Shirley MacLaine is one of the most talented actresses of her generation.
She made her debut in “The Trouble With Harry” in 1955 and she’s had movie releases
in 2022 and more upcoming projects.
Oh, and by the way, she’s approaching 90 and she’s still acting!
With a successful career that’s lasted so long, it’s clear that she was a joy to work
with on set.
But – truth be told, she didn’t always feel that way about some of her co-stars.
There are times when she absolutely hated her co-stars and this caused tensions on the
set.
It didn’t affect her work and she always gave a great performance, but man, it’s
a wonder she kept in the business even with her bad experiences.
So who where these co-stars?
Shirley MacLaine Names the Co-Star she hated most.
Join FactsVerse to learn more…
SHIRLEY MACLAINE NAMES THE CO-STAR SHE HATED
MOST
In 1970, a now-classic Western film named Two Mules for Sister Sara was released.
The film was directed by Don Siegel and starred one of Hollywood’s most popular leading
men of the time, Clint Eastwood.
Originally, both the director and leading man wanted Elizabeth Taylor to co-star in
the film.
Elizabeth Taylor would play the titular character of Sister Sara.
Yet, the starlet had no interest in the film and turned it down.
They had to look for another actress – and while no one at the time had the star power
of Sister Sara they needed someone who would still bring the audiences in.
Shirley MacLaine was one such actress.
She had a successful debut film with The Trouble With Harry and she had hit after hit after
that.
By the time 1970 came around, she was bound to make another hit film.
The studio felt that due to her success in the film Sweet Charity, she’d be perfect
for the role.
And yet, both Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood weren’t too keen on casting Shirley MacLaine.
They felt that her complexion wouldn’t look good on screen and wouldn’t work for the
character of Sister Sara.
And then once they started working with her, their relationship, according to them was
less than affable.
Don Siegel felt that Shirley MacLaine wasn’t traditionally feminine and that she could
sometimes be too assertive and not easy to work with.
He felt that it was difficult to feel affectionate about her.
Apparently, Shirley MacLaine also didn’t have a good experience filming in the heat
of Mexico either.
Shirley MacLaine didn’t like working with Don Siegel as well and many felt that she
would name Clint Eastwood as the co-star she hated most.
In fact, it seems she hated him so much that he wasn’t really mentioned in her memoirs.
But years later she stated that she adored him and loved his tough attitude both in real
life and on screen.
So, Clint Eastwood isn’t the co-star she hated most.
So, who was it?
Well before we tell you, let’s tell you about a time when she clashed not with a co-star,
but with a host!
DO YOU BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION?
Like most actors and actresses, Shirley MacLaine has had to appear on talk shows to promote
her films and discuss her life and career.
Occasionally, questions get personal and sometimes, they can make actresses comfortable.
Such was the case when she appeared on The Late Show With Dave Letterman.
In October 1988, she appeared on the late night talk show to discuss her film Madame
Sousatzka.
However, Dave Letterman was more interested in discussing Shirley MacLaine’s belief
in reincarnation – something he found amusing and was used as a stick to poke her with.
He asked her if he had lived other lives.
She was annoyed by this question and quipped at him saying that he had bad karma.
He then began joking about the supposed careers and lifestyles that Shirley MacLaine had in
her past lives – once being a monk and once being a dancer in a harem of all places!
She tried to be serious and explained that her belief came from spending time in Asia
where the belief in reincarnation was more common.
Yet, he still found it funny and seemed to want to mock her for her views.
During the commercial break, she had apparently told him she didn’t want to discuss this
anymore during the 2nd half of the interview.
Yet he persisted and she burst out quoting Cher who had a bad experience being on the
show.
Shirley MacLaine quipped “Maybe Cher was right.
Maybe you are an--” – ok, we won’t tell you what she said – use your imagination!
The moment created awkwardness and Letterman asked her if she really was upset or was just
acting.
She responded telling him that he should be able to tell whether she was being genuine
or not.
Shortly afterward, Dave Letterman ended the interview and Shirley MacLaine left after
filming stopped – she didn’t appear after the commercial break.
She recalls how unpleasant he was and the two of them had a hard time getting over the
incident.
So no doubt, she must have hated Antony – uh, I mean Dave Letterman.
She hated Dave Letterman, but she wasn’t his co-star.
She was his guest.
Now, we’ll reveal to you which co-star she hated most.
THE OBNOXIOUS CO-STAR
The co-star that Shirley MacLaine hated most was probably Sir Antony Hopkins who once referred
to her as ‘obnoxious.’
The two of them starred in one of the rare flops for both stars.
The film was called A Change of Seasons and was released in 1980 – when both actors
were at the height of their fame.
Yet, despite their talents and star power, the film still failed.
In fact, it received nominations for the very first Razzie Awards – celebrating the worst
films of the year!
Later, Antony Hopkins would refer to Shirley MacLaine as obnoxious.
It’s still not clear when he said this nor is the entire context and reason known.
However, Shirley MacLaine also stated that she didn’t like Antony Hopkins and she had
an awful experience working with him in A Change of Seasons.
It’s not really clear why the two of them clashed on set.
However, Antony Hopkins was suffering with alcoholism at the time.
Both Shirley MacLaine and Antony Hopkins are known to have strong personalities and this
probably led to some arguments on set.
Antony Hopkins has spoken about how he has a lot of anger and has had to learn not to
let it get the better of him.
Shirley MacLaine is open about the fact that she speaks her mind and isn’t afraid to
argue on set or stand up for herself if she needs to.
The two of them haven’t worked since but Shirley MacLaine has stated that she understood
his struggles due to heavy drinking on the time.
Despite the fact that they both had their issues, both of them went onto having successful
acting careers and both actors still have films in production right now.
Shirley MacLaine, as you can see, hasn’t been the easiest to work with.
For many, she was a joy to work with – for example, actor John Forsythe loved working
alongside her in The Trouble With Harry.
Jack Black loved working with her in the film Bernie.
Yet, there have been times when she wasn’t a joy to work with and it’s a wonder that
she managed to sustain a career so long.
Her talents are what kept her going.
But before we call it a wrap, let’s tell you one more story about a clash that Shirley
MacLaine had.
DREAM TURNED NIGHTMARE
Shirley MacLaine dreamt of working with actress Debra Winger in the 1983 film Terms of Endearment.
Both actresses admired each others’ work and were looking forward to a great collaboration.
Now, with such a premise one can only expect that this filming experience would be pure
bliss!
Unlike her collaboration with Antony Hopkins, this one was much better.
The actresses played mother and daughter and the film was a hit.
Both actresses were nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards and Shirley MacLaine
won the role.
In her acceptance speech, she mentioned that she felt that she actually had an extra daughter
and that Debra Winger had ‘turbulent brilliance.’
However, the two actresses weren’t friendly and would argue on set.
There’s even a rumor that one of them hit the other.
Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger haven’t denied the fights they’ve had on set.
There’s a notorious incident in Shirley MacLaine’s memoir that during a fight, Debra
Winger passed gas at her on purpose.
Debra Winger was asked about this incident and she didn’t give clear answers on whether
this actually happened though she did hint that there was some truth to the tale.
There’s still no confirmation on whether this happened even though Debra Winger has
been pressed on it.
Yeah, let’s not go there.
There’s also no update on how Shirley MacLaine feels about her former co-star today.
But, hey, at least a great film and some great performances came out of it.
Shirley MacLaine hasn’t always been easy to work with nor has she enjoyed working with
others.
But, she’s had a great career and she leaves behind a great legacy.
Plus, she’s got at least 2 more films in production right now – so she must be doing
something right!
Are you a fan of Shirley MacLaine?
What do you think about her incredible life and career and the issues she’s had with
her co-stars?
In fact, here’s what we’d like to hear from you:
Do you think that clashes on sets today can destroy an actor’s career?
Or does this just create publicity and ultimately is irrelevant to their career longevity?