Terry Gilliam revealed that he was initially reluctant to cast Bruce Willis in his classic sci-fi film 12 Monkeys – because he didn’t like the actor’s “rectal” mouth.
Former 80-year-old Monty Python star cast 65-year-old Willis as James Cole in a 1995 futuristic film about a prisoner sent back in time to stop a virus which decades later destroyed all of humanity.
And while the film gained appreciation and proved to be a box office success, Gilliam admitted that it took some time to warm up to Willis’ idea in the role.
Reluctant: Terry Gilliam revealed that he was initially reluctant to cast Bruce Willis in his classic sci-fi film 12 Monkeys – because he didn’t like the actor’s “rectal” mouth.
He told Inverse, “I had never been a big fan of Bruce before, but I liked talking to him and I thought, OK, this guy is smart; he is funny.
“I explained my worries about him as an actor. I hated Trump’s mouth in movies. Rectal. It’s like I’m looking at someone who’s a ** hole.
During the interview, Gilliam also revealed that Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage were also suggested – and rejected – for the blockbuster.
He recalled: “That was at a time when I was still a hot director, so people wanted to get close to me and touch me. So they came up with all these names. And I kept saying no. Tom Cruise, Nic Cage, they were all thrown at me.
Role: Bruce Willis played the role of James Cole in the 1995 futuristic film about a prisoner sent back in time to stop a virus that decades later destroyed all of humanity.
Gilliam’s interview comes exactly after he attacked political correctness in Hollywood, saying he was “tired, as a white man, of being blamed for everything” and that Harvey Weinstein’s victims were “adults who made choices.”
The filmmaker also repeatedly criticized the #MeToo movement, calling it a “witch hunt” that victimized “many people, good 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 irritated people, who were hammered. It is wrong.
“I do not like the mentality of the mobster. These [women who came forward with claims] they were ambitious adults. ‘
Co-star: He appeared with Brad Pitt in the film, which was a critical success at the box office
Weinstein is the powerful film mogul who, in October 2017, was first accused of sexual misconduct by actress Ashley Judd.
Judd was quoted by The New York Times as investigating numerous other allegations against Weinstein that spanned decades.
The revolutionary report opened its doors while dozens of other women filed charges of a litany of crimes committed by Weinstein, including harassment, assault and rape.
Alyssa Milano, the actress from the successful series Charmed, invited other women who were either harassed or assaulted to share their stories on Twitter with the hashtag #MeToo – igniting the viral phenomenon.
Weinstein’s revelations have inspired other women to sue men in many industries, including Hollywood, the media, music, sports, politics and academia.
Award-winning show: Pitt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his Performance, for which he won a Golden Globe
Weinstein, 68, pleaded not guilty to charges by New York prosecutors who allegedly sexually assaulted two women – one in 2006 and one in 2013.
He was later found guilty of two of the five crimes in February 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
However, Gilliam said in an interview published a month before the tycoon’s conviction that Weinstein’s victims share some responsibility for what happened to them.
“There are a lot of victims in Harvey’s life and I feel sympathy for them, but then Hollywood is full of very ambitious people who are adults and making choices,” Gilliam said.
“We all make choices and I could tell you who made the choice and who didn’t.”
Slammed: Gilliam previously hit the #MeToo movement, calling it a “witch hunt”
He recalled having 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 hit film The Fisher King, “two producers were women. One was a very good producer, and the other was a neurotic. It wasn’t about their sex. It was about the position of power and how people use it.
Gilliam then said he recently spoke with a famous actor. The topic of conversation was #MeToo.
“She has her story of being in the room and talking about going out,” he said. “She says, ‘I can tell all the girls who haven’t done it, and I know who they are and I know the bumps in their careers. “The point is, you make choices.
Gilliam continued: “I can tell you about a very well-known actress who comes to me and says, ‘What do I have to do to get into your movie, Terry? “
Classics: The British-American director directed Monty Python and The Holy Grail and wrote the screenplay for Brian’s Life of Monty Python
“I do not understand why people behave as if this did not happen as long as there were strong people.
“I understand that men have had more power for a long time, but I am tired, as a white man, of being blamed for everything that is wrong with the world.”
Gilliam reported that he raised his hands and exclaimed, “I didn’t!”
The Independent Writer pushed back and said that while not all white men are to blame, they are automatically granted privileges that others do not have.
Gilliam replied: “It was so simplified what I don’t like. When I announce I’m a black lesbian in transition, people get upset about it. Why?’
Gilliam said then: “I don’t like the term black or white. Now I refer to myself as a man with melanin light. I can’t stand the simplistic, tribal behavior we’re going through right now.
Gilliam then tried to clarify, saying, “I’m talking about being accused of all the mistakes in the world because I’m white. So I better not be a man.
– I better not be white. OK, because I can’t find sexually attractive men, 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.”