Actor Marlon Brando is considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time. The Godfather star is often given legendary status and has inspired countless present-day actors to pursue the field. He has won two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, and even a Cannes Film Festival Award.
Despite his legendary status, the actor was reportedly a pain to work with, with many directors and co-stars talking about his difficult on-set behavior. However, Superman director Richard Donner had the contrary opinion and even mentioned an incident where he saved writer Tom Mankiewicz’s life when he was attacked by a woman with a knife.
Marlon Brando As Jor-El In Richard Donner’s Superman
Director Richard Donner had just come off the success of the horror film The Omen when he was reportedly offered $1 million to direct Superman by producer Alexander Salkind. The deal was to shoot two films, Superman and Superman II back-to-back, with most of the pre-production already done and Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman already cast.
Donner reportedly brought in screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz after reading the 500-page script that Salkind had. A life-long fan of the DC superhero, Donner felt that the original script did not do the character justice. He also went against the studio’s requirement to cast a known star as Clark Kent and chose the unknown Christopher Reeves in the role.
Hence, to give more credibility to the film, the makers chose Marlon Brando to portray Jor-El, Superman’s father on the planet of Krypton. The actor was convinced by Richard Donner, despite his trying to wiggle out of the film by suggesting that the people on Krypton could be seen as green suitcases or a bagel, and hence only Brando’s voice could be provided.
Brando reportedly earned a $3.7 million salary for the film, along with a share of the profits. He was also famously uncooperative on set, refusing to arrive on time or memorize his dialogues, leading to actor Christopher Reeves later calling his behavior unprofessional.
Marlon Brando Saved The Life Of Superman Writer
Despite all the rumors about Marlon Brando’s non-cooperation, director Richard Donner only has fond memories of working with the legendary actor. He mentioned that Brando was nice to everyone on set and though they had to change some of his dialogues, he was still ‘totally present’.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the director spoke about his experience with the actor on the sets of Superman,
“He was totally present, on time. Not difficult, [though] we had to put his dialogue on other actors’ chests. He would say, ‘I don’t want to read it like I’ve read it before a bunch of times. The first time I read it, it’ll be honest.’ He made it work…He was Marlon F*cking Brando.”
Richard Donner also recalled an incident where Marlon Brando saved the life of their writer Tom Mankiewicz. The team was reportedly having dinner when a woman barged into their party and yelled at Mankiewicz. She then apparently took a knife from the table and proceeded towards the screenwriter before Brando stepped in,
“She grabbed a knife [from] the plate and goes to stab Tom. Marlon reached over and grabbed her and the knife and calmed her down. It was a steak knife and, God forbid, it could have very easily been a tragedy. It was nuts.”
Brando would later have problems with the producers, accusing them of paying him less from the profits. Donner too had issues with the producers and was removed as director from the second film.
