Marlon Brando’s week-long argument over a script he didn’t even read: “Well, I lied”
Some directors wait their whole lives to work with a Hollywood legend like Marlon Brando, but Francis Ford Coppola was lucky enough to direct him multiple times, beginning with the classic crime drama The Godfather. The movie further cemented Brando’s legacy as one of the greats, and it wouldn’t be long before the pair reunited for Apocalypse Now.
Before his appearances in Coppola’s films, Brando had established himself as one of the finest actors of all time. Appearing on stage and screen as Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, the actor went on to appear in films like On The Waterfront, The Wild One, One-Eyed Jacks (which he directed, too), and Mutiny on the Bounty.
After receiving several Academy Award nominations, he finally won the prize for On the Waterfront in 1954. While his career maintained great levels of success in the 1950s, the 1960s and the early 1970s weren’t as fruitful, with his films grossing less than before. Luckily, his performance in The Godfather was so unforgettable that he secured himself another Oscar win, revitalising his career in the process. Thus, when Coppola asked him to appear in Apocalypse Now, he agreed, even though it very quickly became apparent that he wasn’t very prepared.
However, when you’ve got someone as legendary as Brando signed up for your film, you have to stretch your patience a little more than you would with someone else. The actor had accepted the role of Colonel Kurtz, but Coppola soon realised that the actor was a little too hefty for the part. “He had promised me that he was going to be a little thinner,” he revealed on NPR’s radio show Fresh Air.
Coppola continued, “The issue was, if he was a runaway Green Beret officer — it sounds silly, but [I was thinking] what kind of uniform should he wear? They don’t make size XXXXXL uniforms. So, I had to dress him somehow.” This led the filmmaker to contemplate how he would make Brando’s larger weight fit with the character, so he suggested that a shaved head would be the best route to bring Kurtz to life.
Brando was not having it, leading the pair to argue for a week. The actor was known for being outspoken, often sharing opinions that could offend others – but he didn’t care. He was a rather difficult man to work with, but many filmmakers happily accepted the challenge if it meant having Brando in their movies.
Eventually, after a week of arguing, Brando showed up on set after listening to Coppola. “I walked in, and there was Brando sitting there with his head shaved, bald. And I said, ‘But Marlon, you said it wouldn’t work. You said you read Heart of Darkness [the movie’s source material] and the idea for Kurtz that way wouldn’t work.’ And he said, ‘Well, I lied. I never read it. I read it last night.’ So he read it last night and came around to this image.”
Unbelievably, Brando had not read Heart of Darkness or the script for Apocalypse Now, yet he still felt the need to argue with Coppola about creative decisions. Despite the many struggles the movie went through during production, Apocalypse Now ended up being another stellar release from Coppola and one of Brando’s best performances.
