10 Times Actors And Directors Disagreed On Their Film's Story
Based off these incidents, filmmaking is not as glamorous as it seems on the surface.
The collaborative nature of filmmaking suggests that the process should be a smooth endeavour from the script's development to the final bits of post-production tinkering for everyone involved - but is that always the case?
A lot is at stake as far as finances and reputations are concerned and everyone involved strives to have the best possible product out on different platforms. Therefore, it tends to be a major cause for concern when filmmakers and the actors they are working with end up not seeing eye to eye.
It highlights a disconnect between the director and casting director's tastes, or suggests one of the conflicting parties was not the right fit for the film's material and/or approach. Either way, these disagreements between director and actor can be detrimental in a multitude of ways.
Sometimes, the misunderstanding is inconsequential because the film ends up being a critical and commercial success but more often than not, the final product and the careers of those involved suffer. Either way, the misunderstandings on this list may serve as a cautionary tale for rising talent in different film industries.
10. Harrison Ford And George Lucas - Star Wars
A lot of Star Wars fans agree that George Lucas’ dialogue and characterization were nowhere as groundbreaking as his visual-oriented directing. Some of the films (especially the prequels) suffer from stilted and unrealistic lines that felt like they were lifted off the pages of a hastily written first draft.
Harrison Ford in particular had strong qualms with the lines the director wrote for him, and even once famously told Lucas that “you can type this sh*t, but you sure can’t say it”. That said, the actor claimed that this statement was a joke meant to liven up a rather difficult production process.
The legendary actor also had issues with his character’s arc and on multiple occasions called for Han Solo’s death. This plea went as far back as the days of the Empire Strikes Back before being fulfilled in the Force Awakens.
These days, Ford and Lucas are more amiable with each other and are at a point where they can joke about their relatively stressful time bringing life to beloved characters in a galaxy far, far away.