Denise Richards Dives Back Into ‘Wild Things’ Territory, and Fans Are Losing It
Few late-90s thrillers have lingered in pop culture quite like ‘Wild Things’, and few stars remain as closely tied to one film as Denise Richards. Her résumé runs from ‘Starship Troopers’ and the 007 thriller ‘The World Is Not Enough’ to a stint on ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’, yet Richards is arguably still best known for ‘Wild Things’. That legacy is exactly what she just revisited.
The erotic thriller, which she co-starred in alongside Matt Dillon and Neve Campbell, has since earned cult-classic status. One moment in particular became a fan favorite: the scene in which her character rises from a swimming pool in slow motion after swimming laps.
Now, Richards has jumped right back into the water. As Entertainment Weekly highlighted, the actress recreated her iconic ‘Wild Things’ pool scene for a new photo shoot, 28 years after the film first hit theaters.
Hair stylist and makeup artist Pamela Brogardi posted a photo and video from the shoot on Instagram, showing Richards submerging herself in a pool and staring into the camera with slicked-back, wet hair. Brogardi framed the post as a teaser from the day’s session, while Richards shared glimpses of herself getting ready on her Instagram Stories, wearing a black bikini and a sheer black cover-up.
The reaction was instant. Fire emojis flooded the comments section as fans and fellow celebrities wondered whether Richards was deliberately channeling her ‘Wild Things’ character. Plenty of admirers simply praised the star as stunning and gorgeous, with several noting she still looks as good as ever.
Of course, the film’s most talked-about moment was a different pool scene altogether, in which Richards’ character has a steamy tryst with the characters played by Dillon and Campbell. That scene caused a real stir, but Richards’ memories of shooting it are not exactly glamorous.
“It was terrifying,” Richards said in an interview with The Guardian, explaining that it was the first time she had filmed anything like it and that she was extremely nervous. She added that the heavy choreography made the process far less sexy than audiences imagine, though she’s glad the scene plays that way on screen.
The actress has also been candid about keeping the movie away from her own family. Speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle Australia, Richards revealed she was shocked when one of her daughters brought it up after hearing about it from friends, and asked her not to watch it because it wasn’t age-appropriate. She admitted it would feel weird for her kids to see their mom in such a sexy role.
The nostalgic shoot lands during an active year for the star. Richards made her return as Shauna Fulton on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ on May 28, reprising the role after 4 years away from the CBS soap. She first joined the series back in 2019.
Speaking about the comeback, Richards said it felt like she never left, and she hinted that she has several outside projects in the works that she hopes to reveal soon. For now, Brogardi’s sneak peek is all fans have to go on, and judging by the comments, they’re more than happy to wait for the full photo shoot.
Nearly three decades after the original, the image of Richards gliding through the water with slicked-back hair still carries serious pop-culture weight. It’s a reminder that some roles never really leave an actor, and in Richards’ case, she seems perfectly happy to dive back in on her own terms.
What do you think of Denise Richards recreating her iconic Wild Things pool scene?
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