Breeanna Hare
CNN
(CNN) — “Star Trek Into Darkness” had mixed reviews, but there’s one scene in particular that the sequel’s creators are re-thinking.
At one point, Alice Eve’s Dr. Carol Marcus is changing and appears in her bra and underwear, but without an explicit reason.
It was random enough to make MTV’s Josh Horowitz pointedly ask “Into Darkness'” co-writer Damon Lindelof, “why is Alice Eve in her underwear at one point?” The scribe’s response – that there’s a very good answer, but he wasn’t telling – didn’t go over so well.
Lindelof also took to Twitter on Monday to say that he “copped to the fact that we should have done a better job of not being gratuitous in our representation of a barely clothed actress,” although Chris Pine’s Kirk was “shirtless in underpants in both movies,” Lindelof continued. “Do not want to make light of something that some construe as mysogenistic … What I’m saying is I hear you, I take responsibility and will be more mindful in the future. Also, I need to learn how to spell ‘misogynistic.'”
When director J.J. Abrams appeared on “Conan” Wednesday, he, too, admitted that he could see his critics’ point.
“The intent was, it’s Kirk, who’s sort of a womanizing character. The idea was to have a beat like that in the midst of all this action and adventure where he looks and doesn’t look away,” Abrams said. “I don’t think I quite ended the scene in the right way, but to me it was a sort of balance. There’s a scene earlier where he’s not dressed either, so I felt like it was sort of a trade-off. Some people did feel like it was exploiting her. While she is lovely, I can also see their point of view.”
But it seems Alice Eve and Pine weren’t the only stars to show some skin. This movie’s villain, Benedict Cumberbatch, also apparently stripped down for a shower scene while filming the latest “Star Trek,” and Abrams brought it along to Conan O’Brien’s show.
Although Cumberbatch was clearly taking “a shower of evil,” O’Brien pointed out that all the scene really needed was a soundtrack change to get the full effect.