10 Times Actors Refused To Do Reshoots
5. Extreme Heat And Poor Health Saw Laurence Olivier Refuse Inchon Reshoots
Laurence Olivier was about as consummate a professional as actors get, though even he had his limits, especially later in life when he began to suffer from ill health.
Olivier starred as General Douglas MacArthur in the infamous 1981 war epic Inchon, and was paid a staggering $50,000 per day to play the part, which by his own admission was a blatant paycheck role.
He famously said, "People ask me why I'm playing in this picture. The answer is simple. Money, dear boy."
Inchon was shot on location in Seoul, South Korea, and the intense heat caused the unwell, 72-year-old Olivier to suffer from heat stroke and exhaustion, requiring him to rest in a cot between takes.
When the producers contacted him to return to Seoul for reshoots, Olivier flatly refused due to his experience during principal photography. Only when the filmmakers went to the extraordinary effort of moving shooting to Rome did Olivier actually agree to return.
Ultimately the reshoots did little to fix things. Inchon was an historic box office dud, recouping barely 10% of its $46 million budget at the box office, being universally panned by critics, and winning four Razzies - Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Actor for Olivier. Oof.