The Perfect Couple has got everybody talking. Following its premiere, the murder mystery has snagged the number one spot on Netflix, but in the run-up to its debut, the series was fraught with behind-the-scenes drama.
Speaking to Variety, actress Meghann Fahy explained that the cast was not happy with the opening sequence, which required the core characters to perform a flashmob-inspired dance to Meghan Trainor's 'Criminals'.
After director Susanne Bier insisted on the sequence, many of the cast members – including Nicole Kidman – joined a WhatsApp group where they discussed getting the dance shut down.
© Netflix"Everyone was on that [WhatsApp] group saying they didn't want to do this because we just didn't understand," Meghann explained at the LA premiere. "I actually have a really, really huge issue with learning choreography so I was very nervous about it."
For her co-star, Ishaan Khatter, the feeling was mutual. "I don't think any of us could make sense of doing this choreography in these characters. We're like, 'Wait where does this fit into the scheme of things? This was not part of the assignment!'"
Eve Hewson, who leads the series as Amelia, has also expanded on the cast's frustrations. While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the actress was quizzed about the routine.
"It was like this surprise email that we got as we were nearing the end of the shoot from our director, who we love, who we would probably do anything for. But this was really, like, pushing it," she noted.
© Phillip Faraone"The entire WhatsApp group just blew up. And everyone's like 'I'm not doing it, I'm not doing it. I'm calling my manager. I'm calling my agent.'"
For Eve, the star remarked that she was actually "excited" to learn the dance. "I was pretending to feel that way, but I was secretly really excited," she admitted.
© Liam Daniel/NetflixWhile the cast was resistant at first, Meghan – aka Merritt – noted that once they'd shot it they changed their minds. "The God's honest truth is that at the end of the day, we were very, very joyful about it. We all sort of ended up giving in to it," she recalled. "It was so fun and I actually weirdly think it's amazing."
For those yet to tune in, The Perfect Couple follows Amelia, a bride who gets more than she bargained for when her wedding is interrupted by a murder. "Amelia Sacks (Hewson) is about to marry into one of the wealthiest families on Nantucket," teases the synopsis. "Her disapproving future mother-in-law, famous novelist Greer Garrison Winbury (Kidman), has spared no expense in planning what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season — until a body turns up on the beach."
