The film ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’ marked a sharp departure from the classic romance movies that dominated early ’90s cinema.
That decade’s films have a special charm that makes them instantly recognizable. Whether comedies, intense dramas, or love stories, they left a significant mark on our cultural memory. It was the golden age of romantic films, when heroines like those in Notting Hill, Ghost, or Pretty Woman quickly became icons of the era and defined the course of many actors’ careers.
One of the standout figures from that period was Patrick Bergin, who co-starred with Julia Roberts in the 1991 psychological thriller Sleeping with the Enemy. For Roberts, who was already a superstar after Pretty Woman, the role was a step into darker territory. For Bergin, however, the role of a controlling and abusive husband became one of the most psychologically demanding performances of his career. While Roberts continued her ascent to the top of Hollywood, Bergin convincingly embodied a chilling antagonist — a character that still sparks debate and discussion today.
In an interview, the actor shared his memories of the shoot and how difficult it was for him to fully inhabit the character of Martin Burney. He said that the filming process started easily and was even enjoyable: “She was wonderful, and we really had fun working together.” However, as he delved deeper into the dark nature of his character, it became more and more difficult to maintain warm, informal relations with Julia. “At some point I realized the full depth of the character, how extreme he had to be, and it became very hard for me. The lunches stopped, the conversations too, you know…”
Bergin admitted that he eventually entered a kind of “isolation mode,” completely focusing on the role, which inevitably affected his interaction with his co-star: “I had this space around me, and it definitely permeated towards the end of the shoot. But she was incredible.”
More than three decades have passed since the film’s release, but only now has the psychological complexity of the filming process for Patrick Bergin become known. As he summed it up himself: “It was very hard for me to be friends with her.”
