Top 10 Times Filmmakers Blamed Actors For Failed Movies
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Script Written by Timothy MacAusland
When all else fails, play the blame game. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the Top 10 Filmmakers that Blamed Actors for Failed Movies.
For this list, we’re looking at filmmakers – be they directors, writers, producers, etc. – who cast blame on the on-screen talent when movies didn’t pan out so well, either commercially or critically.
You might be saying to yourself, “Wait, Will Smith wasn’t in this movie!” Yep, and where it failed... at least according to director Roland Emmerich. Originally conceived to be a two-parter following up on the events of the first film, “Independence Day: Resurgence” was hit with a major blow when it was announced that its predecessor’s biggest star, Will Smith, would not be returning, instead opting for a role in “Suicide Squad.” This threw a wrench in Emmerich’s plans, who had to “cobble another script together” and ultimately made something he didn’t really want to any more. Going off the poor receptions for both films, though, we’re not sure either decision was right for Smith.
Lindsay Lohan is no stranger to bad press, but the source isn't usually her director. In 2013, she starred in the erotic thriller “The Canyons,” which though made for a frugal quarter-million dollars, only recouped roughly twenty thousand. Discussing his dissatisfaction with the release, director Paul Schrader expressed bemusement over Lohan’s utter absence from the promotional tour, and that he wanted to fire her during production for her similar “unreliability.” Lohan responded by saying she would have loved to attend the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, but that her “health and well-being” was “of the utmost importance.” Seeing as she was regarded as the lone bright spot in this critical dud, she probably made the right call.
Look, we get the pursuit of perfection, but there comes a point where you ultimately have to accept the work you’ve done and move on. Right? Not so according to writer-director-star Jerry Lewis, who shelved his 1972 Holocaust drama “The Day the Clown Cried” for decades due to his sheer dissatisfaction with the project. Continually questioned on the matter, the late comedian only ever pointed fingers at himself, once saying he “lost the magic.” Curious film fans might just get their wish, however, as Lewis gifted a copy to the Library of Congress in 2015, demanding it not be screened prior to June of 2024. So, mark your calendars, maybe?
You would think you would know whether you like working with someone after directing them twice before. Yet, despite directing Costner in “Fandango” and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” it was instead “Waterworld” that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Kevin Reynolds. Reportedly, Costner’s incessant micromanaging on top of an inflating budget spurred Reynolds to exit the project toward the tail end of production, effectively ending their friendship. He’d go on to say, “Kevin should only star in movies he directs. That way he can work with his favorite actor and director.” Ouch. Thankfully, the flames were fanned enough for the two to reunite on the miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys” in 2012.
When you’re the director of an awards contender, you typically expect to have final say on the project. However, that was not the case with “American History X”, where director Tony Kaye, saw creative control shifted to star Edward Norton when the time for editing came. While the film was critically successful – especially for the Oscar nominated Norton – it proved anything but for Kaye, who went out of his way to slam Norton, calling him a “narcissistic dilettante” and spending $100,000 on ads in trade newspapers to hammer home the sentiment. He even tried to have his name removed from the project and replaced with – we kid you not – “Humpty Dumpty.” Yeah, some bridges were burned.
Just five years after “Alien 3” came out – which director David Fincher later lambasted – the franchise would see another entry criticized by one of its creators. During an interview in 2005, Joss Whedon revealed he was thoroughly displeased with the final product of “Alien Resurrection”, for which he wrote the screenplay. Clarifying he didn’t dislike it because they changed things during production, including the ending, but that they did “everything wrong.” From the casting, to the line reading, to the production design, to the scoring, there wasn’t a single aspect of the film that pleased Whedon, who declared it “almost unwatchable.” Yikes.
Upon seeing their comedic bickering in “Live Free or Die Hard,” one would think that Bruce Willis and Kevin Smith had a dynamic rapport in real life too. Untrue, and working with Willis more extensively in 2010’s “Cop Out” didn’t exactly bring out the warm and fuzzies for Smith. Shortly after filming, he disparaged Willis’s disinterest in promoting the movie when the time came, and that he had similarly little help on set either. According to certain reports, Smith used the film's wrap party to thank the entire crew, except for Willis, who he referred to as a... well, it rhymes with 'trucking stick.' According to Smith, however, the two have since buried the hatchet.
Here we have another star with more pull than the director. Not entirely confident in her abilities, Marilyn Monroe had her acting coach Natasha Lytess on set for the shooting of “River of No Return.” This didn’t sit too well with director Otto Preminger, as Lytess’s instructions to Monroe conflicted with his own. Unable to get the studio to ban Lytess from the set, Preminger took many of his frustrations out on Monroe, whom he later deemed merely a star and not an actor. Apparently time heals all wounds, however, as he lightened his stance in 1980, saying “She tried very hard, and when people try hard, you can't be mad at them.”
There’s blaming someone for ruining a movie, and then there’s blaming someone for basically ruining your life. During the making of “The Next Best Thing,” director John Schlesinger clashed continuously with the film’s lead: Madonna. According to Schlesinger, Madonna exercised a controlling nature on nearly every aspect of the production... Not only did this infuriate Schlesinger on set, it possibly contributed to the stroke he suffered some months after the films release. In a letter released posthumously upon his death in 2003, he wrote “I do not for one moment think that [her] behavior has not added to the reasons I have ended up here,” here being the hospital he was stationed at. Geez, tell us how you really feel.
Much like Edward Norton, Marlon Brando established something of a reputation for himself as being difficult to work with – mostly because he was. Screenwriter Ron Hutchinson was perhaps the most taken aback by this on the set of 1996’s “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” who described him as a “monster” that was “hell-bent on sabotaging” the production. Not only would Brando insist on improvising all of his lines, merely getting him out of his trailer proved incredibly difficult, as he would rather gorge himself on “industrial quantities of pizza.” With such a troubled production, the film was a natural failure, cementing one of Brando’s last movies as one of his worst.
Top 10 Filmmakers That Blamed Actors for Failed Movies
When all else fails, play the blame game. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the Top 10 Filmmakers that Blamed Actors for Failed Movies.
For this list, we’re looking at filmmakers – be they directors, writers, producers, etc. – who cast blame on the on-screen talent when movies didn’t pan out so well, either commercially or critically.
#10: Roland Emmerich Blamed Will Smith
“Independence Day: Resurgence” (2016)You might be saying to yourself, “Wait, Will Smith wasn’t in this movie!” Yep, and where it failed... at least according to director Roland Emmerich. Originally conceived to be a two-parter following up on the events of the first film, “Independence Day: Resurgence” was hit with a major blow when it was announced that its predecessor’s biggest star, Will Smith, would not be returning, instead opting for a role in “Suicide Squad.” This threw a wrench in Emmerich’s plans, who had to “cobble another script together” and ultimately made something he didn’t really want to any more. Going off the poor receptions for both films, though, we’re not sure either decision was right for Smith.
#9: Paul Schrader Blamed Lindsay Lohan
“The Canyons” (2013)Lindsay Lohan is no stranger to bad press, but the source isn't usually her director. In 2013, she starred in the erotic thriller “The Canyons,” which though made for a frugal quarter-million dollars, only recouped roughly twenty thousand. Discussing his dissatisfaction with the release, director Paul Schrader expressed bemusement over Lohan’s utter absence from the promotional tour, and that he wanted to fire her during production for her similar “unreliability.” Lohan responded by saying she would have loved to attend the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, but that her “health and well-being” was “of the utmost importance.” Seeing as she was regarded as the lone bright spot in this critical dud, she probably made the right call.
#8: Jerry Lewis Blamed Himself
“The Day the Clown Cried” (1972)Look, we get the pursuit of perfection, but there comes a point where you ultimately have to accept the work you’ve done and move on. Right? Not so according to writer-director-star Jerry Lewis, who shelved his 1972 Holocaust drama “The Day the Clown Cried” for decades due to his sheer dissatisfaction with the project. Continually questioned on the matter, the late comedian only ever pointed fingers at himself, once saying he “lost the magic.” Curious film fans might just get their wish, however, as Lewis gifted a copy to the Library of Congress in 2015, demanding it not be screened prior to June of 2024. So, mark your calendars, maybe?
#7: Kevin Reynolds Blamed Kevin Costner
“Waterworld” (1995)You would think you would know whether you like working with someone after directing them twice before. Yet, despite directing Costner in “Fandango” and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” it was instead “Waterworld” that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Kevin Reynolds. Reportedly, Costner’s incessant micromanaging on top of an inflating budget spurred Reynolds to exit the project toward the tail end of production, effectively ending their friendship. He’d go on to say, “Kevin should only star in movies he directs. That way he can work with his favorite actor and director.” Ouch. Thankfully, the flames were fanned enough for the two to reunite on the miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys” in 2012.
#6: Tony Kaye Blamed Edward Norton
“American History X” (1998)When you’re the director of an awards contender, you typically expect to have final say on the project. However, that was not the case with “American History X”, where director Tony Kaye, saw creative control shifted to star Edward Norton when the time for editing came. While the film was critically successful – especially for the Oscar nominated Norton – it proved anything but for Kaye, who went out of his way to slam Norton, calling him a “narcissistic dilettante” and spending $100,000 on ads in trade newspapers to hammer home the sentiment. He even tried to have his name removed from the project and replaced with – we kid you not – “Humpty Dumpty.” Yeah, some bridges were burned.
#5: Joss Whedon Blamed the Cast
“Alien Resurrection” (1997)Just five years after “Alien 3” came out – which director David Fincher later lambasted – the franchise would see another entry criticized by one of its creators. During an interview in 2005, Joss Whedon revealed he was thoroughly displeased with the final product of “Alien Resurrection”, for which he wrote the screenplay. Clarifying he didn’t dislike it because they changed things during production, including the ending, but that they did “everything wrong.” From the casting, to the line reading, to the production design, to the scoring, there wasn’t a single aspect of the film that pleased Whedon, who declared it “almost unwatchable.” Yikes.
#4: Kevin Smith Blamed Bruce Willis
“Cop Out” (2010)Upon seeing their comedic bickering in “Live Free or Die Hard,” one would think that Bruce Willis and Kevin Smith had a dynamic rapport in real life too. Untrue, and working with Willis more extensively in 2010’s “Cop Out” didn’t exactly bring out the warm and fuzzies for Smith. Shortly after filming, he disparaged Willis’s disinterest in promoting the movie when the time came, and that he had similarly little help on set either. According to certain reports, Smith used the film's wrap party to thank the entire crew, except for Willis, who he referred to as a... well, it rhymes with 'trucking stick.' According to Smith, however, the two have since buried the hatchet.
#3: Otto Preminger Blamed Marilyn Monroe
“River of No Return” (1954)Here we have another star with more pull than the director. Not entirely confident in her abilities, Marilyn Monroe had her acting coach Natasha Lytess on set for the shooting of “River of No Return.” This didn’t sit too well with director Otto Preminger, as Lytess’s instructions to Monroe conflicted with his own. Unable to get the studio to ban Lytess from the set, Preminger took many of his frustrations out on Monroe, whom he later deemed merely a star and not an actor. Apparently time heals all wounds, however, as he lightened his stance in 1980, saying “She tried very hard, and when people try hard, you can't be mad at them.”
#2: John Schlesinger Blamed Madonna
“The Next Best Thing” (2000)There’s blaming someone for ruining a movie, and then there’s blaming someone for basically ruining your life. During the making of “The Next Best Thing,” director John Schlesinger clashed continuously with the film’s lead: Madonna. According to Schlesinger, Madonna exercised a controlling nature on nearly every aspect of the production... Not only did this infuriate Schlesinger on set, it possibly contributed to the stroke he suffered some months after the films release. In a letter released posthumously upon his death in 2003, he wrote “I do not for one moment think that [her] behavior has not added to the reasons I have ended up here,” here being the hospital he was stationed at. Geez, tell us how you really feel.
#1: Ron Hutchinson Blamed Marlon Brando
“The Island of Dr. Moreau” (1996)Much like Edward Norton, Marlon Brando established something of a reputation for himself as being difficult to work with – mostly because he was. Screenwriter Ron Hutchinson was perhaps the most taken aback by this on the set of 1996’s “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” who described him as a “monster” that was “hell-bent on sabotaging” the production. Not only would Brando insist on improvising all of his lines, merely getting him out of his trailer proved incredibly difficult, as he would rather gorge himself on “industrial quantities of pizza.” With such a troubled production, the film was a natural failure, cementing one of Brando’s last movies as one of his worst.
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