“What About Bob?” starring Invoice Murray and Richard Dreyfuss stays one of many comedies from the Nineteen Nineties that continues to thrill followers and newcomers alike, however getting the movie made wasn’t precisely a pile of snickers. Between Murray throwing a glass that shattered close to Dreyfuss to needing to shoot a number of endings, manufacturing skilled many obstacles on the way in which to the large display. Talking for a current oral historical past carried out by Rolling Stone Journal, the movie’s director, Frank Oz, shared how a lot of those rumors, in his opinion, have been conflated, however on the identical time, everybody has their very own expertise below the circumstances they confronted.
“Look, each set has a tradition and a dynamic of its personal, and there I’ve had difficulties,” he mentioned. “These dangerous conditions are cracking me up as a result of they present our frailty as human beings and our imperfections […] the egos and the fears, the insecurities if you get in a crucible that’s so pressurized. Making a film like this, we’re speaking about hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of {dollars}. We’re speaking about stars believing that it higher work, as a result of the subsequent paycheck received’t be good if it doesn’t. Richard Dreyfuss was not attempting to be dangerous. All people believes they’re doing one of the best factor for the film they usually’re attempting their perfect. That doesn’t imply that what they’re doing is one of the best for the film, however they actually imagine it.”
Dreyfuss additionally spoke to Rolling Stone for the piece and nonetheless appeared bitter over how “What About Bob?” was made, significantly in relation to Ozs high quality as a director and the mistreatment of the movie’s late producer, Laura Ziskin. Throughout one significantly tense change, Murray apparently broke Zisken’s glasses over her incapacity to safe a time without work for the crew on a vacation. Whereas Dreyfuss thought of Murray’s actions “fairly wacky,” Ozviews it as simply him being in sturdy protection of his co-workers.
“I believed on the time he crushed her glasses for private causes, nevertheless it is smart to listen to it was for the crew,” mentioned Oz. “He actually cared concerning the crew.”
For a very long time, Dreyfuss accused Murray of throwing a glass at him on set. Just lately, Murray decried these rumors, saying he threw it close to the “Jaws” actor. Ozcleared up the narrative, as he was current on the time and has it “etched” into his reminiscence.
“I bought in a room with Invoice and Richard to try to clear up a script drawback,” Ozsaid to Rolling Stone. “We had a number of drafts that numerous individuals preferred. Invoice left the room and got here again about 20 minutes later. Invoice mentioned one thing, I’m unsure what it was, however he was clearly in a darkish temper. And Richard mentioned, ‘Is that Invoice speaking or is that Bob Wiley speaking?’ And I bear in mind Invoice grabbing a glass and saying, ‘That is Invoice speaking.’ And he heaved the glass about 10 toes up within the air in opposition to an enormous excessive fire and glass scattered everywhere in the room. And I bear in mind Richard going, ‘Whoa,’ and standing up and leaving.”
Not many would contemplate this conduct acceptable, however having been within the business a very long time in many various roles, Ozthought it was simply a part of the method.
“All of us have imperfections,” he mentioned. “They usually come out after we’re on this heightened crucible of constructing a film. However if you consider the world exterior, we’re so fortunate that we get to do what we do. We’re so fortunate, so lucky. And inside this crucible, all this nonsense occurs. Trying again, it’s simply so humorous to me.”