On the same day Nick Reiner was charged for first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents Rob and Michele Reiner, “Being Charlie” stunt performer Erik Audé recalled an explosive on-set fight between the father and son, adding that such incidents were “a common thing” in the making of the 2015 drama.
“Rob just didn’t give a s–t who was listening,” Audé said in an Instagram video posted Tuesday. Detailing the argument, the performer recalled Rob standing over Nick, who was sitting next to an unnamed individual on the couch near craft services. Nick was 22 at the time and co-wrote the semi-autobiographical script charting a young man’s struggle with addiction and his relationship to his parents through his recovery.
“I got into the house that we’re filming at, because that’s where the coffee and the craft service was, and Rob was standing over the couch yelling at his son,” Audé said. “I wasn’t, like, trying to watch, but you had no choice but to hear this argument and exchange take place. And the way everyone’s going about their business you can kind of tell this is a common thing that was happening, but it was the first time I was seeing it.”
Audé, who connected with Reiner by happenstance in a hotel while the director was scouting for the project, said that Nick appeared “depressed” and like he didn’t want to be on set.
“I knew the movie was about his life in a sense, him going in and out of rehab, so I felt like Rob was doing the movie for his son to connect with him, and his son just didn’t care or appreciate it,” Audé added. “That was just the impression I got from watching these little exchanges take place. It was uncomfortable.”
Later in the Instagram video, Audé said that when he heard about the apparent homicides at the Reiners’ home Sunday afternoon, he predicted that Nick was involved.
“From that one exchange I witnessed on a set on a movie one morning between him and his dad, and knowing about that script and that he was in and out of rehab, I was able to put two and two together and just be like, ‘I’m sure that the drugs got him. I’m sure that he wasn’t getting the money he needed. I’m sure he’s fighting whatever demons he was fighting,’” Audé concluded. “The whole situation sucks, it’s f–king terrible … Sadly I was right.”
In a separate post on Facebook Sunday, before Nick’s arrest, Audé expressed sorrow for Reiner’s death, despite their apparent political differences.
“Rob Reiner wasn’t my favorite person. If these reports are confirmed, this is not something to celebrate. I disagreed deeply with Reiner’s politics and rhetoric, and I still do. But death for people I simply disagree with is not a victory,” he wrote. “Even leaders on the right — people like Charlie Kirk — have been clear that we should not celebrate anyone’s untimely death. Grace doesn’t mean agreement. It means choosing humanity anyway. If this tragedy is confirmed, then I pray for Rob and his family’s souls, and may they rest in peace.”
In his Tuesday video, Audé remembered his initial interactions with Reiner at the hotel, noting the filmmaker was eager to take his information and find a role for him on “Being Charlie.” He said Reiner was “pleasant, always friendly.” But on set with Nick, he “was strung out, he was angry, he was frustrated … I just assumed it was because he was stressed out from fighting with his kid.”
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