Terry Gilliam revealed that he was initially reluctant to cast Bruce Willis in his classic sci-fi movie 12 Monkeys – because he didn’t like the actor’s ‘rectal’ mouth.
The former Monty Python star, 80, cast Willis, 65, as the lead character James Cole in the 1995 futuristic film, about a prisoner sent back in time to stop a virus that decades earlier had wiped out all of humanity.
And while the film was acclaimed and proved to be a box office success, Gilliam admitted that it took some time to warm up to the idea of Willis on paper.
Reluctant: Terry Gilliam revealed that he was initially reluctant to cast Bruce Willis in his classic sci-fi movie 12 Monkeys – because he didn’t like the actor’s ‘rectal’ mouth
He told Inverse: ‘I’ve never been a big fan of Bruce before, but I liked to talk to him and I thought, OK, this guy is smart; he’s funny.
“I explained to him my concerns about him as an actor. I hated the Trumpian mouth he makes in movies. Rectal. It’s like looking at someone’s idiot.
During the interview, Gilliam also revealed that names like Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage were also suggested – and rejected – for the blockbuster.
He recalled, ‘This was at a time when I was still a hot director, so people wanted to come up to me and touch me. So they were thinking about all those names. And I kept saying no. Tom Cruise, Nic Cage, they were all being thrown at me.
Role: Bruce Willis starred as James Cole in the 1995 futuristic film, about a prisoner sent back in time to stop a virus that decades earlier had wiped out all of humanity
Gilliam’s interview comes just after he criticized the politically correct in Hollywood, saying he is “tired, as a white man, of being guilty of everything” and that Harvey Weinstein’s victims were “adults who made choices”.
The filmmaker also repeated criticism of the #MeToo movement, calling it a ‘witch hunt’ that victimized ‘a lot of people, decent people’.
‘Yes, I said #MeToo is a witch hunt,’ the director told The Independent last year. ‘I really feel that there were a lot of people, decent people, or slightly annoying people, who were being hammered. This is wrong.
‘I don’t like the crowd mentality. These [women who came forward with claims] they were ambitious adults. ‘
Co-star: He appeared alongside Brad Pitt in the film, which was a critical and box office success
Weinstein is the powerful movie mogul who, in October 2017, was first accused of sexual misconduct by actress Ashley Judd.
Judd was quoted by The New York Times, which investigated several other charges against Weinstein that go back decades.
The groundbreaking report opened the floodgates when dozens of other women came forward with allegations of a litany of crimes committed by Weinstein, including harassment, assault and rape.
Alyssa Milano, the actress from the hit show Charmed, invited other women who were harassed or assaulted to share their stories on Twitter with the hashtag #MeToo – starting the viral phenomenon.
Weinstein’s revelations inspired other women to file claims against powerful men in a variety of sectors, including Hollywood, the media, music, sports, politics and academia.
Award-winning performance: Pitt was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, for which he won a Golden Globe
Weinstein, 68, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought by New York City prosecutors, who said he sexually abused two women – one in 2006 and one in 2013.
He was later found guilty of two of the five crimes in February 2020 and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Gilliam, however, said in his published interview a month before the tycoon’s conviction that Weinstein’s victims share some responsibility for what happened to them.
“There are many victims in Harvey’s life and I feel sympathy for them, but Hollywood is full of very ambitious people who are adults and make choices,” said Gilliam.
‘We all make choices, and I could tell who made the choice and who didn’t.’
Slammed: Gilliam had previously criticized the #MeToo movement, marking it as a ‘witch hunt’
He recalled that he had a negative experience working with Weinstein, saying: ‘I hate Harvey. I had to work with him and I know the abuse, but I don’t want people to say that all men [are abusive]. ‘
Gilliam said that when he directed the 1991 hit film The Fisher King, “two producers were women. One was a very good producer and the other was a neurotic idiot. It wasn’t about sex. It was about the position of power and how people use it. ‘
Gilliam then said that he spoke to a famous actor recently. The subject of the conversation was #MeToo.
‘She has a history of being in the room and talking to get out,’ he said. “She says,” I can tell all the girls that they didn’t, I know who they are and I know the bumps in their careers. ” What I mean is that you make choices.
Gilliam continued, ‘Can I tell you about a well-known actress who came up to me and said, “What should I do to get into your movie, Terry?”
Classics: The British-American filmmaker directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail and wrote the screenplay for Brian’s Life, by Monty Python
‘I don’t understand why people behave as if it hasn’t happened in so long that there are powerful people.
‘I understand that men have had more power for longer, but I am tired, as a white man, of being blamed for everything that is wrong with the world.’
Gilliam then reported that he raised his hands and exclaimed, ‘I didn’t do that!’
The Independent writer stepped back and said that while not all white men are guilty, they automatically receive privileges that others are not.
Gilliam replied: ‘It has been so simplified is what I don’t like. When I announce that I am a black lesbian in transition, people are offended. Because?’
Gilliam then said, ‘I don’t like the term black or white. Now I am referring to myself as a light-melanin male. I cannot stand the simplistic and tribal behavior we are experiencing at the moment. ‘
Gilliam then tried to clarify, saying, ‘I’m talking about being a man accused of all the mistakes in the world because I have white skin. So I better not be a man.
‘I better not be white. OK, since I don’t find men sexually attractive, I have to be a lesbian. What else can I be? I like girls These are just logical steps. ‘
Controversial: Gilliam is seen with Harvey Weinstein at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Gilliam said Weinstein’s victims were ‘adults who made choices’