Bill Murray has paid an honest tribute to Gene Hackman.
Murray described Hackman as one of the greats of the acting profession after his death was confirmed on Thursday, but said he could be a “tough nut” to work with.
In comments given to the Associated Press, Murray recalled Hackman giving Wes Anderson a tough time when they collaborated on 2001 pic The Royal Tenenbaums.
“He was a tough nut, Gene Hackman, but he was really good and he was really difficult. Like, we can say it now, but he was a tough guy because older great actors do not give young directors much of a chance. They’re really rough on ’em,” he explained. “Gene was really rough on Wes and I used to kind of step in there and just try to defend my friend.”
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Bill Murray reflects on working with the late Gene Hackman in the 2001 Wes Anderson film “The Royal Tenenbaums.” pic.twitter.com/udaKaYBWuI
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) February 27, 2025
He recalled watching Hackman do multiple perfect takes when another actor failed to nail the scene. “I was watching it going, ‘No wonder this guy wants to throttle people.’ Then he gave a sort of ordinary performance and the other actor got it right, and I thought Gene was gonna throw the guy off the ledge of the building.” Murray added: “He was a great one. He was a great actor.”
In a separate interview with The Drew Barrymore Show, Murray said Hackman viewed Anderson — who was in his early 30s when The Royal Tenenbaums was made — as a “punk kid” and was a “little irritable” with the director. “He felt a lot of responsibility,” he continued. “But the performance he gave was brilliant.”
Murray said Hackman later acknowledged that he “acted like a jerk.” He added: “When you see the movie, it’s a real piece of work. Wes Anderson makes great movies and so does Gene Hackman. You put them both in the same movie, what are you gonna get? You’re gonna get a good movie.”
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Hackman‘s death has raised enough suspicion among the Santa Fe police that they have obtained a search warrant for the Oscar winner’s home after the actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs were found dead. “The circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” police said.
The post Bill Murray Remembers Gene Hackman As A “Tough Nut” Who Gave Wes Anderson A “Really Rough” Time On ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ appeared first on Deadline.
