At the Eager Beaver, a topless bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, former FBI clerk Erin Grant (DEMI MOORE) dances nightly in order to raise enough money to regain custody of her seven year-old daughter, Angela (RUMER WILLIS, Moore's real life daughter).

"Striptease" begins when David Dilbeck (BURT REYNOLDS), a kinky Congressman controlled by a gang of murderous sugar cane growers, staggers into the club and can't contain his sexual urges while watching Erin dance. He is recognized by Jerry Killian, a sharp-eyed regular, who, also infatuated with Erin, initiates a blackmail plan against Dilbeck meant to aid Erin in her court case. Killian is soon murdered, and Detective Al Garcia (ARMAND ASSANTE) finds the blackmailer's body floating in a lake. The plot spreads from there and begins to include characters from society's fringes; there's Shad, (VING RHAMES), the Eager Beaver's menacing bouncer with some ingenious blackmail schemes of his own. Darrell, (ROBERT PATRICK), Erin's psychopathic ex-husband, a small-time crook who deals in wheelchairs stolen from rest homes and hospitals.
This comic tale of sex, politics, greed, revenge and murder is set amidst sweltering nights in the wayward paradise of South Florida where anything goes and nobody flinches.

"Striptease," starring Demi Moore, and co-starring Armand Assante, Ving Rhames, Robert Patrick and Burt Reynolds is a Lobell/Bergman Production for Castle Rock Entertainment. The film is written and directed by Andrew Bergman who adapted the script from Carl Hiaasen's bestseller. Bergman's partner Mike Lobell is the producer. Joe Hartwick is the executive producer. Stephen Goldblatt is the cinematographer, Albert Wolsky is the costume designer, and Mel Bourne is the production designer.
The history behind bringing "Striptease" to the screen is a short one. Both Andrew Bergman and Mike Lobell were ardent Carl Hiaasen fans. Immediately after reading his novel Strip Tease in galley form, they wanted to make it a major motion picture.
"This was the first book of Hiaasen's that I could see making a movie out of," says Bergman. "The characters were sympathetic, there was a strong central story (which was a woman trying to get custody of her daughter), it had a lot of comedy and insanity, and would keep people involved," explains the writer/director. Although Bergman has written such successful original screenplays as "Honeymoon in Vegas," "The Freshman," "The In-Laws" and "Blazing Saddles," "Striptease" was only his second adaptation, the other being the hit comedy "Fletch." Yet Bergman feels he shares a comedic kinship with Hiaasen. "We have a like perception of what's funny. And we enjoy pushing the envelope of reality," says Bergman. "And although my movies and Carl's novels may be funny, they aren't jokey; they have stories."

Producer Mike Lobell was attracted to Strip Tease because, as he says, "Besides being funny, it encompasses a fascinating world; the decadence and politics of South Florida where there are such original and eccentric characters. Also, the story has a lot of heart and sexiness without having sex. It's really rich movie material."
In searching for a compelling cast for this material, Bergman and Lobell took great care in making their selections. Demi Moore was their first and only choice to play Erin Grant because they felt she was the character. "Not only is Demi beautiful like Erin, but she had the courage and confidence to play this role," says Lobell. Bergman agrees: "Like Erin, Demi is straightforward, determined, and resourceful. She has had a lot of adversity in her own life, and has managed, by her pluck and strength of will, to overcome it."

Although the backdrop for the film is about strip clubs and stripping, making the subject matter controversial, Moore was attracted to the script for a multitude of reasons. "The story is grounded in a beautiful relationship between a mother and her daughter. It's supported by a very action-oriented, interesting political agenda, and unconventional characters. And the humor that's derived from all of that makes for an entertaining film. That's not to say people won't enjoy seeing the women dance. I enjoy the women dancing. And why can't we appreciate that as opposed to judging it as something wrong the way so many people do in this country," she says.
Before filming began, Moore prepared for her role by visiting strip clubs around the country. "I found that a lot of these places are upscale, and cater to businessmen and women. I think the bars have become more a place of entertainment than sleazy dives, which was my previous perception of them," she says.

The filmmakers agree. As Lobell says, "When I was 14, some older guys took me to Minsky's which was a famous burlesque house. And I still have an image of that place; it was sort of vulgar. But now, so many strip clubs are like night clubs. The girls are beautiful, and their audiences are men and women in their thirties. It's safe sex for the '90s; you can have a few laughs, maybe get turned on, and not worry about getting a sexually transmitted disease." Also, Bergman doesn't think anyone should feel sorry for the women working in the clubs. "Carl Hiaasen told me that 'the strippers in high end clubs view their customers as ATMs'. The women aren't the ones exploited; the men are the real suckers. In fact, there's a waiting list of women for these jobs because the pay is amazing. It's a commentary on our economy; this is a growth industry."

In doing her research for "Striptease," Moore found the strippers happy with their professions. "The pay affords them the opportunity to go to college, provides a comfortable life- style for them and their children, and gives them more time to be with their kids. Unlike the common perception that these women are either drugged out or drunk to get through their work day, I want people to know that a lot of them are young women who are very present, and know exactly what they're doing," explains the actress. "I met a stripper, a single mother, who is putting two children through private school, and owns her own home and a rental apartment that gives her extra income. Stripping gives her a lifestyle that allows her many more hours within a day to be with her children. And as a mother of three myself, I don't judge that as being any less a professional choice than any of us have opted for," Moore says.
Speaking of Moore's children, her seven year-old daughter Rumer was chosen from among a multitude of young girls to play the part of Erin's daughter, Angela, in "Striptease."
"I thought Rumer would give their relationship a fantastic level of reality; something that hasn't been seen since 'Paper Moon' with Ryan and Tatum O'Neal," says Bergman.
The director likens Rumer to an actress from years gone by. "Something about her face reminds me of a silent movie star; so much emotion, so much vulnerability," he adds.
Naturally Moore was thrilled to work with her daughter. "It's been a fun experience for both of us. It's also been very educational for Rumer to see what my world is really about; that it's not just dressing up, sitting in a make-up chair and getting your hair done or lipstick applied. It's something much bigger than that," reveals Moore.
Like Bergman, Moore was happy with Rumer's aptitude for acting. "She's really touched me with how sweet and openly giving she is with her emotions, and how quick she gets it. How could I not have a tremendous sense of pride," says Moore.

One of the most crucial tasks was casting the role of Congressman David Dilbeck, the man obsessed with Erin Grant. Lobell and Bergman were looking for an actor who could portray comedy as well as drama, playing a perverse buffoon one moment, and a likable statesman the next. Burt Reynolds added his own name to their very short list of contenders.
"Burt called us up and asked to come in for an audition which was a very brave thing for him to do," says Lobell. "And when he auditioned, he had us in tears we were laughing so much. Burt knows Dilbeck because he grew up in Florida, and has been around a lot of corrupt politicians," adds Lobell.
Reynolds couldn't agree more. "David Dilbeck is a degenerate politician who has a fixation for naked women. I know this man well for several reasons. First, my father was a chief of police in Florida for 20 years, so I was always around local politicians. Also, I've been to the White House for dinner with three different Presidents. There's a lot that goes on in a politician's private life that's absolutely frightening. But that doesn't mean he's not good at his job, trying to make this country better than it is. Secondly, years ago I dated one of the premier striptease artists of her day, Lilly St. Cry," explains Reynolds.
Bergman thought Reynolds a great choice to play a Southern congressman. "Because Burt knows these kinds of guys, he brought an enormous credibility to his character. His accent and sleaziness were right on the money; this is the type of politician that goes from being utterly corrupt one minute, to having a tear in his eye talking about mom and pop and the bible, without shifting gears," says the director.
Casting Armand Assante as Al Garcia, a respectable cop who befriends Erin, was a more difficult pick for the filmmakers because Assante usually plays tough guys with checkered pasts. In fact, Assante's agent had to convince him to take the part. "People who I work closely with said I should stop playing psychopathic deviants, and play a nice person for a change," admits Assante.
This made the role a stretch for the actor. "I'm so used to portraying bad people. If I'm not in a scene where I have five motives operating at once, I have an anxiety attack. Playing a regular guy with morals makes me nervous," confesses Assante. What also influenced Assante's decision to be in "Striptease" was his enormous respect for Bergman. "I'm a big fan of his," says the actor. I think his films are in the spirit of Frank Capra: very moralistic tales with innocence and charm. I wanted to work with Andy."

Rounding out the starring cast is Ving Rhames as Shad, the Eager Beaver's intimidating bouncer, and Robert Patrick as Darrell, Erin's psycho ex-husband. Both actors play formidable yet comedic characters.
Adding to the film's eccentric roles are the five strippers who dance at the Eager Beaver. Lobell and Bergman were looking for actresses who were "funny, could dance, and were very distinct from each other -- and from Demi-- to play these girls," says Lobell.

Bergman likens this quintet to a group in a World War II army film; "I wanted them to be the Eager Beaver platoon," he says. Bergman describes his troop like this. "Pandora Peaks plays Urbana Sprawl. Urbana is an icon -- bigger than life, so to speak. Rena Raffel is Tiffany Glass. Tiffany is ethereal in a Marilyn Monroe sort of way. Kimberly Flynn plays Ariel Sharon; she's Israeli, ambitious and robust. PaSean Wilson is Sabrina Hepburn. Sabrina is like someone out of a l940s movie; a wise-cracking personality. And Dina Spybey plays Monique, Jr. Monique is ditzy, exuberant, innocent and corrupt all at the same time, like a Lolita." As with the casting, Lobell and Bergman took great care that "Striptease" would be a visually dynamic motion picture. To this end, they retained the services of three of cinema's most recognized experts: two-time Academy Award nominated ("Batman Forever," "Prince of Tides") cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, three-time Academy Award nominated ("Interiors," "The Natural," "The Fisher King") production designer Mel Bourne, and two-time Academy Award winner ("Bugsy," "All That Jazz") costume designer Albert Wolsky. All three talents collaborated with the producer and director to give South Florida and the film's characters the dynamic, colorful, sexy, eccentric look that the script called for. As Goldblatt explains, "It may be subtle, but I used color in my lighting to symbolize a place or feeling. Strip clubs represent fantasy so I used pink, blue and white lighting to highlight the dramatic atmosphere and the strippers in the Eager Beaver, as opposed to utilizing a more natural light when we were out of the club."

Wolsky had the same concept, especially about Moore's character. "When Erin is working in the club, she's playing a character so I put her in a man's suit, or a boa and gloves. When she's away from her work, she's an everyday woman and mother so she's in jeans and a tee shirt. There's a definite separation we wanted to project," explains Wolsky.
While the visual concepts for the project were being finalized, Bergman and music supervisor Joel Sill were busy coordinating the music that permeates the film. Bergman has always been a fan of singer Annie Lennox, and suggested to Moore that she dance to her music. Moore agreed.
Says Bergman, "I love Annie Lennox. She's very strong, powerful and individual, like Erin. I thought it would be a real signature for her. And I think it worked out great." Music from The Spencer Davis Group, Billy Ocean and The Coasters will also be heard in the film.

In addition, Lobell and Bergman enlisted the talent of choreographer Marguerite Derricks to design the dance numbers for Moore and all the strippers in "Striptease." Since Moore had no previous dance training, Derricks first wanted to build a personal rapport with the actress before their technical collaboration began. "For four months prior to production, I'd fly out to meet with Demi on weekends (while she was filming 'The Juror' in New York) and we'd go to strip clubs together, and discuss what we liked and didn't like about the dancing," says Derricks.
When Moore started her actual dance training, Derricks was delighted with her raw talent. "Demi is one of the most amazing natural dancers I've ever met. But because she's an actress, I taught her in a different way than I'd done before with other performers. Instead of counting out steps, I'd do a move, and it would inspire her to do a move. We'd then come to the final routine together. It wasn't like I'd choreograph a number and then teach it to her. It was really a collaboration because Demi had great ideas, and her instincts for dance were wonderful," says Derricks.
Moore was thrilled with her new-found talent. "Sometimes you have bonuses in a film, and dancing in 'Striptease' was certainly one of them. Having the opportunity of working with an outstanding choreographer, and pretending to be a dancer for a little while has been a great new element of self expression for me," says Moore.
Moore approached her dancing from an actor's perspective. "Within each dance, I had to figure out a story to tell because I didn't know to do it any other way, and also because Erin is really dancing for herself, not for anyone else. So I came up with devices, either with props or costumes, to at least give myself enough of a distraction, so that I didn't feel so exposed -- pardon the pun," explains Moore.
Derricks designed each of Moore's three big dance numbers around a common theme: her innate strength and passion. But the choreographer individualized their styles. "For instance, for the song 'Money Can't Buy' the symbolism was aggressive," says Derricks. "For 'Cold' it was more internal and personal. And for 'Little Bird' it was playful and lyrical."

For all the dance numbers for each of the girls in the film, Derricks focused on teasing rather than stripping. "I think it's a lot sexier that way," she says. "It's not just about taking your clothes off and shaking your body around. I wanted the routines to be more theatrical and glamorous. So each number has a concept, costume and theme," says Derricks.
Derricks gives great credit to Lobell and Bergman for giving her and the actresses time to create each number. "So many times for TV and films today, we'll get one day to rehearse and one day to shoot it. Choreographing 'Striptease' was almost like the way old musicals were done. We were allowed to develop the numbers, go away, and then look at them again, (like an artist doing a painting) to adjust them and make them better until they were exactly the way we wanted them to be; no compromises," says Derricks. Not only did the plot of "Striptease" involve strippers, corrupt politicians, and people on the fringe of society, it was also punctuated with exotic animals. "The film is a three-ring circus," says Bergman.

Lobell and Bergman hired their old friend and expert animal trainer Clint Rowe (who they previously worked with on "White Fang" and "The Journey of Natty Gann") to be in charge of the film's animal kingdom. Rowe first trained nine hybrid wolves to play Erin's eccentric sister-in-law Rita's canines. Most of these hybrids were seasoned actors from "White Fang;" three of them having credits as baby White Fang in the film; another played White Fang's mother.
Next, Rowe had to train a Burmese python to be the dance partner of stripper Lorelei (Barbara Alyn Woods). For this, Rowe had to use three 8 foot, 40 pound snakes to play the part. Explains Rowe; "Three snakes had to be used for two reasons: after 10-20 minutes of work, the snake would get tired and overheated under the film lights, and then get grouchy and aggressive. Also, the snakes were fed every two weeks, each at different intervals, because they couldn't be handled until five days later when their food was digested. So with three snakes, I always had two on hand for filming."
Although these pythons are constrictors, they do bite (luckily they are not poisonous). Still, actress Barbara Alyn Woods was most courageous to dance with them with such grace.
Also making appearances in "Striptease" under Rowe's guidance were a rare clouded leopard, a monkey and 200 domesticated rats. After several weeks of rehearsals, principal photography for the film began in September 1995 in South Florida. Lobell and Bergman thought it important to shoot the entire film in its actual location because, explains Bergman, "It's where the story takes place, and there's a certain kind of insanity here that you don't get anywhere else; it's such a weird mix of cultures. Also, it's a sexy place because it's tropical, it's humid, it's languid."

Throughout the 14-week shooting schedule, the film company utilized over 25 locations from Pompano to Miami, but centered most of the story around Fort Lauderdale. Broward General Hospital doubled for Don Shula Hospital. The exteriors of the Eager Beaver and the Flesh Farm were formerly Pompano strip clubs. The Rojo Sugar cane fields were actually U.S. Sugar cane fields in South Bay, Florida. Tarmac Pennsuco Cement Company doubled for the Rojo Sugar Refinery interior. (The film company couldn't use a real refinery because they were being utilized 24 hours a day, since the sugar harvesting season was in full swing).
Other locations included the Miami Seaquarium and the 170 foot Big Eagle yacht which became the Big Sugar yacht and was shot at Port Everglades. Garcia's cabin was built in Florida's Quiet Waters Park which stood in for Lake Okeechobee.
Interiors for the Eager Beaver and Big Sugar yacht were built on Miami's Greenwich Studios sound stages for security and privacy considerations.
Perhaps the film's most difficult location was the Dade County Morgue because doctors were conducting actual autopsies in the same room as the filming (albeit behind screens). So the filmmakers were cueing the doctors when they could start and stop. In fact, at one point, a doctor yelled out, "Do we have enough time between shots to cut a skull open?"
As Bergman says, "The morgue scene was the hardest in the film to shoot. The stench in there was indescribable. Then we heard sawing and cutting people's heads open right next to us. It was unbearable. I was fighting to stay conscious."

Lobell doesn't feel that staying conscious will be a problem for the film's audiences, however. As he says: "'Striptease' is a very original movie. I think its suspenseful fast pace, off-beat characters and good humor will take people on an outrageous ride."