Did you know that James Caan and Kathy Bates initially butted heads while filming the 1990
psychological thriller Misery?
The two actors ultimately became good friends, but it still begs the question: What was their
initial beef about?
Keep watching to find out the details.
Acclaimed Oscar-nominated actor James Caan died on July 6, according to a statement from
the Caan family on Twitter.
He was 82.
The star of such films as The Godfather, the Bronx-born actor made his name playing tough
guys, but he was also a dab hand with comedies in movies like Elf alongside Will Ferrell.
One of Caan's most well-known roles was in Misery, a 1990 film adaptation of the Stephen
King novel.
In the film, Caan plays Paul Sheldon, an injured novelist trapped by one of his fans, Annie
Wilkes.
In what would become an iconic piece of movie-making, Wilkes smashes Sheldon's legs while he's tied
down in bed.
Bates went on to have a successful career thanks in no small part to her harrowing performance
in Misery.
One might think that such a brutal movie scene, though, could drive a wedge between the two
film stars.
In 2015, Caan and Bates met up again for an Entertainment Weekly reunion issue for the
25th anniversary of Misery and to reminisce with NBC's Today.
In that interview, the two movie stars revealed whether or not Bates' hobbling Caan in Misery
did in fact prove too much for the legendary actor and actress to get over.
Stephen King came up with the idea for his 1987 novel Misery while on a flight from New
York to London aboard the Concorde.
According to King's website, he was thinking about writer Evelyn Waugh's short story The
Man Who Loved Dickens.
That particular story is about a man held captive in South America who is forced to
read Dickens' classics to his captor.
King asked a question about Waugh's story, which in turn became the basis for Misery:
What would it be like if Dickens were the one who was being held captive?
"I like 'Misery' the novel a lot, 'Misery.'
That was kind of fun."
In the book, Kathy Bates' character, Annie Wilkes, does something much worse than smash
the legs of Paul Sheldon.
As Bates revealed in her 2015 reunion with Caan, she was disappointed with one particular
change filmmakers made in their adaptation.
At the time, Bates said,
"I was disappointed.
Because I had read the book and in the book, she chops his feet off."
Rob Reiner was the director of Misery.
Another well-known sequence from the film was a fight scene, which the actors performed
without stunt doubles.
One way that Bates, Reiner, and Caan diverged in their approaches to their craft was in
how they preferred to prepare for their parts.
Caan hated rehearsal, while Bates and Reiner liked to rehearse, as Bates revealed in a
2019 interview with Yahoo! Entertainment.
For this reason, Bates said of her co-star,
"I got so frustrated working with him."
Despite the brutal film work Bates and Caan performed together in Misery and the initial
on-set tension between the two stars, director Rob Reiner was able to find common ground,
and Caan and Bates delivered their performances.
Bates' performance was met with widespread acclaim, both among moviegoers and her peers,
with Misery earning the actress both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
Bates and Caan remained friends once production had wrapped, and that relationship was rekindled
in their 2015 reunion for Entertainment Weekly and Today.
As Today reports, the two old friends picked up where they left off, with Caan expressing
how nice it was to see Bates again as he kissed her hand.
Caan, a famously physical, athletic actor, reminisced about that fight scene, expressing
praise for Bates' skill.
Caan said,
"She had me pinned twice, but I, I got out."
As news of James Caan's death spread, Bates tweeted,
"I'm heartbroken to hear of Jimmy's passing.
Shocked.
No words.
Thank you, Jimmy.
Love you, your 'Kat.'"
Bates elaborated on her relationship with Caan with a statement given to People, writing:
"I can't believe Jimmy's gone.
Working with him on 'Misery' was one of the most profound experiences of my career.
When you watch his performance, his terror, it's as though he's watching a snake.
Brilliant."
The Oscar-winning actress continued, saying that memories came flooding back to her after
Caan's death.
Bates said in her statement:
"He was kind.
Hilarious.
He would have something insightfully funny to say right now.
I'm bereft.
Sending all my love to the Caan family."
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