Bill Murray Once Watched Gene Hackman Do ‘Like 25’ Royal Tenenbaum Takes ‘Where He Did It Perfectly With An Actor Who Kept Blowing It’
Following yesterday’s tragic loss of the great Gene Hackman, many who knew him (and even more who simply respected his work) have spoken out about the accomplished star. Now Bill Murray, who appeared with Hackman in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums has lovingly remembered one of the actor’s final performances, which apparently was quite rough on the older star.
The Royal Tenenbaums was one of Gene Hackman’s final roles, but it was also one of Wes Anderson’s early films, the follow-up to his breakout hit Rushmore. Bill Murray, who appeared in both movies and knows Wes Anderson well, told the AP that Hackman wasn’t entirely sold on the young Anderson as a director. This lead to Murray having to run defense to protect his friend. Murray said…
And he was really difficult, we can say it now, but he was a tough guy. Older, great actors do not give young directors much of a chance. They’re really rough on them, and Gene was really rough on Wes. I used to kind of step in there and just try to defend my friend.
But it seems that Anderson may not have been the only source of frustration for Gene Hackman. Murray says one scene in the movie required over two dozen takes. While Hackman, the consummate professional, did a perfect job every time, the other actor he was playing against kept screwing up. Murray continued…
I watched him once do like 25 takes where he did it perfectly with an actor who kept blowing it every single time. Big long camera moves, panning, all this stuff. Gene would do it perfectly, the other actor would blow it and I’d go like, ‘Oh, God.’ I was watching it going, ‘No wonder this guy wants to throttle people.’
Murray doesn’t reveal the actor, and it sounds like the setup for the sequence may have been a bit complex, not surprising considering Wes Anderson is known for a unique and precise style. It’s possible that the actor who kept making mistakes was less at fault if the shot was quite difficult. But it does show just how good Hackman was if he was able to nail the performance every time in what was otherwise a tough situation.
It seems that eventually, Hackman may have just gotten tired after doing the scene so many times. According to Murray, Hackman at one point gave a performance that was, while likely just fine, something less than he had been doing. On this take the other actor finally got it right, which angered the star even more…
And then he sort of gave an ordinary performance and the other actor got it right and I thought Gene was going to throw the actor off the ledge of the building.
It sounds like, in the end, Gene Hackman was happy with the final product. If nothing else, Hackman himself received great praise for his performance, which won him a Golden Globe among other accolades.
The circumstances surrounding Hackman’s death are currently viewed as “suspicious” according to authorities. CinemaBlend will continue to follow the story.
