Jim Jarmusch’s On-Set Dilemma: The Scene He Had to Fix
Jim Jarmusch faced a creative crisis filming Dead Man when a key scene between Johnny Depp and Mili Avital fell flat. His inventive solution turned a potential disaster into a memorable moment.
Trusting your gut is often the best way to get art right, and Jim Jarmusch found himself relying on instinct while working on Dead Man. Early on, he sensed something was off with a particular moment in the film. The beauty of Jarmusch’s independent approach is the freedom it gives him to make changes on the fly, without a bunch of studio execs breathing down his neck. That flexibility proved crucial when he realised he needed to completely rethink a scene.
Dead Man, which hit screens in 1995, stars Johnny Depp as William Blake, an accountant who finds himself in a violent situation that’s well outside his comfort zone. After being shot, he’s looked after by a mysterious Native bloke who claims he’s the reincarnation of the famous poet. Shot in black and white, the film draws heavily from the poet’s work, delving into themes of identity and duality. While it didn’t exactly rake in the cash—losing a cool $8 million—it’s still one of Jarmusch’s most respected works, especially for its unique take on the western and its thoughtful portrayal of Native culture.
When Chemistry Goes Missing
During production, Jarmusch hit a snag with a scene featuring Depp and Mili Avital, who played Thel, a former prostitute trying to protect William after he’s wounded. The two just didn’t click, and that lack of spark was a real problem. Jarmusch later admitted,
“and it was terrible. It was just bad,”
after noticing the absence of chemistry while filming. He knew he had to get creative to salvage the situation, especially with limited resources and time.
He explained,
“So I realised, ‘I’m gonna make a love scene tomorrow with them, and they’re not gonna be in the same room together. So how am I gonna do that? I’m gonna do it all in close-ups. I got along with both of them. So it was me with Mili giving her a flower, saying things to her, letting her react, and getting moments from her that I loved.”
It might sound a bit odd, but sometimes you’ve got to improvise when things aren’t working out. Jarmusch didn’t have the luxury of endless takes, so he had to find a workaround that would still fit the film’s tone.
Turning a Blunder Into a Win
Jarmusch was quick to take some of the blame himself, admitting it wasn’t just the actors’ lack of connection.
“I think, because I had staged it in a bad way. It was very comical and silly. It was inappropriate, and I knew it while I was shooting it. It was not in the style of the film, but I filmed it.”
He recognised the scene was off-key, both in terms of performance and staging, and that it didn’t match the rest of the film’s style.
The next day, he brought Depp in separately, cracked a few jokes to get him laughing, and then filmed close-ups, later stripping out the sound. This gave him two separate shots to cut together, creating a new scene that worked. Jarmusch was relieved with the end result, saying he managed to craft a
“very beautiful little scene.”
He knew right away the original version was a dud, but his quick thinking and willingness to adapt saved the day.