Fame comes with a lot of power and responsibility. Several Hollywood stars have changed the script or an idea just because they didn’t approve of it. Yes, once you are a star, your words can have more weight than that of the producers. The crew is usually walking on eggshells around them. However, actors must know better than misusing their influence and overstepping on the godfather’s shoes. It doesn’t take that long for a meek but talented actor to replace them. But these stars pushed hard to get things done anyway and even succeeded in their goals. Here are 10 actors who forced their ideas on movies.
Angelina Jolie
No one is unaware of the power and influence Angelina Jolie holds in the industry. She is the queen of movies, especially in the action genre. She has earned herself the right to make changes in the script if it doesn’t suit her palette. For “Wanted”, the actress didn’t want her character to go free after killing so many innocents. So, she insisted the writers make Fox shoot herself after discovering the dark truth about her actions.
Robert De Niro
One of the best-known and most iconic songs about New York City exists because of Robert De Niro. The theme song for Martin Scorsese’s “New York, New York” was something else initially. When Robert De Niro heard it, he couldn’t help but interfere and ask them to change it.
Tom Cruise
“The Mummy” of 2017 was not only a disaster but also the reason why Dark Universe ended before it could begin. Sources state that Tom Cruise played a major part in controlling the script. He shifted most of the attention to himself from the main plot and the titular mummy. It was also him who had suggested giving his character the mummy’s powers in the end.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is one of the biggest international stars in the film industry. He owes this fame to “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones”. But he was still a young, unknown, and struggling actor when the Star Wars franchise had approached him. Yet, the actor took the courage to say no to the costume department for giving Han Solo a blue-collar like Peter Pan.
Kim Basinger
Back in 1992, Kim Basinger and Brad Pitt starred in the fantasy-comedy “Cool World” that got an abysmal response from the audience and critics. Director Ralph Bakshi had originally envisioned the movie to be a horror flick. But Kim Basinger wanted it to be PG-13 for the sick children in hospitals. The entire script had to be rewritten as the producers were also on the same page with Kim.
Bruce Lee
During the Green Hornet and Batman crossover in the 1966 ABC show “Batman”, Bruce Lee appeared as Kato. According to the original script, Batman’s sidekick Robin would have defeated Kato in the fight. But it was totally unacceptable to Bruce Lee, given his proficiency in martial arts. The makers had to concede to the legend’s demand and let the fight end in a draw.
Patrick Stewart
The “Star-Trek” star wanted to spruce up his character, Captain Picard, badly. He was tired of Picard not getting in any fight or physically intimate relationships. It’s true that the Captain never got to do any of those bucket-list items. So, after weeks of complaining, Patrick Stewart finally got what he wanted in Season 3 of “The Next Generation” in episode “Captain’s Holiday”.
Glenn Close
The famous actress, Glenn Close played Vice President Kathryn Bennett in the action-thriller “Air Force One”. She revealed in an interview that her character was supposed to break down crying in one of the scenes. But Glenn refused to do so and was stern on how she wanted to project her Vice President.
Sam Worthington
Bubo the mechanical owl was a well-known character in the 1981 “Clash of the Titans”. He was sent by the Gods of Olympus to help Perseus. When Sam Worthington starred in the 2010 remake, he dared to scrap Bubo out of the script. The movie ended up making profits at the box office but didn’t score good reviews from the critics. According to sources, Sam had a good start in acting but his unnecessary demands ended his career.
Jack Nicholson
The titan of acting has the power to get what he wants. His character in “The Departed” was customized by Jack Nicholson’s preferences and ideas. He even made the writers turn Frank Costello into a s*x fuelled demon. For one of the scenes, it was Nicholson’s idea to don a d*ldo to add to the horrifying nature of his character. However, the producers were firm when they wanted to edit out most of the s*x scenes.
