As a seasoned gamer with a keen eye for cinema, I must admit that Oliver Stone’s directorial journey with “Natural Born Killers” was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. The behind-the-scenes tales from this iconic film are as captivating as the movie itself.
According to Oliver Stone, making the movie “Natural Born Killers” wasn’t without difficulties, and Robert Downey Jr.’s involvement certainly added to the complexity of the process.
Thirty years following the debut of the 1994 crime romance movie, the Academy Award-winning director recently reflected on this film for an oral history piece by Esquire. Among other aspects, he discussed Robert Downey Jr.’s spontaneous acting in a scene where his character stained the front of his white shirt with fake blood and ran his hand through the zipper of his pants to suggest a bloody penis.
Stone exclaimed angrily, “That’s excessive! You’re overstepping the mark, Robert,” he said, remembering his outburst. “You’re spoiling my film! Forget about that ridiculous penis joke… This isn’t some mindless slapstick comedy.”
Later on, the director initially requested Oppenheimer’s actor to reenact a specific scene, saying, “Hold up, hold up—just a moment. Let me take another look at that crucial part.” Downey followed instructions, and Stone then asked, “Pull it back slightly more. Alright, let’s proceed.”
The movie “Natural Born Killers” portrayed the story of Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis’ characters, who were both lovers and ruthless serial killers. As they embarked on a murderous journey across the country, they gained fame as media sensations. Robert Downey Jr. starred in the role of Wayne Gale, a tabloid journalist with a sleazy reputation.
Filming for the 1994 film coincided with a period in Downey’s life when he was battling addiction. “The only moments I was conscious… were during ‘Action’ and ‘Cut’,” the star of Iron Man confessed.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t just Downey who caused the chaos. Stone revealed to the media that the production environment was chaotic because all the actors seemed to be under the influence of various substances. He even went so far as to say that Woody was the most composed among them, which speaks volumes given Harrelson’s reputation for marijuana use.
“Harrelson stated that he didn’t claim to be the moral compass of the movie, but rather the least involved with drug use. He further emphasized that such a situation has never occurred in his career or life. Interestingly, he mentioned that others have used more drugs than him, but during this project, he was like Mother Teresa compared to them.”
Beyond the chaos that unfolded on set, which Downey himself referred to as a “meticulously orchestrated three-ring circus ballet,” the actor nevertheless had nothing but praise for Stone’s work in Natural Born Killers, stating: “With this film, Oliver Stone has created something that merits reevaluation.”
Later on, Downey commented, “Oliver Stone, aside from perhaps Christopher Nolan and a select few others, stands tall as the most poignant representative of social commentary in filmmaking. Stone’s films have always carried a message.”
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-09-01 04:24