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Director George Sluizer villifies Judy Davis...

posted 8 years ago by EveryDayFriend
3 replies | jump to latest

From Canada's "FINAL 24" Series, Director George Sluizer on Judy Davis on the set of Dark Blood:

"She was very difficult to work with. And we had a bad relationship. I was very irritated by the way she treated River; by making it difficult for him to act. Whispering instead of talking. When you could help -- NOT helping. The only time I've suffered through an actress. I've never had any problems with actors ever before in my career, but she... (chuckling) she made up for 40 years or something; or 30 years. Because she was, in a kind of way, impossible. And she made it tough for River also -- and complained to me many times, that she was making it tough for him."

The documentary also says River felt the antagonism and called friends in tears. He dreaded the love scene happening with her and asked Sluizer to delay the scene til the end because Davis made his skin crawl. The scene wrapped. Ad that night, he'd head to the Viper Room.

(By the description, it would seem a 23-year-old getting wasted is understandable after putting up with Davis' behavior.)

[–] PrometheusTree64 8 years ago

Objectively, of course, both actors were responsible for their own actions.

River had substance abuse issues, had been clean for months, and then fell off the wagon before the movie was completed -- especially once they went back to L.A. from Utah to do the studio stuff.

Davis is a brilliant talent yet her reputation not for toughness but for meanness is established.

It couldn't have ended well and it didn't.

Clearly, Davis can't be blamed for River's death (as some have tried to do) but she'll have to face her Maker over her behavior towards others, be it good or bad, and she won't be able to bully and insult Him and expect to get away with it.

Phoenix was baby-diddled and it makes you wonder about her.

Clearly, both River and Judy had issues, whatever the origins of those issues. He handled his with addiction to chemicals, and she handled hers with addictions to rage.

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[–] Mr_Ectoplasma 8 years ago

Blaming her for his death is one thing, but acknowledging how much of a twat she was/is is entirely another. You can't blame her for his overdose—that's ludicrous. But that doesn't mean she was kind to him, or that her actions didn't affect him. Many people who have worked with her have said similar things. Karen Black also openly spoke about how cruel she was to Sluizer on set.

Some of her fans seem to revel in her stone-coldness as if it somehow makes her more worthy of being celebrated as an uncompromising or powerful actress—which, I'm not saying she's not a great actress—but, ultimately, I have zero respect for her. Conducting your professional life as a deliberately vicious kunt isn't something that should be celebrated.

[–] PrometheusTree64 7 years ago

Be it Joan Crawford or Judy Davis (or Hitler) a certain portion of the population really, really 'respects' meanness or undiluted narcissism in others, seeing it as a symptom of strength and autonomy and they therefore want to align themselves with it.

And while they express their support by claiming such stories of abuse are unfair or untrue, it's actually because they do believe those stories that they're drawn to the figure in question and become so protective of it.

Through the glass darkly, eh?

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