10 Movie Actors Who Refused To Talk To Directors On Set
9. Eddie Murphy - Coming To America
It may be heralded as an unassailable comedy classic today, but production on the hugely popular 1988 Eddie Murphy vehicle Coming to America was anything but smooth.
As profiled in a recent episode of Netflix's The Movies That Made Us, Murphy and director John Landis got into a fiery argument after Murphy's production company, Eddie Murphy Productions, stalled paying an agreed salary to the film's writers David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein.
Landis called Murphy out on it, apparently in a joking manner, which nevertheless led to an incident where Murphy allegedly grabbed Landis in a headlock, prompting Landis to storm off the set.
Landis eventually returned to the production after learning he wouldn't be paid if he didn't complete the film.
The director then met with Murphy upon which the two agreed to finish the project but were no longer friends, leading to them being non-communicative for the rest of the shoot.
Landis would reportedly speak to Eddie through his uncle Ray Murphy Sr., who played the small role of Stu in the film, while the first assistant director would relay messages from Murphy to Landis. Oof.
And yet, the final film impressively bears no visible scars of this fraught relationship.