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The one co-star John Wayne hated working with the most

Umito November 10, 2024

(Credits: Far Out / Monogram Pictures Corporation)

Saturday November 9, 2024 5:15 p.m., United Kingdom

Even though they reconciled before it was too late, there was a lot of tension between them. John Wayne and Kirk Douglas for a long time, most of which stemmed from their opposing political views.

The first was one of the most prominent anti-communist figures in Hollywood and wanted nothing to do with anyone even tangentially connected to the party, even though the party played a vital role in ending the blacklist when it went against the grain and ensured that for Dalton Trumbo to be credited for the first time in years without having to use a Stanley Kubrick pseudonym Spartacus.

Whenever Wayne and Douglas talked about politics, there was a good chance it would end in a heated argument. However, as two of the biggest stars of Hollywood’s “golden age”, there was always a feeling of mutual respect and admiration between them, whatever their political orientation.

They appeared in the same film three years in a row when they lent their name to the romantic war epic. In dangeraction thriller Cast a giant shadowand western The war chariot between 1965 and 1967, even if they were not always in the best conditions. Yet any animosity between “the Duke” and Douglas is minimal compared to what he experienced two years later, when he was filming her Oscar-winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in Real courage.

Given the circumstances, there was little chance that Wayne would have much time or patience with the relatively untested Kim Darby, who played Mattie Ross. On the one hand, when the role proved the most difficult to choose, “The Duke” promised his daughter Aissa that it would be as good as hers, only for Hathaway to hire Darby without consulting him first.

He nevertheless congratulated her, even if it was completely roundabout. Describing her as “strong-willed, independent and determined” seems like a sign of approval, but that wasn’t quite the case. “It’s great for the character, but not so great for an actor,” he added. The tension was there from the start, but there were other mitigating factors that Darby couldn’t control.

She had recently given birth to a daughter and the majority of her free time was spent caring for her newborn, while an impending divorce from husband Jack Stacy added another tumultuous element to her personal life. For Wayne, this simply wasn’t enough, leaving him increasingly frustrated with what he perceived to be an unprofessional attitude.

“I like that my film partners and I get along well,” he said angrily. “Jesus, I got along better with Kirk Douglas.” Growing frustrated with a new mother who was on the verge of divorce seems pretty callous, but Wayne wasn’t known for being the progressive type. Again, given that he once accused Douglas of betraying him for having had the temerity to play a non-macho character like Vincent Van Gogh, it was not unusual.