The only performance Dennis Hopper could never master: “I get pissed off and blow it”
Authenticity is one of the most admirable yet difficult traits that someone can harness. It requires great strength that not everyone has the courage to muster, and in some instances, authenticity can land you in trouble. Dennis Hopper found this to be the case at times, with his unapologetic approach to navigating an industry he saw as fake and contrived, making him one of Hollywood’s most controversial stars.
Hopper’s career took off in the 1960s during that heady era of American counterculture, with his directorial debut, Easy Rider, cementing him as a promising figure of the New Hollywood era. The film’s nihilistic and experimental look at a period of dying optimism and excessive drug use was surely one he could relate to, with the actor coming to be known for his penchant for drugs, alcohol, and general hell-raising. He embodied a period of hedonism in American culture, where the increase in free love movements and plenty of acid-taking resulted in a generation of young people taking a stand against traditionalism.
While Hopper wasn’t exactly a super political figure – he was actually registered as a Republican – he had a very rebellious spirit, and he tended to defy authority by doing whatever he liked, regardless of taboos. He was perpetually under the influence for many years, and he did everything from the Russian Suicide Chair Experiment to snorting ashes during the most chaotic years of his life.
All things considered, it’s not surprising to hear that Hopper was often a tricky customer when it came to communicating with producers and studio executives – not only was he never sober, but he was not going to let anyone get away with saying or doing anything he disagreed with.
In a 1978 interview, the actor explained, “Oh, yeah, man, I did it, all right. I was desperate. I’m also a compulsive creator, and I can’t stand being lied to. At parties, I’d nail a producer in a corner and demand to know, ‘Why am I not directing? Why am I not acting?’ Who wants to deal with a maniac like that?”
He continued: “Tell the truth, it’s just plain difficult for me to be in society—to be a social being. That’s why I’m better off up here. New York and Hollywood are hard for me, where you have to go and sit in a producer’s lap at those parties. Oh, I can do it for a while, but then I find I’m acting. I think it’s my worst performance. I try to be polite and courteous, and then sure enough, I get pissed off and blow it. Let’s face it, I can’t stay on my best behaviour for long… I don’t have the social amenities to make it or enjoy it.”
It’s not a surprise, then, that Hopper found himself cast out of Hollywood for a period, disillusioned with the industry and reluctant to appease those who were his superiors. A dispute between him and the head of Universal Pictures, Lew Wasserman, following the release of his second film, The Last Movie, didn’t help him either.
Yet, with a string of strong performances over the coming years, with his most unforgettable being the gas-huffing psychopath Frank Booth in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, Hopper found himself back in favour.
