Wes Anderson has opened up about the longstanding rumours of on-set tension between himself and the late Gene Hackman, revealing that their collaboration during the making of The Royal Tenenbaums was far from harmonious.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the filmmaker confirmed that Hackman was not only reluctant to join the project, but deeply unhappy with his pay — and that the two never spoke again after filming wrapped.
"He was furious," Anderson said, recalling the veteran actor’s frustration over salary negotiations. "He didn’t want to do the film anyway. I just didn’t go away." Though the rest of the cast had accepted their terms, Hackman’s resistance lingered, casting a shadow over the production. According to Anderson, Hackman departed the set without saying goodbye. "We had friction," he added. "He didn’t enjoy it. I was probably too young and it was annoying to him."
Reflecting further, Anderson admitted that Hackman confessed he hadn’t fully understood the film during the shoot — though he appreciated it once completed. "I wish I’d shown him ten minutes early on. Then, maybe, he would’ve said, 'OK, I get it.'" Anderson was just 32 at the time, still building his voice as a director, while Hackman had already secured his place in cinematic history.
Bill Murray, a regular Anderson collaborator and part of that same ensemble, echoed the sentiment in a separate interview. "Gene was difficult," he said.
"But you had to sympathise — he was working with kids, dogs, and chaos. To him, Wes was just some punk kid. But the performance he gave? Incredible. You could see him struggling — and still delivering brilliance."
