Gene Hackman’s acting flaw was that he was just too darn good.
After the two-time Oscar winner was found dead in his New Mexico home earlier this week, the Associated Press published an interview in which his “Royal Tenenbaums” co-star Bill Murray gave insight into filming the 2001 Wes Anderson-directed movie.
“He was a tough nut, Gene Hackman, but he was really good,” Murray, 74, said in the sit-down that went live Thursday, describing Hackman as “really difficult.”
“We can say it now, but he was a tough guy ’cause older great actors do not give young directors much of a chance,” Murray continued.
“They’re really rough on ’em. And Gene was really rough on Wes. And I used to kind of step in there and just try to defend my friend.”
Without naming names, Murray recalled watching Hackman “do, like, 25 takes where he did it perfectly with an actor who kept blowing it every single time.”
The “Lost in Translation” star remembered wincing as he witnessed the scene, thinking to himself, “Oh, God. … No wonder this guy wants to throttle people.”
According to Murray, Hackman eventually “gave just sort of an ordinary performance, and the other actor got it right.”
He “thought Gene was gonna throw the guy off the ledge of the building.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies discovered the 95-year-old’s body in his residence alongside the bodies of his wife, 64-year-old classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and one of the couple’s dogs.
“The death of the two deceased individuals [is] suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened,” the search warrant stated, though foul play is not suspected.
“Deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak.”
The actor’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth Hackman, initaially believed carbon monoxide poisoning might have led to her dad and stepmom’s deaths.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman, and his wife, Betsy,” Elizabeth, her sister, Leslie Hackman, and Gene’s granddaughter, Annie, previously told Page Six.
“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us, he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” they made sure to note, adding that they “will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
Responding officers found Gene’s body in a room near the kitchen. It’s suspected that he might have fallen, as his sunglasses were on the ground next to his body.
As for Arakawa, she was found lying on her side on the bathroom floor near a countertop that contained the “scattered” pills. They believe she, too, may have fallen.
There was a space heater near her head, which police suspect could have tumbled off the counter if she fell abruptly.
There was also “bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet,” leading authorities to believe the pair may have been dead anywhere from “several days” to “a couple of weeks” before they were discovered.
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