The only actor Alfred Hitchcock was afraid of: “There was steel under all that mush”
To the general public, Alfred Hitchcock presented himself as a jolly, jovial chap with a mischievous sense of humour. While that wasn’t a complete fabrication, the stories that emerged from multiple sets throughout his storied career made it abundantly clear there was a very different side to the ‘Master of Suspense’.
Nobody can knock Hitchcock’s contributions to cinema after he enshrined himself in the history books as one of the industry’s greatest-ever directors and most innovative auteurs by constantly pushing the medium forward through a string of seminal thrillers, many of which will never be dislodged from their position as some of the finest movies ever made.
However, he could also be a manipulative and overbearing tyrant who went out of his way to inflict misery on his performers. In some cases, he believed it was being done in the name of performance to draw a more authentic turn from his on-camera compatriots, but there were also several occasions where Hitchcock crossed the line.
The treatment of Tippi Hedren is the most notable example, with the actor revealing in great detail the way the acclaimed filmmaker actively sabotaged her career following The Birds. That film outlined her as one of the most promising new stars in Hollywood, only for the ‘Master of Suspense’ to pump the brakes on her ascension out of something that existed between jealousy and spite. It was undoubtedly one of the darkest moments of Hitchcock’s personality come to the fore.
Ironically, one actor didn’t mind putting Hitchcock in his place. Understandably, it was one of his most famous frequent collaborators, but what makes it ironic is that James Stewart was known for being the nicest man in Tinseltown. He was every bit as kindly and endearing as many of the characters he played, but his familiarity with Hitchcock and his working methods also meant that he didn’t have any problems putting the director in his place.
The pair worked together on Rope, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo, and they had a solid creative partnership. Hitchcock always planned out his productions meticulously, and as accommodating as Stewart could be to the filmmaker’s vision, he also had another side he didn’t mind showcasing on occasion.
“There was a whopping big ego underneath that allegedly shy, stuttering, bumbling persona,” Wendell Corey recalled of his time spent working with Stewart and Hitchcock on Rear Window. “When Jimmy Stewart didn’t like the way a scene was going, he could yell with the best of them. You could hear him over on the next soundstage.”
Even though they repeatedly made cinematic magic together, the leading man and director didn’t always see eye to eye when shooting the voyeuristic masterpiece. “He was plenty fussy about the right shots, the right lighting, and he could out-argue and out-shout Hitchcock,” Corey explained. “I even think Hitch got a little afraid of him at times. There was steel under all that mush, believe me.”
