10 Filmmakers Who Blamed Actors For Failed Movies

1. Otto Preminger Blamed Marilyn Monroe's Performance - River Of No Return

River of No Return was a 1954 western vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, as helmed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Otto Preminger (Laura).

Though Preminger initially approved of Monroe's casting in the female lead role of Kay Weston, he almost immediately clashed with the actress on set, due to the insistence that her acting coach be present at all times.

This resulted in the coach giving contradictory acting advice to Monroe counter to Preminger, and when the director tried to get the acting coach banished from the set, Monroe told producers she wouldn't be able to complete the film without the coach's help.

Preminger took his frustrations out on Monroe for the rest of the shoot, while also having to contend with her spraining her ankle and perennially drunk male lead Robert Mitchum, who also acted as a referee between Monroe and Preminger.

Preminger often criticised Monroe to the press in the years following the film's release, claiming she had no natural acting talent and was simply a star. As for the film itself? It received indifferent reviews and didn't make much of a dent at the box office.

In 1980, a few short years before his death, however, Preminger was a little more charitable towards Monroe, saying, "She tried very hard, and when people try hard, you can't be mad at them."