Why George Harrison hated working with Madonna
In 1986, newlyweds Sean Penn and Madonna were cast together as lovers in Jim Goddard’s 1987 romantic comedy film Shanghai Surprise. The movie was produced by HandMade Films, the company founded and run by former Beatle George Harrison. Sadly, the film was an unmitigated disaster in production, and it tanked upon release as a critical and commercial failure.
While creating the film, Harrison worked closely with Penn and Madonna. He took on a cameo role as a singer in a night club in the movie and helmed the soundtrack, which was never officially released, but ‘Someplace Else’ and a re-recorded version of ‘Breath Away from Heaven’ were included in his 1987 renaissance album Cloud Nine.
One of the production’s myriad issues came in the form of invasive press and paparazzi, who frequently stormed the set to hound the high-profile cast. As the project wore on, tension built between the cast and crew as the newlyweds began to feud. Allegedly, Penn began to lament his involvement in the feature, claiming Madonna had convinced him to take the role as a favour.
At the time, Madonna was reported to have confided in Harrison, who she described in a press conference as a “great boss.” He gave her “more advice about how to deal with the press than how to make the film.”
Harrison also chimed in to call the English media out for being “a bunch of animals.” He added in praise of Penn: “I don’t see him like you. I see him like an actor. He’s a human being and very nice – a good actor. Stars are actually people. They’re human beings who’ve become famous.”
Despite the friendship displayed as Madonna and Harrison sat in the press conference shoulder to shoulder, relations seemed to sour following the film’s release. In another interview in the late 1980s, Harrison revealed that besides the press invasion, he encountered difficulty working with Madonna and Penn.
“You worked with Madonna on Shanghai Surprise,” the interviewer asked. “Tried to,” Harrison interjected.
“You want the truth? It was a pain in the ass,” Harrison continued. “Because we were doing a comedy movie, she hasn’t got a sense of humour. And her husband Sean – who’s a really nice and intelligent fella, and I had a laugh with him at times – but, you know, he sort of gets all uptight and, you know, caused all the trouble. It was like The Producers [1967 movie], you know, where he says: ‘I’ve picked the wrong cast, the wrong actors, the wrong director, where did I go right?’ [Laughs]”
Watch the official trailer for Shanghai Surprise below.
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