“I was embarrassed”: John Wayne’s awful on-set tradition that would leave co-stars in tears
As far as patriotism goes, it’s difficult to find anyone who matches the criteria more than John Wayne. He built a name based on being just that, his moralistic grandiose reflecting everything the western genre had been founded on. As his character eloquently put it in True Grit, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”
Alongside being one of the biggest names in history, Wayne also accrued a reputation as one of the more assertive players in the business. On set, he would often make up his own rules and lead the way, often at the expense of other crew members or co-stars, making him one of the more difficult actors to work with. Some, however, knew how to sway him and play the game he instated, but that took work and a great deal of understanding.
Because of this, Wayne wasn’t exactly one of the most approachable people in the arena and often rubbed up co-stars the wrong way with his cold attitude or strange habits. One such example was his treatment of Dirty Harry director Don Siegel during the production of The Shootist. Actor Lauren Bacall also recalled feeling disgusted by some of Wayne’s actions, like constantly spitting close to her.
Recalling the incident in his biography, Siegel said Bacall approached him in a frenzy, stating, “If that big slob spits on my hemline once more, I’ll crack his head wide open with a two-by-four.” Siegel likely tried to play the situation down or speak to her to calm her fervour, but she didn’t appreciate his demeanour, telling him: “Don’t get funny with me. I’m in no mood to banter words with you.”
Aside from the obvious and endless reasons Wayne wasn’t exactly a man of the people or a friendly presence, not to mention his overtly racist and bigoted worldviews, Wayne was actively a terror on set on numerous occasions, mainly because he exhibited a certain “tradition” that meant someone on his sets would always leave work feeling infinitely less of a person.
While working on The Green Berets, Wayne’s co-star George Takei soon realised the star’s unsettling ways after observing the treatment of some of the extras or stuntmen on set. Takei and Wayne couldn’t have been more different, not just in acting styles but also in the former’s left-wing political views and the latter’s right-wing, militarist beliefs. Working with Wayne might have emerged from a mutual agreement to set their differences aside, but it exposed Takei to an unforgettable oddity.
Although he praised some of Wayne’s talents, like his “compelling gigantic personality” and consistency with appearing “the same guy off-screen,” he recalled an “embarrassing” situation regarding the actor and his treatment of another person on set. “There was a quirk in him. I was shocked,” he said. “I was told he did it with every production. He singled out one man, always a big bruiser of a guy, tall, husky and muscular, usually a stuntman or a stand-in. And he pilloried these people there on the set with everyone looking on.”
Recalling his shocked reaction, he added: “I was embarrassed being there. He did it all consistently with this guy and then people who worked with him on other productions told me he always did that. He picked one person to excoriate relentlessly. Sometimes these guys broke down in tears.” Although Wayne wasn’t cold towards Takei specifically, he realised this act was his overt way of establishing dominance, utilising bystanders as a sobering reminder about the consequences of going against him.
Wayne might have become one of Hollywood’s most distinctive actors, but recent times have presented a more overt acknowledgement of his stark shortcomings. For instance, acting abilities aside, it speaks volumes that many of his behaviours wouldn’t be deemed anywhere near acceptable in today’s landscape, and he would likely be ushered to the side as merely a controversial and deeply corrupted figure.
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