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PRODUCTION NOTES - Courtesy of Miramax Films

ABOUT THE CAST

With the script completed, the Butterworths began to look for a cast - and the results were quite unexpected even to them. Despite the fact that three of the main characters are heavily accented Russians, they ultimately cast no Russian actors at all. Instead, they wound up with an ensemble that included a major American movie star, an acclaimed European filmmaker, and a revered French actor in the Russian roles.

"We took a trip to Moscow to see if any real Russians might fit the bill, and Jez met everyone who would have been an obvious contender. They wheeled out the most fantastic roll call of the finest Russian actors - and it was quite spectacular and impressive. Unfortunately, none of them spoke a word of English, even though we had been assured that they were fluent," explained Stephen Butterworth. This event ultimately inspired the first joke of "Birthday Girl" - that Nadia cannot speak English as promised by the mail-order catalogue - but it also broadened the filmmakers' search.

The most essential role was, of course, Nadia, the dangerous beauty whom John Buckingham almost immediately regrets taking into his home. Unable to find a Russian actress who possessed the necessary combination of sly wit, cool sexiness and ability to also understand rudimentary English, Butterworth began to entertain the idea of looking outside of Russia. But he never considered an American until Nicole Kidman showed interest in the part.

"She's not exactly Russian," Butterworth admits, "but when I spoke to Nicole, I realized that she understood the character utterly and completely. She was superb to work with because her instincts are extraordinary, probably sharper than any other actor I've worked with. She was terrific and uniquely funny as Nadia."

Kidman was drawn to the challenge and to the dark, boisterous fun of the role. "I am always drawn to black comedies," says the actress who earlier made an indelible addition to the genre with Gus Van Sant's "To Die For," which garnered her a Golden Globe Award. "And I was also interested in playing a Russian woman, because she's obviously so far from me and it allowed me to really create her character from scratch."

Also drawn to the Butterworths' brand of comic mayhem was Ben Chaplin who stars as John Buckingham, a man whose uncomplicated life in the London suburbs is turned helter-skelter from the minute Nadia arrives, leading him down a path of crime and thrills he could never have imagined.

Chaplin felt an immediate affinity for John, even if he does resort to somewhat incredible measures - buying a bride off the Internet - in the search for love. He decided to imbue the character with a touching shyness and total lack of awareness regarding his own charm and appeal. "I didn't judge John at all for buying a bride," Chaplin says. "I think there are lots of attractive but desperately lonely guys out there just like him. Everyone's met one."

On the set, Nicole Kidman found Chaplin a delightful adversary in the film's romance-gone-awry. "I had always wanted to work with Ben and this experience was really fun," she comments. "I felt very safe with him, particularly having to do the Russian accent because he always made me feel that it was going to be okay. Most of all, he is a great comedian and that was a constant inspiration."