The life of Paul Verhoeven is filled with films in which violence and/or sex play important roles. However, in Starship Troopers, an actress only wanted to strip under one condition.
Which scene from Starship Troopers are we talking about? In the satirical sci-fi film from 1997, there is a dialogue section in which some female and male soldiers of the mobile infantry talk about the war and their careers in the military while showering.
The Dutch director Paul Verhoeven has several films in his life that feature sex and/or violence prominently. Just think of Flesh and Blood (from 1985), Basic Instinct (1992), Showgirls (1995), or more recently Benedetta (2021).
In an interview with Empire, Verhoeven explained that there is more behind the shower scene from Starship Troopers than just showing naked bodies.
I had done that in RoboCop as well, but no one seemed to notice it there. When you look at the scene where he is still a human and goes into the police locker room, there is a woman who is topless. Nobody seems to notice that. I thought: ‘In RoboCop, nobody noticed, so I will make sure they do in Starship Troopers.’
The idea I wanted to express was that these so-called advanced humans have no libido. Here they talk about the war and their careers without even looking at each other! This has refined over time because they are fascists.
Paul Verhoeven via Empire
This scene is also meant to suggest, in the exaggerated manner for which Starship Troopers is known, to what inhumane behaviors a totalitarian military state and fascism can lead.
The indoctrinated frontline soldiers see themselves, despite some crude jokes, not as man and woman, but as asexual comrades who serve only a higher cause.
That this is only partially true is evidenced later by Johnny Rico (played by Casper Van Dien) and Dizzy Lores (Dina Meyer) with their brief affair.
It’s an ugly planet… a bug planet!
A Director Gets Naked
What was special about the shoot? An actress who was to appear nude for this scene refused and set a condition for the nude take. Paul Verhoeven recalls:
An actress from the cast said they would only strip if we did too. Well, my cameraman was born in a nudist colony, and I have no problem stripping, so we did.
It’s strange, but Americans are more upset about nudity than about extreme violence. I am always amazed by that. I mean, I have never seen sex scenes in American films that are not completely boring. A naked breast is harder to get past the censors than a body riddled with bullets.
Paul Verhoeven via Empire
Today a cult classic, then misunderstood: When Starship Troopers was released, it received a lot of criticism. On the one hand, due to the drastic portrayal of violence.
On the other hand, because the film was classified as pro-militaristic and pro-fascist due to its presentation style and the clear differences from Heinlein’s eponymous novel from 1959. Starship Troopers ended up on the index and remained there until August 2017.
However, over the years, the evaluation of the film has changed. Today it is primarily perceived as a satirical dystopia, similar to RoboCop from 1987.
How do you evaluate Starship Troopers in retrospect? Let us know in the comments! By the way, due to the enormous success of an online shooter, the film recently benefited from a renewed wave of popularity: Due to the Steam hit Helldivers 2, a 27-year-old sci-fi film is suddenly experiencing a hype again
