“The Perfect Couple”: How the opening dance sequence worked

At a question and answer session after the show’s British premiere at the BFI Imax in London, which Business Insider also attended, director Susanne Bier and actors such as Nicole Kidman explained how the dance sequence came about.

None of the actors agreed to the dance – until Nicole Kidman agreed

Dressed in suits and evening gowns, the stars of the show perform a few synchronized moves during the dance to Meghan Trainor’s recently released song “Criminals.”

The original idea for a dance came from executive producer Gail Berman, who had previously worked on “Wednesday” and knew firsthand how a viral dance routine could capture an audience’s imagination.

But Jack Reynor, who plays the eldest of the Winbury siblings, said the cast’s group chat descended into chaos when it was learned that Bier required them all to memorize a dance and then perform it in character.

“There was an absolute panic attack when they announced we were going to do this TikTok dance,” Reynor said, adding that people joked that they would have to “pay us $10 million each” to do it.

Ultimately, however, it came down to whether Kidman would participate or not, because the scene wouldn’t have worked without her. Although the Oscar winner eventually agreed, she also put up some resistance.

“Nicole came on set and said, ‘Look, I can’t. My dress is too tight, I can’t dance,'” said Bier, who previously directed Kidman on HBO’s “The Undoing.”

Kidman said Bier prevailed and insisted that the dance should take place. “She ignored me and said, ‘Get out! Dance!'”

Only Liev Schreiber, who plays Kidman’s character’s husband, was particularly excited about the scene. He said that while everyone was complaining in the group chat, he was busy learning the moves.

“I was the only one who wanted to do it, and I’m barely there,” Schreiber said. “I worked on this dance for three weeks. I’m barely there! Like, two seconds.”

Despite their protests, the dreaded dance turned out not to be such a big problem.

Rather, it marked the end of the cast filming together and seems to be something none of them will forget.

“It was the last day we filmed together and we had been through this whole journey,” said Eve Hewson, who plays bride-to-be Amelia Sacks in the series.

Because production was halted last year by the SAG-AFTRA strike, she added, it was a “year-long process to get this show done. And so on our last day together as a group, we performed this dance.”

The scene was designed by Dua Lipa’s chosen choreographer and included some of Taylor Swift’s background dancers

Dua Lipa’s renowned choreographer, Charm La’Donna, put together the movements for the dance.

La’Donna, who has also worked with Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía and Selena Gomez, told Glamour that her goal with the dance was to “create something that the whole cast could enjoy, like a dance you would join in with at a party.”

Bier told official Netflix companion site Tudum: “It puts the show in a very specific atmosphere of ‘This is a slightly heightened reality, and as an audience you can allow yourselves to have fun and enjoy it.’ It was very gratifying to have everyone on board.”

Kidman said the cast also ultimately received additional support in the form of professional background dancers who had previously worked with Taylor Swift.

It turned out that not all of the actors knew this little detail.

“No wonder I couldn’t get in front of the camera,” said Schreiber.