The headboard scene is undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments in Colleen Hoover’s Verity, and while it makes it into the film, the behind-the-scenes process of translating it for the big screen is decidedly unsexy. In Hoover’s 2018 novel, Lowen discovers teeth marks on Verity and Jeremy’s wooden headboard, before biting into it herself when having sex with Jeremy. Unsurprisingly, it became one of the most talked-about moments on BookTok, and was a scene fans were hoping to see in Michael Showalter’s movie adaptation. And yes, the film goes there, with Dakota Johnson’s Lowen sinking her teeth into the headboard during her sex scene with Josh Hartnett’s Jeremy. We also see Anne Hathaway’s Verity creating the original mark in a flashback. But actually getting that moment on screen involved a lot more planning than you might expect – and some concerns about dental bills. There was an absurd amount of work behind Verity’s headboard scene Credit: Amazon MGM Studios Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the process, Hartnett said Johnson and Hathaway spent “some time” just chomping down on various pieces of wood to figure out the best way to do it. “It was just Annie and I on separate days, gnawing on wood,” Johnson said, while Hartnett would come in the next day to look at “the lineup of different gnaws.” Adding to this, Hathaway explained that it was surprisingly technical, saying, “We didn’t leave it to chance,” and that she and Showalter had “so many meetings” about it. Apparently the director “demonstrated a lot of bites” for her too. “We had to figure out what shade of wood. It had to be something that could be a real bed, but was also soft enough to bite into,” Hathaway continued. “When you read it, you’re reading so quickly, you’re just like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s amazing.’ But then when it comes time to act it, you’re like, ‘You’re gonna bite a wooden headboard?’ We had to really figure it out.” Johnson said that the biggest challenge was “how to make it sexy and not lose teeth,” which resulted in them using soft wood. Hathaway was similarly concerned about her teeth, telling Mamamia, “I was so nervous about the headboard. Maybe this makes me square, but I have no idea why anybody would ever bite a wooden headboard. I mean, the dental alone, it’s just a huge risk.” Although she did add, “There’s other things to bite. I’m not that much of a square, but just that particular one.” Elaborating on the practice rounds, Hathaway said she and Showalter each “had to bring our bite,” with the director going first. “And making eye contact, he just bit into it and he’s like, ‘What’d you think?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry. I just felt like you were eating a sandwich,’” she said. When it came to Hathaway’s turn, she saw the funny side in it. “I just thought, I can’t believe I’m an adult and I’m doing this for work. I’m figuring out how to bite a piece of balsa wood at work today.” For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Amazon MGM Studios Post navigation Next story
