Rebels On the Backlot Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System

From REBELS ON THE BACKLOT Quentin Tarantino: Since his rise to fame and fortune, Tarantino has nourished the myth of being white trash, but in her first interview in years, his mother, Connie Zastoupil, describes a different scenario of her son's upper-middle-class childhood. Filming Fight Club: Rock singer Meat Loaf Aday has a small role as a member of a cancer support group, and in one scene he shows massive man-breasts. After the dailies were sent up to the executive offices, a note came back to Fincher: Do the breasts have to have nipples? The George Clooney/David Russell fights during Three Kings: They were screaming and calling each other names, until Russell head-butted Clooney, and Clooney grabbed Russell by the neck amid the chaos of the heat, the dust, the extras, the camera, and the fading light of day. The second assistant director quietly quit, setting down his camera and walking away. Pitching Being John Malkovich: When R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe told New Line chairman Bob Shaye "It's called Being John Malkovich," Shaye responded, "Being John Malkovich ... ? Why can't it be Tom Cruise?" Casting Boogie Nights: Several actors were considered for the role of Jack Horner, the porn producer; among them was Warren Beatty-that is, until Paul Thomas Anderson realized that Beatty was more interested in the Dirk Diggler role. Shooting Traffic: Steven Soderbergh had an easier time shooting Michael Douglas in the press room at the White House than he did of the star hailing a cab and riding away. Every time Douglas, in character, made an attempt, some tourist ran into the shot, screaming, "It's Michael Douglas!"Waxman, Sharon is the author of 'Rebels On the Backlot Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System', published 2005 under ISBN 9780060540173 and ISBN 0060540176.