Back in 1999, The Bone Collector, a crime thriller featuring Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington in the leading roles, saw its release. The movie’s narrative was based on the 1997 novel of the same name, penned by Jeffery Deaver. The Phillip Noyce-directed endeavor amassed a total of $151.5 million at the box office. Unfortunately, it fell short in its attempt to impress the critics of that time.

The Bone Collector (1999)

Irrespective of the film’s reception, the talents involved devoted themselves to the roles. In the eyes of moviegoers of that period, one of the redeeming qualities of the lukewarm premise was the actors’ character embodiment. Both Jolie and Washington proved to be the movie’s saving grace.

In an old interview, the Eternals alum once revealed some interesting details about the project. She shed some light on the challenges she faced while undertaking the role of a character as subtly complex as Amelia Donaghy. The actress, referring to an intimate scene she shared with co-star Denzel Washington, also detailed how the “best s*x” she ever had was in this particular film.

The Challenges Angelina Jolie Faced While Filming The Bone Collector

Angelina Jolie felt lonely while filming the 1999 movie

In the 1999 film, Jolie embodied the character of a clear-sighted patrol officer named Amelia Donaghy. She shared the screen with Denzel Washington, who portrayed the role of Lincoln Rhyme, a tetraplegic forensics expert. The complex nature of the latter’s part in the story led to the movie’s narrative being woven in different, unconventional ways. This is especially true of the romance that was budding between Amelia and Lincoln in the film. 

In an interview with Dark Horizons, Angelina Jolie recalled how isolated she felt during the shooting process. The experience almost drove her mad. The weight of leading the film fell atop the talent, who deemed herself incapable and inadequate of doing so. The actress constantly questioned her worth as a human, even going as far as to wonder whether or not she was “good enough.”

Following was her candid statement:

“It was really lonely and I went a bit nuts. From the beginning, I felt as if I was not capable of doing this, of leading a film and being responsible for this, of physically handling this, of saving a life and going in there and being a cop … It was just all those things by yourself: Am I good enough, am I worth anything, really, on a spiritual deep level?”

The Lara Croft: Tomb Raider alum additionally remarked that playing the role of Amelia Donaghy almost made her succumb to insanity. The intricate and convoluted nature of the character seemed to indicate a strenuous time for the actress.

Angelina Jolie in The Bone Collector

While this marked one of the “less extreme” roles that the actress had to undertake in her career, it still proved to be a rather taxing endeavor. Amelia’s character, according to Jolie, was “insane” from within, which is also why the actress herself “went a bit nuts.”

This is how she recalled it:

“This one was less extreme but nearly drove me insane because she was so insane INSIDE. Sometimes with the extreme ones, you’re a character so you are free; this one was like: Be yourself, let those tears fall, be simple, and be still. You can’t hide. Sometimes it can be harder.”

Therefore, while this particular role may have not been as drastically extreme as some of her other endeavors—specifically her embodiment of Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted—it still proved to be an arduous, painstaking venture. Despite the hardships, the Oscar-winning talent was able to magnificently flesh out her character in The Bone Collector. Her acting prowess became one of the aspects that helped the movie from being deemed a complete no-hoper catastrophe.

How Angelina Jolie Had To Seduce With Her Mind

Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington’s chemistry

The protagonist of the film, Lincoln Rhyme, following an ill-fated accident, is rendered paralyzed from the neck down. With such an interesting character trait at hand, how the chemistry between Jolie and Washington could be portrayed on-screen necessitated an out-of-the-ordinary approach. In the intimate scenes shared between the two, Angelina Jolie used her mind to seduce her co-star.

According to her, this experience constituted the “best s*x” she ever had.

Here’s how she explained it:

“What’s fascinating are the journeys these two characters undertake and the deep relationship that evolves between them … The best sex I ever had was in this movie. It was great seducing someone with your mind, a huge turn-on.”

This mind-seduction is in reference to the use of smell and intellect by Amelia to tantalize Lincoln in The Bone Collector. Such an application of non-physical intimacy proved to be an intriguing element of the film. It’s also a testament to the caliber possessed by both Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie to make such a complicated scenario work.

Even though the movie’s narrative didn’t succeed in winning over the public, it showed them what these two stars are capable of.

The Bone Collector is available for streaming on Peacock.

Source: Dark Horizons