Wes Anderson recently opened up about his conflict with Gene Hackman during the making of The Royal Tenenbaums.
The acclaimed 2001 film was one of the late actor's final projects before his retirement from acting. When he passed away earlier this year, it was one of the titles that fans remembered him for and considered to be one of his best performances.
Wes Anderson Addresses Conflict with Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Anderson recalled the conflict that he had with Hackman during the making of The Royal Tenenbaums as a result of his dissatisfaction with the salary.
"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," he said.
The filmmaker also revealed that he did not keep in touch with Hackman after the film's release.
"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 shared.
They last spoke during the premiere event, where Hackman told the director that he liked the film despite his dissatisfaction during production.
Anderson 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.’"
Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy Arakawa's Cause of Death
It was announced by New Mexico authorities that autopsy reports from medical examiners have ruled Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa's tragic deaths to be from natural causes.
Arakawa died first from hantavirus in their New Mexico home, while Hackman passed away a week later due to heart disease.
Hackman also had severe signs of advanced Alzheimer’s disease, so he was likely not aware that his wife had already died during his final days. His pacemaker last showed signs of activity on February 18, around a week before their bodies were discovered.
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