DW and Shirley MacLaine

Oh Lord, this one again. Over the last twenty seven years, neither actress have given EXACT details, yet it's clear the that the two did not get along on the set of Terms.

Winger was the IT girl of the late seventies and early eighties, for the only other actress receiving as many Oscars nods at that time was Meryl Streep, yet Winger's films did much better at the box office.

Listening to all stories/interviews and attempting to connect the dots over the decades, it's somewhat clear that Winger wasn't prepared emotionally, mentally and probably artistically for that level of success, for she was young and didn't have the strong training in her background.

Her problems began during the filming of Urban Cowboy, (opting to continue to live in her hotel room with her dog and go to the bar where the film was shot every night for a long period after the film had rapped), hightened during An Officer and a Gentleman, (her fights with both director and Richard Gere), and sort of hit the fan when she took on her first leading role in Terms of Endearment.

Objectively, these were two woman from different backgrounds and generations, one a beginner with a turbulent free spirit while the other a seasoned rat pack pro who was very structured in her training and approach, yet both poccessed an artistic temperment and each obtaining the role of a lifetime within the same film with a Freshman film Director at the helm set the ground work for conflicts.

It seems that information was leaked by someone or someone(s) working within the Nebraskan film crew where the hospital scenes were filmed and the disputes between the two actresses were reported, but not exposed until the film went into release.

This was also the beginning of Winger's reputation for being difficult,
for it was reported that she insisted that everyone on the set refer to her as Emma and she refused to leave the bed and basically lived in the hospital during the period when those scenes were shot.

Once the film was released and the negative press began, it took very little on either part the two actresses for the stories to evolve.

Well said on the "Terms" issues, larpine, but I have to say...

Debra was definitely hot stuff for a few years in the early 80s (and I was/am a big fan), but as far as being the IT girl in the late 70's? For what? Playing Wonder Girl? Her first big splash was in '80 in Urban Cowboy.

And, as far as her being Streep's chief Oscar rival? Hardly. Winger was nominated only twice in those years ('82 and '83...her 3rd nom came 10 years later). Two Oscar nominations is no difficult feat. Diane Keaton had two noms by that time and Sissy Spacek had three. Hell, by '81 Marsha Mason had 4 of them! Oscar-wise, Winger was hardly a major player like Streep.

Not that Winger wasn't poised to be the next big thing, but I recall Jessica Lange and Glenn Close as Streep's main Oscar rivals as the 80's drew on. Winger (unfortunately) sort of blew what she had going for her after "Terms". Take a look at her filmography for the remainder of the 80's compared to the roles she turned down. Too bad! She really is awesome!

I heard there was a scene in which her character was in bed and Winger treated Shirley MacLaine to a "Dutch Oven".

Here's what really happened....


Debra became heavily addicted to cocaine around the time she shot Urban Cowboy. She continued to struggle. Then, during Terms of Endearment, she became so erratic during filming that they eventually had to place her in a detox drug treatment center.

During one screening for Terms of Endearment, Debra and Shirley were sitting side by side when a scene appeared on screen of Debra sitting on the lawn in a red dress (the one where they are waiting for the astronaut to move in next door) and Shirley exclaimed "awww, doesn't she look sweet!" and moved to put her hand on Debra's shoulder. Unfortunately, her hand missed and she accidentally ended up touching Debra's breast! Debra totally had a cow and started screaming "did you just see that?! she just grabbed my tit!" she then jumped on to Shirley in anger and the crew had to pull her off. Shirley eventually got so fed up during filming that she got into one of the cars on set in front of the house and started to drive off and some of the crew jumped onto the hood of the car trying to stop her. They begged her to stay.

Meanwhile, Debra was still pissed off. She actually tried to get MacLaine fired. She told the director and producers, "it's either her, or me!"

The next best thing was when she locked herself out of a hotel room at the Plaza in New York (during the filming of those scenes of that trip that she and her friend take to Manhattan) because she had a pimple! She was playing a woman dying of cancer....and she was afraid to come out because of a pimple!

I couldn't believe it when I heard this story. Debra seems too sweet for this attitude and Terms of Endearment is one of my favorite movies. I've always loved Debra winger, but man......I'm really glad she got clean from cocaine!

Winger has been "difficult" and in interviews over the years has trashed just about everyone she ever worked with. I loved "Terms of Endearment" and "An Officer and a Gentleman" in particular, and still do, but in "real life" she appears to have been an extremely unstable and nasty person.

That's funny. In Shirley MacLaine's book "Thank My Lucky Stars' she says Debra Winger grabbed HER breast. In fact she has a whole chapter about "Terms" and makes Winger sound like an obnoxious, foul-mouthed little brat. I thin MacLaine is telling the truth. Seriously--who's been doing more movies since "Terms"? I've heard people won't work with Winger because she's very VERY difficult.