Wes Anderson on Gene Hackman is furious while shooting at the Royal Tenanbaums: “He left without saying goodbye”

Wes Anderson It is known for its worlds meticulously made, but the reality behind the scenes of The Royal Tenenbaums It was not as extravagant as the one that ended up on the screen, especially when it came to work with the delay Gene Hackman.

In a new interview with the Sunday Times, Anderson reflected on the tension with Hackman during the making of the 2001 film. The director explained:

“Gene was very annoyed for the money. He was furious. Furthermore, he didn’t want to make the film anyway. I spoke it – I did not go away. And all the others said yes to the salary, so Gene went with it – and this became our way.”

Hackman played the deeply imperfect but strangely Royal Tenenbaum, a role that would become one of his most memorable performances of late career. But despite the role of Awesom in the role, Hackman has never been quite connected to the process or to the people around him.

Anderson, who was only 32 years old at the time and directed his third feature film, admitted that things have never improved with each other, even after the cameras stopped rolling. When asked if they stayed in contact after the release of the film, Anderson said:

“Not a word. In fact he left without saying goodbye. He was grumpy – we had friction. He didn’t like it. I was probably too young and it was annoying for him.”

The last conversation that Anderson had with Hackman was just as the film was opening. The director said:

“And he liked it, but he told me he didn’t understand him when we were turning. I would like to show him 10 minutes, at the beginning. Then, perhaps, he would have said: ‘Ok, I understand it.’

Hackman, who passed away in April, was notoriously selective with his roles late in his career. Bill MurrayWhich was also part of Tenenbaums, he shared his perspective after Hackman’s death, saying:

“I am in solidarity with gene because for him, Wes Anderson was just a punk child and Gene made some of the greatest American films. So it was a little irritable. But he had to work with children, dogs, Kumar [Pallana, who played valet Pagoda]which was however like an absolute mystery for all of us.

“They put him in very demanding positions at work, and therefore he heard many responsibilities and continued to think:” What do I do here with these people? “But the performance it gives is brilliant.

Despite the clash, Hackman’s work cannot be denied on The Royal Tenenbaums It was a masterclass in acting. His performance remains a milestone of the inheritance of the film, even if the experience behind the scenes was much less harmonious.