Robert Downey Jr. tried to work a crude sight gag into Pure Born Killers, solely irritating director Oliver Stone…who lastly relented.
Robert Downey Jr. has the ability to steal any scene he desires. Simply take one take a look at his shock SDCC look this summer season and also you get an concept of what we imply. However that is nothing new, and among the best examples of that is 1994’s Pure Born Killers, by which he performed Wayne Gale, the personification of exploiting criminals to the purpose of cult standing. It’s undoubtedly one of many standout performances in Pure Born Killers (though I’d decide Rodney Dangerfield’s as probably the most memorable), however in accordance with Oliver Stone, he nearly ruined your complete movie.
By most accounts, Downey Jr. was not often sober on the set of Pure Born Killers, however on one specific day, he occurred to be fully straight. However that doesn’t imply he wouldn’t get uncontrolled to the purpose of pissing off his director. In a single occasion, he dipped his shirt tail in pretend blood and pulled it by his unzipped pants, making it his personal bloody “iron man”, to which Stone responded, “Oh come on—that’s an excessive amount of! You’re going too far, Robert…You’re ruining my film! Overlook the dumb dick concept. This isn’t…This isn’t some slapstick bullsh*t.” Besides, anybody who has seen Pure Born Killers is aware of simply how over-the-top it will get (even Woody Harrelson considers it a romantic comedy)…However Stone would ultimately meet within the center (or thereabouts…), telling Downey Jr. to drag the shirt tail again in half an inch.
When cameras rolled on Pure Born Killers, Downey Jr. was recent off of an Oscar nomination for Chaplin however nonetheless had his share of troubles occurring, telling Esquire (in a terrific new piece recounting the making of Pure Born Killers), “The one time I used to be awake…was between Motion and Reduce.” Woody Harrelson, who performed Mickey to Juliette Lewis’ Mallory, recounted, “I don’t wish to say I used to be the ethical middle on this film, however I used to be the one doing the least quantity of medication! Which is—it’s by no means occurred in my profession or my life. And nobody’s ever executed extra medicine than me, however I used to be Mom Teresa on this one.”
Pure Born Killers celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this yr, so there’s actually no higher solution to rejoice than to revisit the movie and rewatch our episode of WTF Occurred to This Film?! (we all know, it’s not about us…).
Are you a fan of Pure Born Killers? What’s the standout scene for you?
