9. David Russell Vs. Lily Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Qls1rAfYs Some directors are driven perfectionists that won't quit until the job is done properly. Usually you hear good things about these kinds of directors, but sometimes said director runs into a headstrong actress who is not afraid to call him out on his insane requests. This is what happened in the 2004 philosophical comedy, I Heart Huckabees. There grew to be a significant amount of tension between actress Lily Tomlin and director David Russell. The tension would eventually manifest in a behind the scenes video that leaked on Youtube three years after the film's release. The video shows a scene being filmed in a detective's office. Between takes, Russell gives Tomlin some direction about how to act and she responds by criticizing his directing style. It's fairly calm though to this part as it seems that we are only viewing a minor disagreement between a director and a actress. Fast forward a few minutes and it is very clear this is no longer the case. Russell yells obscenities at Tomlin while shoving papers off the desk and storming off the set. He does return though, only for a few seconds in which he continues yelling at Tomlin and then deliberately knocks a lamp over. Tomlin is not taken aback by Russell's actions and she gives him a good yelling too, also with obscenities included. Although damaging words were spoken, apparently their working relationship was not entirely destroyed by this argument. In
a later interview, Tomlin talks about respecting Russell and even goes as far to say that she loves him.