“Robo wants an Oreo”: How a cookie nearly derailed ‘RoboCop’
Back in 1987, Paul Verhoeven released a true milestone in the science fiction movie world, a film so intense and violent that it practically transcended the genre as it was previously known. RoboCop focuses on Alex Murphy, a cop from a dystopian version of Detroit, who is turned into a cyborg after he is brutally attacked.
There’s a real sense of social commentary in the iconic film, written by Edward Neumeier and starring Peter Weller in the lead role alongside Nancy Allen, Daniel O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox and several other stars, whilst a notion of satire also hangs thick in the air throughout its runtime, pointing the finger at corporate greed and desolate urban environments.
Weller’s portrayal of RoboCop is something of a classic within the realm of science fiction action, and the film’s violence, gritty visuals, tongue-in-cheek humour, and genuinely interesting narrative make it a work of cinema well worthy of praise. Interestingly, though, there was some tension behind the scenes of the film that caused something of a rift between Weller and some members of the cast.
Randy E. Moore, the weapons master of RoboCop, once explained an incident in which Weller was acting up whilst preparing for a scene to be shot, and it all came down to his demands for an Oreo cookie. Moore noted, “When we were shooting the steel mill, Peter was upstairs, I went up, and I was carrying about eight Oreos in a stack. I handed him his weapon. ‘Safety’s off’. He wouldn’t take the pistol and said, ‘Robo wants an Oreo’.”
The weapons master continued: “I said, ‘No, Robo doesn’t get an Oreo, if Peter wants an Oreo, Peter can have one’.”
Evidently, Moore was not impressed by Weller’s method of acting, but the actor decided to take things one further, going to the edge of the railing upstairs and shouting out to the crew, ”ROBO WANTS AN OREO!”.
Rather than submit to Weller’s demands, Moore put all eight Oreos in his mouth and let the crumbs fall to the ground. According to him, “Robo got upset”. Interestingly, Weller insisted that he doesn’t have a “damn clue” about Moore’s Oreo anecdote. “I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” the actor said.
Still, Moore insisted that the crew asked Weller if they could get the shot first, and then he could have an Oreo, but Weller was adamant about having his cookie first. A PA had to be sent upstairs to deliver the Oreo to Weller’s mouth and subsequently pick the crumbs out of his teeth. Then, finally, the shot could be made, but it was a moment at which the production very nearly ground to a halt. And all for a humble little cookie…
