The actors who hated Stanley Kubrick
Few directors have exerted as much influence over modern cinema as Stanley Kubrick. Always ahead of his time, the filmmaker worked between everything from sci-fi to dark comedy and horror, transforming the landscape of every genre he worked within. There are very few flaws to be found within Kubrick’s filmography, reflecting his intense dedication to his craft.
However, despite the sheer brilliance of his cinematic style and his keen attention to detail, sometimes Kubrick’s dedication was a little too strong. He often pushed his actors to their absolute limits, in some instances leaving them upset or even traumatised. After working with Kubrick, several actors have spoken out about their experience, vowing to never work with him again.
Even the most casual fan of Kubrick’s work will be aware of Kubrick’s treatment of Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining. Released in 1980, the movie remains one of Kubrick’s most popular, charting Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrance as he descends into madness. His on-screen wife, Duvall’s Wendy, receives the brunt of his terrifying behaviour, forcing the actor to spend a large majority of the runtime screaming and crying.
Naturally, even in the hands of a caring director, this would be emotionally draining to film, yet Kubrick’s steely demeanour made the environment even more tense. He forced the actor to film one scene 127 times, instructed people to ignore Duvall on set, and never complimented her performances. During an interview with Roger Ebert, Duvall called working with Kubrick “almost unbearable”.
Scatman Crowthers, another star of The Shining, hated working with Kubrick, too. The actor was hired after Slim Pickens refused the role, citing Kubrick’s demanding directorial style. Instead, Crowthers felt the strain of Kubrick’s perfectionism and broke down in tears after he was forced to do his scenes over and over.
A Clockwork Orange star Malcolm McDowell has previously discussed his experience of working with Kubrick, which was largely positive until filming wrapped. The actor was expecting to be paid 2.5% of box office earnings on top of his salary, yet Kubrick changed his mind and kept it for himself. McDowell revealed, “I knew he would never pay me. It was a terrible way to treat me after I’d given so much of myself.”
Harvey Keitel has also criticised the director, walking out of Eyes Wide Shut (he was replaced by Sydney Pollack) due to Kubrick’s demands. The incident was recalled by Gary Oldman, who said, “He was doing the scene, and they were just walking through a door, and after the 68th take of this – just walking through a door – Harvey Keitel said ‘I’m out of here, you’re fucking crazy.’ He just said, ‘You’re fucking out of your mind,’ and left.”
Elsewhere, several actors have criticised Kubrick’s directorial style despite never appearing in his films. A prime example is Robert Duvall, who described Kubrick to The Hollywood Reporter as “an actor’s enemy,” calling The Shining and A Clockwork Orange “great movies” with “terrible performances.”
He continued, “How does he know the difference between the first take and the seventieth take? I mean, what is that about?”