10 Directors Who Went To Insane Lengths To Get Their Movies Made
2. Richard Donner Had To Wear A Fake Moustache - Superman
After Gene Hackman was cast as Lex Luthor in Superman, the director, Richard Donner, met up with the Oscar-winning actor to discuss the supervillain. Because Luthor is known for being bald, Donner insisted that Hackman wear a skull cap for the role. However, Hackman adamantly refused.
When Donner asked Hackman to shave his facial hair, he said, "Nope. Moustache stays." Worried that the character would bare no resemblance to his comic book counterpart, Donner realised he had to do something drastic. When Donner met him again, he told Hackman that he would shave his own moustache if the actor did the same.
Hackman reluctantly agreed and shaved off his facial hair then and there. When he asked Donner to do the same, the director peeled off his moustache, revealing that he was wearing a fake! Hackman was furious at the filmmaker's deception at first but ultimately found the funny side of it.
Who knows? If the two refused to see eye-to-eye, the film may not have happened. This means that the superhero movie boom that we've been experiencing for decades may be all thanks to Superman's director wearing a fake moustache!