Paul Verhoeven originally wanted a quad-breasted sex worker in Total Recall

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

While they may not have been real, the ttriple-breasted lady of the night in Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic sci-fi film TOTAL RECALL (Buy Here) were definitely spectacular. But, new insight from director Paul Verhoeven says we almost got one more boob if he had his way.

Recently while participating in a retrospective interview with The Ringer, Verhoeven opened up about Mary (Lycia Naff), the mistress of the Martian bar known as The Last Resort, by revealing that he'd originally planned for the character to have four breasts instead of three.

“I know that some women had, let’s say, not two nipples, but they have four nipples. Like a dog, whatever. That’s what they have. They exist, basically, and I’ve seen the medical photos when I was at university. And I knew that. I wanted four nipples and breasts, with big breasts and smaller breasts underneath. And Rob Bottin, I think, felt that it was too realistic for the film. And basically that three breasts would be more, let’s say, in the style of the whole movie,” said Verhoeven.

Anyone who's seen Verhoeven's TOTAL RECALL knows that Naff's Martian mammary glands were far from the only special effect showcased throughout the film. I'm talking about bulging eyeballs, salivating stomach babies, elongated alien appendages, throat holes, stretched nostrils, and one conniving cabby that's got five kids to feed. It's the kind of sci-fi spectacle that keeps on giving, though in Mary's case, four alien breasts was one too many.

All of these unforgettable effects and more arrived courtesy of Rob Bottin, who went on to win an Oscar for Best Visual Effects thanks to his outstanding work on Verhoeven's tale of mental vacations and solid kicks to the crotch.