Trivia / Sleeping with the Enemy

• Actor-Inspired Element: Patrick Bergin suggested using one of his favourite pieces of music by Hector Berlioz as Martin's song of choice.
  • Towards the end of the film, during the confrontation, Martin was originally supposed to have three pages worth of dialogue explaining his behavior. Bergin disliked the idea of making excuses for an abusive husband and also didn't think he could maintain the necessary intensity for so long and asked to nix it.
• Blooper: When Laura tries to run out of the house, she finds her stereo blocking the door. By the time Ben knocks on the door and she answers it, the stereo has vanished.
• California Doubling: Abbeville, South Carolina stands in for Cedar Falls, Iowa.
• The Danza: Minor character Sharon the nurse is played by Sharon J Robinson.
• Deleted Scene: Martin's and Laura's opening sex scene was longer and more graphic, essentially a Wall Bang Her session rather than the Sexy Discretion Shot we get. This is still seen in international versions.
• Enforced Method Acting : During the first scene of overt physical abuse, Julia Roberts's reaction when he kicks her is real. There was a sandbag nearby that Patrick Bergin was supposed to kick, but he missed and got her in the leg.
• Fake American: Irishman Patrick Bergin as Martin.
• Follow the Leader: In the early 90s, this was one of many suspense-thrillers centering around husband and wife characters such as A Kiss Before Dying, Cape Fear, Deceived, Presumed Innocent, Shattered and Mortal Thoughts.
• Hostility on the Set: More like hostility towards the set. Julia Roberts hated filming in Abbeville, South Carolina, calling it a "horribly racist town"^note a Black crew member, a friend of hers, was denied service at a bar and vowed never to return. Outraged by Roberts's comments, more than 100 residents of upstate South Carolina pitched in and paid $467 for an ad that appeared in Variety: "Are there racists here? Perhaps some, as there are throughout the world. But they do not define us."
• Money, Dear Boy: At the age of 22, Julia Roberts became the youngest actress to earn a seven-figure fee for one performance.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Kim Basinger and Jane Fonda were considered for the role of Laura.
  • Aidan Quinn was considered for the role of Martin.
  • John Cusack was offered the role of Ben Woodward.
  • Sean Connery was offered a role in the film.

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