Steven Seagal was one of the A-lister action stars dominating the industry with record-breaking numbers of movies for decades. Remarkably, Seagal’s background in martial arts enhanced his action career over the years. The actor has been a 7th-dan black belt in Aikido.
But the wide fame and reputation have also influenced his attitude with his co-stars. The actor once knocked down his Executive Decision co-stars just because he was laughing at Seagal’s bizarre dominance on set right after his appearance for rehearsal.
Steven Seagal Knocked John Leguizamo Down
Stuart Baird’s 1996 action-packed thriller Executive Decision stars Steven Seagal, Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, and co. On the very first day of rehearsing for the movie, Seagal and Leguizamo already had some bad blood.
“I was doing this thing called Executive Decision and I was supposed to play the sergeant to his captain,” Leguizamo told AV Club in an interview. “The first day of rehearsal, there was the director [Stuart Baird], Joe Morton, B.D. Wong, Oliver Platt—we’re all big actors, we’re all big boys, we’re all experienced.”
He further added,
“And we start rehearsing and he came in and was like, [low, breathy voice] ‘I’m in command. What I say is law.’ So I started, like, [snorts]. I mean, who the f*ck talks like that? Who comes into rehearsal and says that shit? So I started laughing and he slammed me with an aikido elbow against a brick wall and knocked all the air out of me. I dropped to the ground, and all I could say was, [gasping] ‘Why? Why?’”
Leguizamo chose not to resort to violence, but the incident was certainly surprising for him. Leguizamo had a bit of rage in him, as he put out in the interview, “I really wanted to say that he runs like a b*tch and has no hair, but I was afraid.” In a scene in the movie where Seagal’s character dies, “I showed up so early. I wanted to see him die.” The scene was like a fantasy for the actor.
The Weird Response From Steven Seagal’s Publicist
The response from Steven Seagal’s publicist was also interesting, or at least funny for Leguizamo. “Well, the response from Seagal’s publicist was that if he sees me on the red carpet, he’s going to knock me out,” Leguizamo told AV Club.
“That was his response. And my response was that I wasn’t afraid because I haven’t seen him in a movie in years—which would make him really want to knock me out. He can fight. That’s the only downside to my comment: He can actually knock me out. He runs like a girl, but he hits like a 6-foot-5 dude who has trained his whole life.”
Seagal has a decorated resume in action movies and has made his career from scratch. Over time he evolved into a big name in Hollywood, but the bad blood with The Menu star is still in the air. Decades later, Leguizamo still has a grudge against the Above the Law actor. About his character in The Menu, Leguizamo told Entertainment Weekly, “I kind of based mine on Steven Seagal. I had a bad run-in with him”
Further recalling the incident, Leguizamo said Seagal is “kind of a horrible human.” While promoting his 2022 movie The Menu, Leguizamo also revealed to ComicBook.com that he hates Seagal.
Source: AV Clu
