Wes Andersonis lifting the curtain on what it was like working with legendary actorGene Hackman.The famous director revealed that the Oscar-winning star wasn't exactly thrilled with everything during their collaboration onThe Royal Tenenbaums. In a candid interview withThe Times of Londonshared on Saturday, May 17, Anderson, 56, shared with the outlet that Hackman, 95, was particularly "grumpy" about the salary arrangements for the film. "Gene was very annoyed about the money," the director recalled, adding that theRunaway Juryactor wasn't keen on the project to begin with. "He was furious. Also, he didn't want to do the film anyway. I talked him into it — I just didn't go away." In Anderson's usual filmmaking style, he offered the same pay to every actor in the ensemble cast, including Hackman, which didn't sit well with the veteran actor. Despite his frustration, the Academy Award winner, along with costarsAnjelica HustonandGwyneth Paltrow, eventually agreed to the salary, as it became the director's standard practice. "Everybody else said yes to the salary, so Gene just went with it — and that just became our way," Anderson explained. Anderson also touched on his final conversation with Hackman, which took place at the movie's premiere. Hackman admitted that he hadn't fully understood the film while they were shooting, but later expressed how much he enjoyed being a part of it. Anderson noted, "I wish I'd shown him 10 minutes, early on. Then, maybe, he would have said, 'OK, I get it.'" Hackman, passed away in February with his wifeBetsy Arakawain their New Mexico home.According to the autopsy, his death was caused hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiac disease, along with Alzheimers, while 65-year-old Arakawa's was caused by hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Final autopsy results revealed at the end of April thatHackman hadn't eatenin a few days prior to his death. His toxicology test results were "consistent with a prolonged level of fasting."
