Zac Efron Says ‘A Family Affair’s Original NSFW Title Put The Script ‘At The Top Of The Pile’

Zac Efron has revealed what first drew him to A Family Affair: a hilariously not safe for work title. Although the Netflix original ultimately opted not to use the alternate name, it makes for some interesting trivia.

A Family Affair‘s original title was Motherf—er, according to Efron’s latest interview with People. “Somehow that didn’t make it onto the Netflix title,” Efron’s co-lead, Nicole Kidman, joked. Efron mused that the original title was what made him interested in A Family Affair in the first place — the title helped the movie “stay at the top of the pile.”

A Family Affair (2024)

A surprising romance kicks off comic consequences for a young woman, her mother and her movie star boss as they face the complications of love, sex and identity.

Release Date

June 28, 2024

Director

Richard La Gravenese

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A Family Affair also stars Joey King as Zara Ford, a young woman who discovers that her mother, Brooke Harwood, (Kidman) is involved with her ex-boyfriend and boss, Chris Cole (Efron). The intergenerational love story has plenty of commentary to share about generational differences, familial love, and more – and it’s resonated with audiences, who have launched the film to the top of Netflix’s global charts. Critics have been less impressed, however — the film currently sits at 44% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron Reunite in A Family Affair

A Family Affair is a reunion for Kidman and Efron, who acted opposite each other in 2012’s The Paperboy. “We jumped at it,” Efron said of the project. “It was like, this is perfect. What better way to reconnect? And we get to have fun.” While both films feature romances between Kidman and Efron, The Paperboy was a darker romantic drama, and A Family Affair is a romantic comedy.

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Kidman notes that A Family Affair is one of the few films to portray a romance between an older woman and a younger man. While there are plenty of movies about an older man wooing a younger woman, there’s a “dearth” — as Kidman calls it — of the opposite. For Kidman, exploring the idea that this relationship dynamic is “alright” was one of the draws of the film. Efron, who recently starred in The Iron Claw, has been vocal about his love and admiration for Kidman. He told People:

“I’m still so enamored with Nicole. There’s a part of me that pinches myself when I realize who I’m working with a lot. I think that was more pronounced during
The Paperboy
because I was a lot younger. I was very nervous back then.”

Kidman also expressed similar sentiments, explaining that she felt that she could trust Efron, who sought to keep King and Kidman comfortable throughout shooting. A Family Affair is available to stream now on Netflix.