The four-time Oscar nominee David O. Russell is credited to be one of the best filmmakers in Hollywood. Throughout his decades in Hollywood, the director has enjoyed a successful career having several critically acclaimed blockbusters under his name. However, the Joy director has been accompanied by several troubling allegations throughout his career as well.
He has been accused of abusing and behaving inappropriately with the cast and crew of his movies, leading notable figures like Amy Adams and George Clooney to publicly speak up against him. However, contrary to them, the I Heart Huckabees actress who experienced similar treatment while working on the 2004 comedy film, does not hold any grudges against Russell.
Lily Tomlin And David O. Russell’s On-Set Altercations
Lily Tomlin worked with filmmaker David O. Russell in the 2004 black comedy film I Heart Huckabees. Starring Tomlin alongside Mark Wahlberg, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman, and Jule Law, the movie follows a man, Albert Markovski, who hires existential detectives to investigate the strange coincidences.
While the movie bombed at the box office, one of the leaked footage from its set soon became a topic of conversation among people. The short clip shows the director and the actress in an altercation as the Big Business actress expresses her issues with the constant changes.
The altercation takes a more serious turn after Russell starts shouting at Tomlin, saying, “B*tch! I’m not here to be f*cking yelled at!” He then goes on to sweep the props on the table and leaves the room after throwing some more insults and abusive words at the Emmy recipient.
As per The New York Times, the director locked himself in his office and resumed filming only after Lily Tomlin went in to apologize to him. He was reported to have inappropriate behavior toward other cast members as well. However, Russell and Tomlin have sorted things out, and the actress shared that they respect each other during a later interview.
Lily Tomlin Holds No Grudge Against David O. Russell
The argument on the set of the 2004 film was neither the first nor the last such reported incident about David O. Russell. George Clooney and Amy Adams, who worked with him on Three Kings and American Hustle, respectively, revealed the director’s on-set behavior during their interviews.
Adams even went on to state that she does not plan on working with the Amsterdam director anytime soon. However, Lily Tomlin had nothing to say against the filmmaker and has shared that they “made up in just a few hours.” Talking to Movieline during an interview, she said that both of them “flipped out” on each other. She further mentioned,
“We don’t want to misbehave; believe me, it’s embarrassing. It’s humiliating, you know? Because you just lose it. You act like a crazy person.”
She also said that despite what happened on the film set, she adored Russell. “I adore him as a talent,” she said before adding that they have no hard feelings for each other. The Moving On star
also stated that she would love to work with him again in the future.
I Heart Huckabees is available on Prime Video.
Source: Movieline
