A Family Affair star Zac Efron has revealed the film's original X-rated title.
The Netflix rom-com centres around a young woman named Zara (Joey King), whose mother Brooke (Nicole Kidman) strikes up a romantic relationship with her movie-star boss Chris (Efron).
Speaking to People ahead of the film landing on the streaming service last week (June 28), the lead actors explained that the project's original "beeped out" title made them take notice of the script.
Related: Derry Girls boss confirms cast for new Northern Irish Netflix series
"Originally, it had a different title," said Kidman, with Efron adding: "It was called Motherf***er."
"Beeped out," Kidman continued. "Somehow, that didn't make it onto the Netflix title."
On the striking nature of the proposed title, Efron said: "That made the script stay at the top of the pile. It's like, what on Earth could this be about?"
Related: 30 best comedies on Netflix to watch in July 2024
He added: "I jumped. I think we both kind of did. We jumped at it. It was like, this is perfect. What better way to reconnect? And we get to have fun."
Kidman went on to discuss the film's similarities to last year's May December, which loosely told the real-life story of a woman whose 23-year-long relationship with a man began when she was 36 and he was just 13.
"There's a dearth," said Kidman on the lack of movies challenging the norm. "We've had it from way back with older men and younger women, that's just always been the norm — it's okay; it's completely acceptable."
Related: Wicked Little Letters confirms Netflix release date
A Family Affair was directed by Richard LaGravenese and also stars Oscar-winning Misery actor Kathy Bates, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' Liza Koshy and Only Murders in the Building's Shirley MacLaine.
Less than a week since its premiere, the rom-com currently has a disappointing 40% score on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes after 57 reviews.
In our review, Digital Spy branded the film as "not as fun as the premise initially promises, and no amount of star power can fix that," adding that fans would be "left wanting".
A Family Affair is now available on Netflix.
July 2024 gift ideas and deals
Amazon Prime Day PS5 deals
Echo Spot - Amazon Prime members save 38%
Watch Power Book II: Ghost season 4 in the UK
Star Wars C-3PO
Buy Cat Deeley's This Morning outfits
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
Sara is an entertainment journalist who specialises in TV and film. After studying journalism at the University of Roehampton, Sara joined Digital Spy in 2023, writing news (and the occasional feature) on all things entertainment. She has also written for the culture desk at The Evening Standard. A lover of all things TV and film, Sara can wax lyrical about everything from Bridgerton to The Witcher. She can also recite entire episodes of New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. In her spare time, Sara loves to knit, crochet and cross-stitch. Also a musical theatre aficionado, Sara counts Samantha Barks as one of her heroes and is a loyal fan of Jodie Comer.
