‘Gone Girl’ Shut Down Production For Four Days Because Ben Affleck Refused to Wear a Yankees Hat
Actors and directors don’t always see eye-to-eye. Some of the best scenes in films were a result of a conflict that arose on the set when the actor disagreed with part of the script.
Some of these disagreements resulted in changes that took the films in a whole new direction, while others were very simple changes that audiences probably would never even have noticed. One seemingly unimportant element of the film Gone Girl caused the crew to shut down production while the leading actor and director negotiated about a difference of opinion.
One scene in ‘Gone Girl’ caused quite a controversy on the set
The 2014 psychological thriller, Gone Girl, was a hit. The film was based on a book of the same name, which spent eight weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. According to Hollywood Reporter, the movie grossed $370 million. It was director David Fincher’s highest-grossing film at the time.
The mysterious plot kept fans on the edges of their seats, eagerly trying to unravel the clues and figure it all out. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike star as a seemingly happily married couple. When Pike’s character disappears, Affleck’s character becomes the main suspect. A media circus ensues, and his life is turned upside-down as everyone learns that his marriage wasn’t quite what it seemed to be.
One particular scene caused serious controversy on set, and it wasn’t even a very memorable one. In a quick scene at the airport, Affleck’s character catches a glimpse of himself on a local news report. In an effort to disguise himself, he quickly dons a baseball cap. It was the simple act of putting a baseball cap on that started a fairly big conflict.
Production was shut down for four days
The baseball cap scene became a huge problem when Affleck refused to wear a Yankees cap. The director had chosen the Yankees cap because the couple in the film was from New York. Although the movie takes place in Missouri, the back story states that they moved there from New York City. Fincher thought it would make sense that Affleck’s character was a Yankees fan.
Of course, anyone who is familiar with Affleck knows that he grew up in Boston. He’s very proud of his Boston roots and he just could not bring himself to wear something representing Boston’s most dubious rival. Not only did he not want to wear it, he knew he’d never hear the end of it from basically everyone in his life.
It might not seem like a big deal to most people, but the baseball cap debacle shut down production for four days. Fincher had to negotiate with Affleck’s agent to find a way to stay true to the story while also appeasing Affleck. Fincher and Affleck finally compromised on a Mets cap.
The drama was resolved, but that didn’t stop Fincher from later roasting Affleck about the scenario. There didn’t seem to be any hard feelings between the two, even though Fincher jokingly said, “I really wanted it to be a Yankees cap but, being from Boston and not being very professional as an actor, Ben refused to wear a Yankees cap.”
Baseball fans on Reddit shared that Affleck wasn’t the only actor to be up in arms over a baseball cap. According to the Reddit threads, Jack Nicholson refused to wear a Red Sox cap in the Boston-based film, The Departed, proudly sporting a Yankees cap instead. “On the flip side, when filming The Departed Jack Nicholson refused to wear a Red Sox cap and wore a Yankees cap instead.”
Ben Affleck isn’t the only actor who demanded changes to a movie script
Shutting down movie production over the team on a baseball cap might seem silly, but Affleck isn’t the only actor in Hollywood who demanded script changes. While some actors make tantrum-like demands over small issues, some actually have creative ideas that improve the film as a whole. BuzzFeed recently shared some interesting insights into actors who had strong feelings about some script changes…
Robert Downey Jr. had a suggestion that took the end of The Avengers in a different direction. After Iron Man came crashing to the ground, his line was originally supposed to be “What’s next?” Downey Jr. wasn’t impressed and suggested several alternatives. In the end, the comment about shawarma made the cut and resulted in a special post-credits scene showing the gang finally relaxing and enjoying some delicious Arabic food.
The Fast and the Furious fans adore the love story between lead man Dominic Toretto and his bad-ass girl, Letty. The two definitely had a “ride or die” relationship, and we can’t really think of too many couples that seem more perfect for one another. However, the original script went in the love triangle direction, including Paul Walker’s character, Brian O’Connor, in the mix. Michelle Rodriguez, who played Letty, nearly quit the film when the idea of the love triangle was pushed on her. She didn’t want to be seen as a cheater, even in something completely fictional.
It’s not always a suggestion about the script–the high-flying horror film Snakes on a Plane was almost called Pacific Flight 121. When Samuel L. Jackson found out they were contemplating switching the name to something so dull, he rallied against the change. He thought Snakes on a Plane was way more intriguing, and the execs eventually agreed.
