Bill Murray gets honest as he pays tribute to late Gene Hackman

Bill Murray and Gene Hackman co-starred in Wes Anderson’s 2001 movie The Royal Tenenbaums.

Murray remembered how Hackman gave a phenomenal performance in the movie. But he also claimed that the late Oscar winner gave the director, who was 30 at the time, a tough time.

In his interview with the Associated Press, Murray said: “He was a tough nut, Gene Hackman, but he was really good and he was really difficult. Like, we can say it now, but he was a tough guy because older great actors do not give young directors much of a chance. They’re really rough on ’em.”

“Gene was really rough on Wes, and I used to kind of step in there and just try to defend my friend,” he recalled.

He also shared a memory of Hackman showing his acting prowess by giving a perfect performance in 25 takes of a scene where the other actor messed up every time.

He recalled: “I was watching it going, ‘No wonder this guy wants to throttle people.’ Then he gave a sort of ordinary performance and the other actor got it right, and I thought Gene was gonna throw the guy off the ledge of the building.”

“He was a great one. He was a great actor,” he remarked.

In a shocking development, Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. An investigation is ongoing to investigate the cause of the couple’s deaths.