Linda Kozlowski burst onto the scene in 1986 with Crocodile Dundee, playing Sue Charlton, the gutsy New York reporter who tangles with Paul Hogan’s Mick Dundee in the Australian Outback. One scene still sticks with everyone: Sue, stripped down to a black thong bodysuit, kneels by a swampy billabong to fill her canteen when a crocodile lunges, snags it, and nearly drags her in. Mick swoops in, knife flashing, and saves the day. It’s pure Hollywood thrill—most of us figured it was all fake, a clever mix of stunts and props. But here’s the kicker: no one suspected how real that moment got for Kozlowski. As someone who’s peeled back the layers of this film, I’m here to spill what went down, why it worked, and how it shows her tougher-than-nails spirit.
Let’s break it down. The croc in the scene? Not real—an animatronic, a mechanical puppet cooked up for the movie. Back in ‘86, that tech was rough around the edges, but this one was a star. Built to look legit, it moved so smooth it tricked local hunters in Kakadu National Park, where they filmed. Hogan told People those guys thought it was a live catch, ready to bag it—high praise for a robot croc! On screen, it’s seamless: Sue’s scream, the splash, Mick’s heroics—all staged. But here’s where the lines blur: Kakadu wasn’t a soundstage. It’s a wild, untamed chunk of Australia, teeming with actual crocodiles—big, bold ones that don’t mess around.
Kozlowski wasn’t wrestling a live croc, but she was right in their turf. She told People her hut sat “on the edge of a billabong,” surrounded by crocs so “huge and cocky” they’d waddle onto land. Hogan said three or four people had died from attacks nearby that year alone—real stakes, not script stuff. At night, the crew crept to the mess hall, dodging glowing eyes in the dark. Filming that scene, Kozlowski stood in shallow water, an animatronic snapping at her canteen, while real crocs lurked close enough to make your skin crawl. Director Peter Faiman didn’t fake the setting—those wide shots of swamp and bush are Kakadu, not CGI. She wasn’t in mortal danger, but the vibe? Pure adrenaline.
Think about her for a minute. She’s a Juilliard grad, trained for Shakespeare, not swamps. She’d done Death of a Salesman with Dustin Hoffman, not dodged reptiles. At 28, she’s in a thong bodysuit, knee-deep in muck, with a fake croc on a wire and real ones watching. Hogan figured she’d bolt—“bugs, snakes, crocodiles, the whole deal,” he said. Nope. She stayed cool, hit her marks, and let that scream rip—part acting, part holy-crap-this-is-wild. That fear in her eyes? Not all pretend. You can’t train for standing in a predator’s playground, but she pulled it off like a champ.
Why’d we miss this? Crocodile Dundee sells charm—a low-budget romp with a $328 million payoff. The croc scene’s a jolt, not a nature doc. The animatronic’s so slick—unlike Jaws’ clunky shark—you buy it as real without questioning the rest. Kozlowski plays Sue’s terror-to-tough arc so smooth, it feels polished, not gritty. Plus, who’d guess a city girl took on Kakadu’s edge? Faiman picked that spot for its raw beauty—crocs included—and it paid off. The crew didn’t fake the tension; they lived it, and she carried it on screen.
What’s it mean? Kozlowski wasn’t just Mick’s damsel—she was in it, guts and all. That role made her a star, snagging a Golden Globe nod, and sparked a real-life romance with Hogan (married 1990, split 2013). She quit acting after 2001’s Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, tired of “schlocky films,” per a 2001 Scripps Howard chat. But that scene? It’s her grit shining through—a moment no one clocked as half-real. Next time you watch, check her face: that’s not just Sue scared; it’s Linda feeling the wild. Pretty badass, huh?