could actually get them to do this?

King called for action; the scene was amazing. The film's stars really did love each other. It was apparent in their every move and every touch, in Carré's smile and in Mickey's tenderness. The cameras ran out of film; the actors didn't seem to notice. The cameras were reloaded and rolled again; they still didn't seem to notice. In the finished product, it's impossible to see this scene of uncontrollable passion and not wonder, Did they or didn't they? But that's not really the point. They created a scene of courage and commitment. True love.