Anthony Hopkins Called ‘A Change of Season’ Co-Star Shirley MacLaine ‘The Most Obnoxious Actor’
The fact that two actors are revered in their own right is no guarantee they’ll respect one another in real life. Such a situation was proven when Anthony Hopkins called his A Change of Seasons co-star, Shirley MacLaine, “the most obnoxious actor I’ve ever worked with.” The truth is, MacLaine didn’t care much for Hopkins, either.
Anthony Hopkins’ feud with Shirley MacLaine
Those who weren’t around to see the 1980 infidelity dramedy A Change of Seasons didn’t miss much. Capitalizing on 10-starlet Bo Derek‘s sudden fame, the movie tanked critically and at the box office.
Neither Shirley MacLaine nor Anthony Hopkins elaborated publicly on what made them dislike each other so much. However, according to BuzzFeed, the former said that Hopkins’ sobriety during the filming of A Change of Seasons may have been part of the problem.
“I didn’t like him, either, but he was on the wagon at that time, and it was hard on him.”
What the critics had to say about ‘A Change of Seasons’
The New York Times lauded the pre-title sequence that showcased Bo Derek frolicking in a hot tub as “a live-action Playboy centerfold.” NYT critic Vincent Canby added, “then, unfortunately, the movie starts.”
The menage-a-quatre theme was explored a decade prior in the Paul Mazursky film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. Whereas the 1969 flick was “bold,” A Change of Seasons was about as “predictable as a long arctic winter,” decried TV Guide, who went on to say that despite her memorable scenes in 10, Derek “falls to earth with a thud” in A Change of Seasons.
Variety was no kinder, referring to the plot line of A Change of Seasons as “arbitrary and mechanical” and Anthony Hopkins’ character as “a totally self-centered boor who never engages audience sympathy.”
MacLaine and Hopkins before and after ‘A Change of Seasons’
By the time Anthony Hopkins signed on to play bed-hopping professor Adam Evans, the Welsh-born actor boasted an extensive television and film resume, including appearances in Audrey Rose, Magic, A Bridge Too Far, and International Velvet. The Elephant Man, in which Hopkins plays Dr. Frederick Treves, was released the same year as A Change of Seasons.
In the wake of the ill-fated A Change of Seasons, Hopkins turned his talents toward television productions of Othello, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Bunker, in which the 5’9″ actor portrayed Adolf Hitler. Other notable roles followed, including 84 Charing Cross Road, The Silence of the Lambs, The Remains of the Day, and Dracula. Currently, Hopkins is in pre- and post-production of three projects: One Life, Rebel Moon, and Freud’s Last Session.
Born Shirley MacLean Beaty in Richmond, Virginia, the actor who played Karyn Evans in A Change of Seasons is the older sister of Shampoo star Warren Beatty. MacLaine got her start in Hollywood several years before her A Change of Seasons co-star, appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble With Harry and Artists and Models with comedian Jerry Lewis in 1955.
In the decades leading up to A Change of Seasons, MacLaine graced the silver screen several times, offering notable performances in Some Came Running, Can-Can, Sweet Charity, and Irma La Douce. 1960 saw MacLaine appear alongside her “Rat Pack” buddies Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford with an uncredited part in Ocean’s Eleven.
Nominated numerous times, MacLaine finally won the Best Actress Oscar for her stellar turn as Aurora Greenway in the 1983 film, Terms of Endearment.
Now 88 years old, MacLaine can be seen in two episodes of Only Murders in the Building and is currently in pre-production on two projects: Men of Granite and People Not Places, in which she plays “a sprightly woman in her twilight years,” according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
Although they’re both busy, it’s probably safe to say that MacLaine and Hopkins won’t be sharing a silver screen soon.
