Lily Tomlin, David O. Russell spat goes public
If you've ever wanted to hear a director and an actor blow up on the set, today's your lucky day. The good folks at YouTube have posted a couple of ugly exchanges between Lily Tomlin and director David O. Russell from the set of I Heart Huckabees. The 2004 comedy is about a young man's search for meaning. Tomlin co-starred as one half of a husband-and-wife team hired to help solve the guy's existential dilemmas.
In this first clip, Tomlin goes off on Russell for giving her conflicting direction during a car scene which took hours to film: (Lily Tomlin) "Do you know what the **** is going on? Period? **** you. I've had it up to here. (Blows nose) Who's reacting to what for god sakes. **** you, mother******. **** you, **** you, **** you. Get the ****ing thing together. **** you. ***dammit! You ****ed it up, ***damn you! Now get straight out and help. If you can't help them, help me!"
A week later it was Russell's turn to lose it. Tomlin once again complained about Russell's lack of direction and he responded with an expletive-filled tirade, complete with thrown props and stomping off the set: (David O. Russell) "**** you. I'm just trying to ****ing help you. Do you understand me? I've been a ****ing collaborator. I was trying to help you figure out your ****ing picture. I'm not here to be ****ing yelled at. I worked on this ****ing thing for three ****ing years not to have some ****ing **** yell at me in front of the ****ing crew for trying to ****ing help you, *****! Figure it out yourself." (Lily Tomlin) "Well I have figured it out." (Russell) "Yeah? **** yourself." (Tomlin) "Good. Why don't you **** your whole movie? Why don't you **** your whole movie because that's what you're doing."
The tirades were videotaped by a crew member without anyone's knowledge.
Tomlin and Russell both later said they had gotten over their differences. Russell told the New York Times, "Sure, I wish I hadn't done that. But Lily and I are fine." Tomlin told the paper, "It's not a practice on his part or my part. I'd rather have someone human and available and raw and open. Don't give me someone cold, or cut off, or someone who considers themselves dignified."
Russell has a history of mixing it up with his casts. George Clooney hit the director during the filming of Three Kings because he believed that Russell had been abusive to an extra.
In this first clip, Tomlin goes off on Russell for giving her conflicting direction during a car scene which took hours to film: (Lily Tomlin) "Do you know what the **** is going on? Period? **** you. I've had it up to here. (Blows nose) Who's reacting to what for god sakes. **** you, mother******. **** you, **** you, **** you. Get the ****ing thing together. **** you. ***dammit! You ****ed it up, ***damn you! Now get straight out and help. If you can't help them, help me!"
A week later it was Russell's turn to lose it. Tomlin once again complained about Russell's lack of direction and he responded with an expletive-filled tirade, complete with thrown props and stomping off the set: (David O. Russell) "**** you. I'm just trying to ****ing help you. Do you understand me? I've been a ****ing collaborator. I was trying to help you figure out your ****ing picture. I'm not here to be ****ing yelled at. I worked on this ****ing thing for three ****ing years not to have some ****ing **** yell at me in front of the ****ing crew for trying to ****ing help you, *****! Figure it out yourself." (Lily Tomlin) "Well I have figured it out." (Russell) "Yeah? **** yourself." (Tomlin) "Good. Why don't you **** your whole movie? Why don't you **** your whole movie because that's what you're doing."
The tirades were videotaped by a crew member without anyone's knowledge.
Tomlin and Russell both later said they had gotten over their differences. Russell told the New York Times, "Sure, I wish I hadn't done that. But Lily and I are fine." Tomlin told the paper, "It's not a practice on his part or my part. I'd rather have someone human and available and raw and open. Don't give me someone cold, or cut off, or someone who considers themselves dignified."
Russell has a history of mixing it up with his casts. George Clooney hit the director during the filming of Three Kings because he believed that Russell had been abusive to an extra.
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