The feud that ruined Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro’s only movie
The relationship between a director and an actor is a delicate dance. Paul Thomas Anderson once likened working with the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman to having a brilliant sports car—ignite the engine, and you’re in for an exhilarating ride. Sticking with Anderson’s analogy, collaborating with a bad actor would be akin to trying to jump-start or push a rusty motor up a hill, never entirely certain if you’ll reach your destination.
When a director and actor find themselves at odds or dislike each other during the making of a movie, it can spell disaster. A notable example is the clash between Marlon Brando and director Frank Oz on the set of The Score, a film that also starred Robert De Niro.
The Score, released in 2001, follows Nick Wells, played by Robert De Niro, gearing up for the granddaddy of all heists. This audacious job forces him to team up with a crafty young partner (Edward Norton), disrupting Nick’s dream of leaving a life of crime behind to settle down with his fiancée, Diane (Angela Bassett).
Directed by Frank Oz, it marked his first foray into dramatic features. At the time, Oz was best known for his work as a puppeteer, notably with The Muppets. Tension reportedly surfaced on set when Oz, directing Brando, asked the actor to “bring it down”.
Brando’s response, a blunt “fuck you”, preceded him performing as Oz had instructed. The tension and animosity escalated, reaching a point where Brando refused to be on set if Oz was present. De Niro ended up directing Brando, with Oz stationed at a distance, passing messages to De Niro privately to perform his directorial duties.
Brando allegedly also took swipes at Oz’s puppeteer background, referring to him as Miss Piggy on set and even suggesting, “I bet you wish I was a puppet so you could stick your hand up my ass and make me do what you want.” It sounds like a toxic work environment, especially challenging for Oz, managing inflated egos in his directorial debut, especially considering Brando’s reputation for being a challenging personality behind the camera.
Reflecting on the shoot later, Oz showed surprising understanding. “I was confrontational,” Oz admitted to the Los Angeles Times. “I should have been more generous, and I think that’s what caused the rift between us (Brando),” he acknowledged in 2001.
