" I expect people will look at me like I 've defected to the Fascist Party , " said Figgis of working on an erotic thriller . " But I 'm not going to be swayed by popular opinion . Joe 's script had something that was a lot less formulaic than the other scripts I was seeing . " Figgis said he was attracted to the idea of making a big budget film because he could " have a reasonable budget for the music and control of the music " for the first time in his career , and final cut of the film . New Line 's President Mike De Luca said Figgis ' reworking of material " fine with us , because he Mike has a vision of how to bring the most to the material . We wanted an American ' Last Tango in Paris , ' a film that explores sexual politics and hypocrisy . Joe 's script was about the couple 's relationship . Mike 's version focuses more on the consequences . " Figgis changed the scripts significantly . The '' Times '' said " reading the scripts is like hearing two different versions of the same song , one by Eddie Van Halen , the other by Wynton Marsalis . " Figgis changed key characters and added a subplot about a friend who is dying of AIDS . " " A good friend of mine died of AIDS and it had a powerful effect on me , " says Figgis . " To me , the character was a catalyst , someone who 'd influence the other people in the film . " Eszterhas felt the script had changed so much he asked for his name to be taken off the credits . During filming he said " I have a lot of respect for Mike , so I 'm very curious to see how the film will turn out . " Wesley Snipes was cast in the male lead . " It 's a real British white male part -- I almost used an English accent , " he said . " But that 's what makes it a challenge . There are things in the script that are completely implausible to me . But it 's Mike 's movie and I respect him , so I do n't interject my own perspective . " Natassa Kinski was Figgis ' first choice for the role . " We asked ourselves how middle America would respond to the casting , " said New Line executive vice president Richard Saperstein . " But we felt this was n't a black and white issue . It 's not a film like ' Jungle Fever ' that was about interracial love . It 's a story about the impact of extramarital love on a relationship . " The making of the film coincided with the peak of '' One Night Stand '' actor Robert Downey Jr. 's drug addictions . Mike Figgis recalled Downey Jr. showed up to an introductory meeting " barefoot , high and brandishing a handgun . " When principal photography was still occurring , Downey was arrested for cocaine/heroin possession and breaking into a neighbor 's house . It has been reported that just days after this , Downey startled the crew by showing up to the film 's set , and delivered what Figgis described as a " completely mind-blowing " performance . He stated " He was on time and did amazing work . He was quite incredible , not only on the basis of considering that he was going through these problems , just on a very pure level . " Critics noted " creepy " similarities between the pale and underweight AIDS afflicted character Charlie and Downey 's real life state . At one point Downey 's performance in the film was being considered for an Oscar nomination , despite the fact that Downey would have been in prison again when the awards were to take place in early 1998
the awards
70th Academy Awards
One Night Stand (1997 film)