What did Wes Anderson say about Gene Hackman? Filmmaker reflects on having "friction" with late actor

Filmmaker Wes Anderson reflected on working with Gene Hackman in a recent interview with The Times. In 2001, Anderson’s film The Royal Tenenbaums was released, featuring Hackman.

Speaking to the media outlet, Anderson shared that Hackman had been upset about the payment and was initially unwilling to do the film. The filmmaker had to convince him by being persistent.

Since the rest of the cast had agreed to the offered salary, Gene Hackman eventually accepted it too, and that approach ended up shaping how they handled salaries for the project. However, the two were not closely in touch after that incident. Reflecting on that, Wes Anderson said:

“Not a word. In fact he left without saying goodbye. He was grumpy, we had friction. He didn’t enjoy it. I was probably too young and it was annoying to him.”

Wes Anderson last spoke to Gene Hackman after the movie came out, and Hackman told him he liked it. However, during filming, he had mentioned that he didn’t understand it.

Anderson later reflected that if he had shown Hackman a short clip earlier, it might have helped him grasp the film’s tone or style sooner.

This isn’t the first time the filmmaker shared his feelings about Gene Hackman. In a previous interview with The Talks, Anderson was asked about the actor who had difficulty with his directorial style. He replied:

“One of the most challenging and best actors I worked with, many years ago, was Gene Hackman. He was not a relaxed, comfortable person in my company, but he did like a complicated shot where you have to be here and here and where there is a challenge for him.”

What did Bill Murray say about the bond between Wes Anderson and Gene Hackman?

After Gene Hackman died in February 2025, actor and comedian Bill Murray shared a statement with The Associated Press, mentioning that Hackman gave Anderson a difficult time. Murray said that Hackman was talented and challenging at the same time.

According to him, as an experienced actor, Hackman didn’t make affairs easier for younger directors and was especially tough on Wes Anderson. Bill Murray said they often tried to step in and support Anderson during those moments. Speaking to Drew Barrymore on her show, Murray said:

“When you see the movie, it’s a real piece of work. Wes Anderson makes great movies and so does Gene Hackman. You put them both in the same movie, what are you gonna get? You’re gonna get a good movie.”

In The Times interview, Anderson commented on his filmmaking expenses, saying:

“I’m very cost-conscious, but also not very minimalist. For years I’ve said our sets should be like a student film, yet someone will say, ‘But we have 350 extras and we’ve got to dress them all!’”

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Anderson’s upcoming movie, The Phoenician Scheme, will be hitting the theaters on May 30, 2025. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when asked about the inspiration behind the movie, Wes Anderson shared that the idea started during a conversation with Benicio del Toro at Cannes.

He imagined Benicio as a European business tycoon, and the character was also inspired by Anderson’s late father-in-law, a Lebanese man with a strong, commanding presence who left a lasting impression on him.

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