10 Actors Who Had Too Much Creative Control

When Marlon Brando turned up on the set of Apocalypse Now to play a role that he is now revered for, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, director Francis Ford Coppola was not happy. Brando turned up grossly overweight, entirely against Coppola's wishes as he viewed the character as lean, and he hadn't bothered to learn the lines. Production had to be paused so Coppola could explain everything to him.

Brando also had a set of demands to the filmmakers. He wanted to kept away from Dennis Hopper during the shoot as he disagreed with his lifestyle. This meant scenes that contained the pair had to be shot on different days, to the dismay of the crew. Additionally, he made the decision on his own to shave his head and had the final say in what the character would wear. Improvisation was also something he felt would work and had Coppola film him at random.

Despite all this, the performance and film turned out excellent. Apocalypse Now is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time and Brando's performance as Kurtz is seen as one of his best. Sometimes, an overzealous actor can play in the favor of a film.