John Travolta was so confident that he showed up on the set of Get Shorty without learning his lines – and had no idea he was being mocked when he was presented with giant cue cards, leaving costar Gene Hackman furious.
The gangster comedy, which followed a gangster turned film producer, premiered in 1995 and quickly became a huge hit.
But fans of the beloved film may not know that there was just as much drama off-screen as there was on-screen – all thanks to John’s attitude.
Director Barry Sonnenfeld, 71, recently revealed in his memoir, Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time, that John, 70, was more obsessed with “fame” and being a “movie star” than with acting itself.
He claimed that the Grease alum did not read the script before filming began, showed up late to set and was unaware of the impact of his actions on everyone else.
John Travolta (featured in the film) was so confident that he showed up on the set of Get Shorty without learning his lines – which led to him needing giant cue cards to complete his scenes
This resulted in him often ‘fumbling his lines’ or ‘forgetting them completely’, which made directing the film extremely difficult for Barry.
And what made matters worse was how much John’s mistakes angered Gene, now 94, who often took out his frustrations on Barry and flew into fits of rage.
In the tome, Barry recalled an awkward interaction that took place between John and Gene on the first day of filming.
He said a “charming” John asked Gene how his weekend had been, to which a “very professional and intimidating” Gene replied, “Well, with eight damn pages of dialogue, I pretty much spent the entire weekend memorizing the work of today. .’
John then told him, “That’s a waste of a weekend.” When they started filming, his lack of preparation was immediately apparent.
“Gene was a professional who memorized his lines before he even showed up on set,” Barry wrote.
‘Gene knew every sentence of the dialogue off-the-book. John, on the other hand, probably hadn’t read the script since his agent made his very lucrative deal.
“As I fumbled with his lines, or forgot them altogether, I could tell that John had no idea how angry Gene was getting. I knew we were going to have a very, very long day.”
Director Barry Sonnenfeld (recently seen) revealed in his memoirs that John, now 70, was more obsessed with “fame” and being a “movie star” than with acting itself.
He claimed that the Grease alum did not read the script before filming began, showed up late to set and was unaware of the impact of his actions on everyone else (pictured on set)
Barry said Gene became “increasingly frustrated with John’s delayed responses and lack of pace,” as did he.
“Playing a scene…requires both actors to know their lines,” he continued. “Unfortunately, while Gene spent his weekend learning his, who knows what John was doing.”
When they took a short break so the cameraman could “reload,” Barry talked to his wife, Susan “Sweetie” Ringo, about how well Gene was doing.
But when it came time to move on, Gene flew into a fit of rage and started yelling at Barry.
‘You know what? Cut off the damn camera. You really have no idea, do you? You will take advice from anyone,” Barry remembered Gene yelling at him.
“You’re going to be in charge of your own damn wife. Do you have your own damn opinion?’
Barry said he had decided to take a lunch break, and as Gene “walked to the door fuming,” he told the actor, “Hey Gene, if it helps to yell at me the whole movie, you’re gonna hallway.
‘It doesn’t bother me at all, so keep shouting. I know you’re not mad at me. You’re angry at John because he doesn’t know his lines.
“But you can’t shout at him as you have to work with him for the next ten weeks.
This resulted in him often ‘fumbling his lines’ or ‘forgetting them completely’, which angered his co-star Gene Hackman (seen together in the film).
“You know my wife didn’t tell me how to direct, and I know you have to yell at someone, so yell at me. But please leave Sweetie out of it.”
The director and star eventually calmed down and Barry ended up creating “giant cue cards” for John to read.
“I had never done this before or since, but it helped,” he explained.
Recalling a scene, he said, “At one point John asked me where we started, and before I could answer, Gene said, pointing to the playing cards, ‘Here, John. At the very top of your playing card. .”
“John didn’t realize Gene was making fun of him.”
Weeks later, another ‘incident’ occurred with John after he showed up late because he was trying on a tuxedo in his trailer for the upcoming Oscars – infuriating Gene once again.
“I’ve never worked with anyone who loved being a movie star as much as John Travolta,” Barry admitted.
“I’m not saying he didn’t love acting too, but he really loved the fame and glamor and all the things that Gene Hackman hated.
“I’ve never worked with anyone who loved being a movie star as much as John Travolta,” Barry admitted. “I’m not saying he didn’t also love acting, but he really loved the fame.”
‘John is charming and not self-conscious. He arrived on set without feeling like he had kept everyone waiting.”
Again, Barry said Gene took out his anger on him by telling him, “In my whole damn career, I’ve never worked with an ignorant, inept director.”
Fortunately, he said Gene “calmed down” after he “vented” and they were able to complete the film.
John played Miami-based loan shark Chili Palmer, who is tasked with collecting a large gambling debt from B-movie director Harry Zimm, played by Gene.
Despite failing to learn lines, John won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.