The legendary 2010 co-star who got under Rosamund Pike’s skin: “Oh, fuck off”
By the time that Gone Girl hit theatres in 2014, it was evident that Rosamund Pike was both one of the best actors of her generation and someone who had been severely underutilised.
The role of Amy Dunne in David Fincher’s highly anticipated adaptation of the hit novel had been majorly contested, and it seemed impossible that anyone would be able to live up to the character that Gillian Flynn had created. However, Pike delivered a sly, charismatic, darkly funny and terrifying performance that more than stole the film, as she received an Academy Award nomination for her work.
While Gone Girl was seen as a revelation for many casual viewers, it wasn’t a shock for anyone who had been following Pike’s career. She had always been the standout of the films she appeared in, even if it was the disappointing James Bond sequel Die Another Day or the much-maligned video game adaptation Doom. Despite giving standout performances in Pride & Prejudice and An Education, she wasn’t getting as much attention as her more famous co-stars, even if she more than deserved it.
The issue with being ‘underrated’ isn’t necessarily being out of work, but not getting the level of respect that is deserved. Pike had a key role in Barney’s Version, the biopic of Barney Panofsky that starred Paul Giamatti in the titular role. Although she had nothing but nice things to say about Giamatti, Pike revealed that she had some negative experiences with her other co-star, Dustin Hoffman.
“Paul Giamatti and I were having our wedding day, and we were doing our big kiss,” Pike said, “Dustin would be like, ‘C’mon, that’s not a kiss. Ooh, now, Paul, that’s more like it! Ah-ha, now she’s kissing you back big time! Giving you a stiffie, is it?’ All this stuff.”
Although she was polite in her response, Pike did shine some light on how Hoffman crossed a line during the romantic scenes.
“He’s completely un-shy,” she recalled, “He’ll say things like, ‘Rosamund, which part of your body do you like least?’ just before you do a take, and if it was anyone else you’d say, ‘Oh fuck off’, but it’s Dustin Hoffman, and you realise that he’s suddenly got you to wear a mournful face when it’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life. You sort of marvel at how he got you into this different place.”
While Pike didn’t make any serious allegations, she isn’t the first female co-star to mention inappropriate experiences with Hoffman, who, despite being one of the best actors of all time, has long been considered difficult and known for getting into arguments with his female co-stars, most notably slapping Meryl Streep for real during the filming of Kramer vs Kramer, and she was hardly as famous then as she is now.
Thankfully, Pike has managed to get more respect in recent years and has continued to deliver great performances. Two of her most recent leading roles were in the biopic A Private War and the psychological dark comedy I Care A Lot, and while both films earned her significant award nominations, the former was cited as being particularly accurate by journalists, and the latter became one of the most popular films in the history of Netflix’s original content.
