Five years may have passed since David O. Russell’s now-infamous fight with Lily Tomlin on the set of “I Heart Huckabees” became a YouTube sensation, but in that time the director clearly hasn’t learned how to breathe and count to five because James Caan has walked off the set of the director’s new movie, “Nailed.”
James’ camp is downplaying the rumored on-set ill-will by claiming old faithful, “creative differences,” which is akin to citing “irreconcilable differences” in a divorce. It could mean a whole mess of things. “James Caan did amicably part ways with this production due to creative differences. He wished all of the actors and production crew well when he departed,” his publicist tells PopWrap.
These two respected actors aren’t the only ones who’ve clashed with the notoriously prickly director. Back in 1999 David and his “Three Kings” co-star George Clooney actually got into a fistfight, complete with schoolyard taunting, over David’s perceived poor treatment of the crew. George later called the incident “the worst experience of my life.”
But the drama doesn’t end there, apparently Jake Gyllenhaal, also starring in “Nailed,” has also been causing problems on set. The crew was filming at the South Carolina State House on Wednesday when Jake began acting like a diva, according to one report.
“He was complaining that the room was too small, complaining about the temperature, complaining about his chair,” the source says. “It was like watching a two-year-old having a meltdown every five minutes.”
On the plus side, Jake’s other co-star, Jessica Biel, is getting on like gangbusters with the crew and locals in South Carolina. She was called “delightfully friendly” by one by-stander who also witnessed her performing some cartwheels in between takes.
Well, two out of three ain’t bad!