Latest news with #RoyalTenenbaums
Geek Tyrant
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Wes Anderson on Gene Hackman Being Furious While Shooting THE ROYAL TENANBAUMS: 'He Left Without Saying Goodbye' — GeekTyrant
Wes Anderson is known for his meticulously crafted worlds, but the behind-the-scenes reality of The Royal Tenenbaums wasn't nearly as whimsical as what ended up on screen, especially when it came to working with the late Gene Hackman. In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Anderson reflected on the tension with Hackman during the making of the 2001 film. The director explained: 'Gene was very annoyed about the money. He was furious. Also, he didn't want to do the film anyway. I talked him into it — I just didn't go away. And everybody else said yes to the salary, so Gene just went with it — and that just became our way.' Hackman played the deeply flawed but oddly endearing Royal Tenenbaum, a role that would become one of his most memorable late-career performances. But despite how awesom he was in the role, Hackman never quite connected with the process or the people around it. Anderson, who was only 32 at the time and directing his third feature, admitted things never really improved between them, even after the cameras stopped rolling. When asked if they stayed in touch after the film's release, Anderson said: 'Not a word. In fact he left without saying goodbye. He was grumpy — we had friction. He didn't enjoy it. I was probably too young and it was annoying to him.' The last conversation Anderson had with Hackman was just as the movie was opening. The filmmaker said: 'And he liked it, but he told me he didn't understand it when we were shooting. I wish I'd shown him 10 minutes, early on. Then, maybe, he would have said, 'OK, I get it.'' Hackman, who passed away in April, was famously selective with his roles late in his career. Bill Murray, who was also part of Tenenbaums, shared his own perspective after Hackman's passing, saying: 'I sympathize with Gene because to him, Wes Anderson was just a punk kid and Gene's made some of the greatest American movies. So he was a little irritable. But he had to work with children, dogs, Kumar [Pallana, who played valet Pagoda], who was like an absolute mystery to all of us anyway. 'They put him in very challenging positions to work, and so he just felt a lot of responsibility and kept thinking, 'What am I doing here with these people?' But the performance he gives is brilliant. And I watched him, and I suffered with him because I saw what he was going through.' Despite the clash, there's no denying that Hackman's work on The Royal Tenenbaums was a masterclass in acting. His performance remains a cornerstone of the film's legacy, even if the experience behind the scenes was far less harmonious.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
The Phoenician Scheme sees Michael Cera step into a world made for him
Director Wes Anderson has a number of trademark quirks: an undying devotion to symmetry; twee, pastel colour palettes; and — perhaps most prominently — Wes loves collecting collaborators. There are actors like Bill Murray, who have reached God-tier status within Anderson's universe for featuring in 10 of the filmmaker's flicks. But there are some actors who seem tailor-made to step into Anderson's highly symmetrical world. Which is why, when it was announced that Michael Cera would be entering the Anderson-verse as the star of his new film, The Phoenician Scheme, the internet's reaction was pretty similar, "How has Michael Cera never been in a Wes Anderson film before?" For most of his extensive career, Cera has excelled in embodying both the quiet, quirky folk (Juno, Superbad, Barbie) and motor-mouthed main characters (Scott Pilgrim, Youth In Revolt, This Is The End) that are rife in much of Anderson's work. His Phoenician Scheme co-star Benedict Cumberbatch put it best during the film's Cannes press conference when he said, "Wes Anderson discovering and using Michael Cera must be like when God discovered water." While The Phoenician Scheme marks Cera's first time in front of Anderson's camera, he's been a fan for much longer. "I remember seeing Royal Tenenbaums in the theatre when I was like a kid. I was in Montreal with my Mum. We both loved it. It was like a huge discovery for both of us," Cera tells ABC Entertainment. "He's also a hugely important influence on my friends and peers. You can't grow up in the era of his movies coming out without looking at his work as a high water mark of quality." In The Phoenician Scheme, Cera plays Bjorn, a painfully polite Norwegian entomologist (bug guy) and tutor to the nine adopted sons of ruthless businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro). Korda — who just escaped his last assassination attempt by the skin of his teeth — wants to pass his enormous empire onto his only biological daughter Liesl (Kate Winslet's daughter Mia Threapleton, in her first big step out of her mother's shadow) whom Korda dumped at a convent when she was five and is currently a nun. But Korda is a showman and wants to go out with a bang. All he needs to pull off his last ambitious machination is an unsightly amount of money. So, off Korda, Liesl and a bewildered Bjorn go on a whimsical journey to beg Korda's estranged associates (plenty of Anderson's collab crew including Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks) for the shortfall. Despite being a quiet character, Cera steals the show as Bjorn. His gentlemanly naivety and reverence for insects provide a reassuring counterpoint to Korda and co's bullish cruelty (At one point, Liesl has to remind her estranged father that slavery is not ethical.) "The first time I read the script, the energy of the guy and just his function in the balance of the whole story was quite clear to me," Cera says. "There was a sense of his kind of comedic contribution and the jauntiness that that character brought to the film was very much in the writing." While Cera graciously maintains that Bjorn was "alive and fully formed" from the get-go, the 36-year-old did bring his own unique twist to the table — a soft lilt that's more Swedish Chef than landlocked to any particular country. "With the accent, it was a matter of delicately stepping into it with Wes and myself because I think we were both a little nervous that it could tip into ruining things," Cera says. "The main thing that we wanted to do was not put a hat on a hat on a hat, you know, with the colour of my hair and the glasses and the voice. We just wanted to make sure it wasn't asking too much of the audience." Cera says, by a coincidence of shooting schedules, he spent the first weeks of filming silently sitting in the corner of a palatial ballroom waiting for his character to be swept into the fray. "Zsa-zsa sees me for the first time and calls me out, and I start speaking [in the accent]. After we shot that we said, 'OK, now we've chosen a lane, and that's the guy. He's committed,'" he says. "The crew was kind of surprised. They had seen me for two weeks and they didn't quite know I was gonna speak like that." Like a smattering of Anderson's previous offerings, behind the high concept, meticulous design and mile-a-minute dialogue there's a delicate musing on the value of the family unit. Anderson is the father of a daughter himself, and he told The Screen Show's Jason Di Rosso that while none of the characters are based on real people, there are "ingredients" from his personal life sprinkled throughout the film. It's an undercurrent that Cera, who has two little boys of his own, appreciated. "I found it very emotional when I watched the movie, actually even more than I was expecting. For Wes, it's very personal so I love that the movie kind of hits in that way," he says. After 20-plus years working in film (more than a half of his life), Cera has experienced the full gauntlet of what Hollywood has to throw at him, including being shot to fame at an unnervingly young age with Superbad and Juno. "I was adjusting to the exposure level I was suddenly having, and I was still figuring out who I was as a person," he says. While taking on any high-profile role that will "potentially change [his] life" is a big decision, signing onto The Phoenician Scheme was a no-brainer. "I could never resist to work with someone of like, Wes-level of artistry," he says. "If there's an opportunity to work on a great piece of material with a great director, there would be nothing that would stop me." The Phoenician Scheme will be in Australian cinemas from May 30.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wes Anderson Recalls Late Gene Hackman 'Was Furious' Over 'Royal Tenenbaums' Salary and 'Didn't Enjoy' Making Movie
Wes Anderson opened up to The Sunday Times about the late Gene Hackman, recalling he "was furious" over his salary on The Royal Tenenbaums "Also, he didn't want to do the film anyway. I talked him into it — I just didn't go away," the filmmaker recalled of their dynamic Anderson premiered his newest movie The Phoenician Scheme at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, May 18Wes Anderson is recalling how The Royal Tenenbaums wasn't the late Gene Hackman's favorite project during his lifetime. In a conversation with The Sunday Times ahead of the premiere of his newest film The Phoenician Scheme at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, May 18, the writer-director, 56, recalled how 'Gene was very annoyed about the money" he was paid for Anderson's 2001 dramedy. 'He was furious. Also, he didn't want to do the film anyway. I talked him into it — I just didn't go away," Anderson joked in the interview, published Saturday, May 17. 'And everybody else [in the cast] said yes to the salary, so Gene just went with it — and that just became our way," he added. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. Anderson went on to say he and Hackman spoke "not a word" to one another after they shot the movie, adding, 'In fact, he left without saying goodbye. He was grumpy — we had friction. He didn't enjoy it. I was probably too young, and it was annoying to him.' 'And he liked it,' the director continued of Hackman's opinion about The Royal Tenenbaums, after he saw the completed version. 'But he told me he didn't understand it when we were shooting." "I wish I'd shown him 10 minutes [of it], early on. Then, maybe, he would have said, 'Okay, I get it,' " Anderson added in his conversation with The Sunday Times. Anderson's quotes come nearly three months after Hackman was found dead at age 95 alongside wife Betsy, 65, at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Shortly following Hackman's death, his Royal Tenenbaums costar Bill Murray recalled his "tough nut" personality in an interview with the Associated Press, though he noted, "But he was really good. And he was really difficult, we can say it now, but he was a tough guy." "Older great actors do not give young directors much of a chance. They're really rough on them, and Gene was really rough on Wes," added the Ghostbusters star, 74. "I used to kind of step in there and just try to defend my friend." is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! An official synopsis for Anderson's newest movie The Phoenician Scheme, meanwhile, simply describes it as "the story of a family and a family business." In competition at Cannes this year, the film stars Benicio del Toro as rich European man Zsa-zsa Korda, who owns a significant business empire and is described as an international "maverick in the fields of armaments and aviation." After his death in a plane crash, Korda leaves his wealth to his only daughter Liesel, a nun (played by Kate Winslet's actress daughter Mia Threapleton). The movie's trailer includes a flirtatious appearance by Michael Cera, a robbery and a death in an elevator as it introduces audiences to a star-studded cast of characters portrayed by Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend and Hope Davis, among others. Anderson wrote The Phoenician Scheme with Roman Coppola, whom the filmmaker has collaborated with on previous movies of his like Asteroid City (2023), The French Dispatch (2021), Isle of Dogs (2018), Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Darjeeling Limited (2007). The Phoenician Scheme is in theaters May 30. Read the original article on People
Times
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Phoenician Scheme review — Mia Threapleton shines in dour Wes Anderson
The best Wes Anderson movies work on two levels at once, the head and the heart. The Royal Tenenbaums, for instance, bursts with cerebral allusions to Salinger, Welles and the films of Powell and Pressburger while also exploring the lingering wounds of family life and of love unexpressed. Even the Wes Anderson films that don't work on the heart level have such head-spinning cleverness that their impact can be dizzying — think of Asteroid City, with its audacious 'play within a play within a TV show within a movie' structure. If, however, a Wes Anderson movie doesn't work on either the head or the heart level, you're in big trouble. And that takes us to The Phoenician Scheme, premiered at the Cannes
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Wes Anderson reveals what Gene Hackman really thought of The Royal Tenenbaums after walking off set 'without saying goodbye' - as director admits they hadn't spoken in 24 years before his tragic death
After more than half a century on-screen it would be one of his last significant contributions to American cinema. But Gene Hackman, who tragically died alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa at their New Mexico home in February, was initially reluctant to accept a starring role in The Royal Tenenbaums following a dispute over pay. Speaking to The Times, director Wes Anderson says Hackman - at the time one of Hollywood's greatest living actors and revered for a canon of work that includes The French Connection, Unforgiven and Mississippi Burning - objected to being given the same baseline salary as every other actor on the cast. 'Gene was very annoyed about the money,' he recalled. 'He was furious. Also, he didn't want to do the film anyway. I talked him into it - I just didn't go away.' Hackman later accepted the terms of his contract - if not the relatively young Anderson's maverick techniques - as part of an ensemble cast after Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Anjelica Huston signed up, having agreed to the same budget fee. 'And everybody else said yes to the salary, so Gene just went with it and - that just became our way,' he added. Hackman won critical praise for his role as the eccentric Royal O'Reilly Tenenbaum in Anderson's surreal 2001 tragicomedy about the mixed fortunes of three talented siblings. Also starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover and Bill Murray, the film won numerous accolades throughout the ensuing awards season - among them Golden Globe and National Society of Film Critics' awards for Hackman. But despite its success and enduring popularity among film enthusiasts, Anderson admits his relationship with Hackman deteriorated as soon as the cameras stopped rolling. Asked if they had spoken prior to Hackman's death, he said: 'Not a word. In fact he left without saying goodbye. He was grumpy - we had friction. 'He didn't enjoy it. I was probably too young and it was annoying to him.' Anderson - currently promoting new film The Phoenician Scheme in Cannes - believes the unorthodox script may have played a part in Hackman's cantankerous attitude on set, with the pair last communicating at the film's premiere. 'And he liked it,' the director recalled. 'But he told me he didn't understand it when we were shooting. 'I wish I'd shown him ten minutes, early on. Then, maybe, he would have said, "OK, I get it."' An autopsy report released two months after the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa (pictured in 1994) reveals the actor likely starved in his final days after his wife passed away first The Oscar-winning actor was found dead aged 95 in his Santa Fe, New Mexico home alongside wife Arakawa, 64, in February, with investigators concluding that Arakawa died first after contracting a rare rat-borne disease Hantavirus. For up to seven days after Arakawa died, Hackman - who suffered from Alzheimer's disease in later life - remained inside the home before he died from heart failure. Autopsy results released in April and first obtained by Fox News found that Hackman died with acetone in his system, a sign of a 'prolonged level of fasting.' The grim finding shows that Hackman had no food for some time before he died, and due to his advanced cognitive deterioration, officials said the actor may not have ever realized his wife had died. His autopsy noted that he had a 'history of congestive heart failure', was fitted with a 'bi-ventricular pacemaker' since April 2019, and suffered 'neurodegenerative features consistent with Alzheimer's Disease.' At a press conference weeks after the couple were found, Dr. Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Examiner for New Mexico said Alzheimer's Disease and kidney failure were 'significant contributing factors' to Hackman's death. Jarrell said authorities believe the actor died on February 18, and Arakawa died on February 11 following a bout with 'Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.' The autopsy, from the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico, noted that Hackman tested negative for the Hantavirus that killed his wife. The documents added in their findings: 'Autopsy showed severe atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with placement of coronary artery stents and a bypass graft, as well as a previous aortic valve replacement. 'Remote myocardial infarctions were present involving the left ventricular free wall and the septum, which were significantly large.' A report obtained by indicated that Arakawa had bookmarks on her computer suggesting that she had been researching medical conditions with symptoms similar to Covid-19 or the flu prior to her death.
