How Steven Spielberg upset John Wayne
The American movie director Steven Spielberg is often credited with making some of the most cinematically bedazzling movies of modern cinema, gifting many industry actors their first taste of success, including Drew Barrymore, Matthew McConaughy and Christian Bale. Yet, not each and every actor was quick to work with Spielberg at the very first opportunity, with none other than John Wayne turning down a chance to collaborate.
Lovingly known as ‘The Duke’ in Hollywood, Wayne was one of the industry’s most beloved stars, best known for his contributions to the western genre, where he helped create such classics as The Searchers, True Grit and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. But this didn’t mean he was quick to take on any role; after all, Wayne lived by a strict set of political and moral principles.
This came to light when he was asked by Spielberg whether he wanted to star in the 1979 war comedy 1941, alongside the likes of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Nancy Allen, with Wayne snapping back that it was “the most anti-American piece of drivel he had ever read in his life”.
Speaking further about this toxic exchange, Spielberg recalled: “[Wayne] was really curious and so I sent him the script. He called me the next day and said he felt it was a very un-American movie, and I shouldn’t waste my time making it. He said, ‘You know, that was an important war, and you’re making fun of a war that cost thousands of lives at Pearl Harbour. Don’t joke about World War II’”.
It’s no secret that Wayne was a vehement defender of the United States military and their efforts during WWII especially, yet perhaps this was due to the fact that he felt guilty about having never signed up to join the soldiers, actively avoiding the draft by any means necessary. Deciding to prioritise his career, the closest Wayne got to the shores of Normandy or the Pacific.
Regardless of his decision, Spielberg’s film went on to become one of his biggest career disappointments, proving to be a flop with critics and audiences, managing to make just $94.9million at the box office, which was petty cash compared to the hundreds of millions he’d made on other recent projects.
Reflecting on the film in the 2017 documentary Spielberg, by director Susan Lacy, the 1941 director admits that his comedy is hard to look back on. “It was like I had committed a war crime,” the director said of the venomous reactions people had at the time towards the movie, including that of John Wayne.
Take a look at the trailer for the poorly-received Spielberg movie below.
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