Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America has a mixed reputation, to say the least, but IMHO Woods was the standout member of the cast, even more than De Niro.
Revenge for what? Him ignoring you? I dont even consider what he did here to get into jerk territory, let alone asshole.
That tracks
I know he had a stalker for a while. I once was on the crew of a movie he was in, and we were specifically warned about that; no one unauthorized on set and so forth. That was the mid-nineties. Perhaps he was on edge about that?
I got the vibe that he didn’t want a normie even next to him. I would get it if I tried to make conversation with him or something but it was at the bar of a crowded sushi place. Someone is going to sit next to you.
Vibes tend to be on you. Some celebs dont want to be bothered when they are just doing everyday stuff. I am on a few Disney groups, and I am always telling people to not bother celebs at Disneyland, unless they are there working. Sure wave and say Hi, but that’s it.
I’ve seen many many celebrities. I never even wave at them. I agree with your protocol and I didn’t break it. Even though sushi bar etiquette is to chat with your neighbors, I didn’t initiate conversation. He was pissed off that he didn’t get an empty seat next to him in a full restaurant. Had there been other seats I would have sat elsewhere
I happen to love that movie and he is excellent in it. The theatrical cut is completely incomprehensible. The long directors cut is the only version worth watching.
James Woods was utterly brilliant in The Onion Field. Ironically, he played an asshole character who thought he was smarter than he actually was.
Also, an unusual role for Ted Danson.
Maybe you caught him on a bad day. This is the first I’ve ever read anything negative about Christopher Lloyd in public, and it doesn’t sound like he’s near James Corden’s level.
No one is. He’s an outlier
One can differentiate between being rude to the public and being a jerk while working.
Christopher Lloyd is one many celebs well known to value their privacy and take … direct measures to do so. Steve Martin is another one.
I think even the best person is going to snap after one too many fans come up and do a Jim impression.
If I did a Jim impression he’d be within his rights to punch me. He can afford his own private sushi chef. Thinking that he gets dibs on the seat next to him at a sushi bar when every other seat is taken and giving me that evil glare is being a fucking asshole. Full stop. He is known locally to be a dick. Lots of celebrities live here. I’ve been next to them at restaurants many times. It’s Santa Barbara. No one gives a fuck. I’ve never seen any of them show rudeness like that.
A favourite of mine too. By “theatrical cut”, I assume you mean the US release. You’re certainly right about that. I think one reviewer saw the US release and called it the worst movie of 1984. After they saw the whole film they said it was the best movie of the '80s.
Does the US release even exist anymore? I’ve never seen it anywhere. I’ve always assumed that everyone who talks about the movie is talking about the full cut.
I agree Woods was excellent in it and in other movies. Turns out you can be a talented actor and be prick in other ways. See up thread-for more examples.
I think it was Siskel or Ebert or both who buried the theatrical version they saw. They revisited after the directors cut release. I had the full version on laserdisc back in the day.
Anecdote: When I was working on the movie Hoosiers I bumped into Gene Hackman a couple times just off the set in break rooms. He was perfectly nice to me in our short times together.
Which is especially interesting because he hated making that movie. He was convinced it was going to be horrible when it came out.
And as a I googled for that link, John Wayne’s name popped up after “Gene Hackman” and “hate”.
What did you do on the movie? Very cool, by the way.
I agree with this.
When I was a kid, maybe about 16, I was at a NAMM show (music convention). While walking, I saw Stewart Copeland, the drummer for The Police, just standing in a hallway, like he was waiting for someone. I walked up to him and said very politely that he was a big influence on me as a musician. I asked if I could possibly get an autograph. He looked at me, shook his head in disgust, and said no as he was walking away. At that time, I’d already met dozens of my musical heroes. All were kind and encouraging. Not Stewart though.