Oliver Stone names the “single worst experience I’ve ever had with an actor”
Restraint has never been a word even remotely associated with Oliver Stone, at least as it pertains to his famously outspoken nature. There’s been plenty of subtlety on-screen throughout his distinguished career, but he’s not one for holding back when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Of course, great swathes of his filmography have been directly inspired by his political viewpoints, which reaped huge dividends considering the raft of classics he’s helmed while picking up four Academy Awards along the way.
And yet, when he made the decision to cast Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney in his 2008 biopic W., it ended up being etched into Stone’s memory as the single worst experience he’d ever had with a performer, no mean feat considering he’s taken the reins on 26 feature films and documentaries spanning almost half a century.
Unsurprisingly, it was a difference in political perspectives that created the friction, with the Jaws star branding Stone a “fascist” as tensions reached boiling point. Their diametrically opposed viewpoints always created the possibility they’d butt heads, but the filmmaker was left bristling nonetheless.
“That was probably the single worst experience I’ve ever had with an actor in my life,” Stone admitted to The Hollywood Reporter. “I walked him outside, and I read him the Riot Act. I said, ‘You’re going to read these fucking cue cards, and if you don’t read them, this scene is over.’ So, yeah, I was a fascist.”
It begs the question as to why Stone would cast Dreyfuss in the role, knowing full well they stood at opposite ends of the spectrum, although the actor offered a helpful explanation. “Well actually, I was hired because I was the best actor,” he said. “I don’t want to put Oliver down but, once he took all the politics out and made it about a contest between father and son, there was no story left.”
For a biographical drama following the life and times of George W. Bush, Dreyfuss was left disappointed that the politics were omitted in favour of family drama, although he acknowledged Stone’s disdain for mere presence. “Oliver and I were at loggerheads about that, and we still are,” he continued. “He screamed that I was the worst actor he’s ever worked with. I’d held up the production and so on.”
Stone was still under the impression W. had awards season legs, which didn’t come to fruition. That was something that tickled Dreyfuss even more as a result. “He called my agent and said: ‘He’d better stop this because we’re planning an Oscar campaign.’ And she said: ‘What? For the worst actor you’ve ever worked with?'” Airing his grievances on the press trail did the production no favours, then, but the actor remained completely unbothered.
