They always say that to succeed in show business, you have to be tough. Some directors have developed a reputation for nurturing their actors, while others push and provoke in order to get the best possible performance. It turns out that David O. Russell tends to be the latter. Actress Amy Adams recently opened up about her time on the set of the 2013 drama American Hustle, as well as the harsh treatment Russell gave her and the other actors during the film’s production. It was so hard that she cried on set almost every day.
During a recent interview with GQ, Amy Adams admitted that American Hustle director David O. Russell actually made her cry during production on the film. She says:
I was really devastated on set. I mean, not every day, but most. Jennifer
[Lawrence] don’t take anything. It is Teflon. And I’m not Teflon. But I don’t like seeing other people mistreated either. That doesn’t agree with me. Life for me is more important than movies. It really taught me to separate work and home. Because I was like, I can’t bring this experience home with my daughter.
While she didn’t give specific details about the director’s actions on set, it’s abundantly clear that he wasn’t the easiest guy to be around during American Hustle’s production. Based on this quote, it seems David O. Russell’s harsh treatment extended beyond Amy Adams. A frequent collaborator with the popular director, Jennifer Lawrence has apparently also fallen victim to his anger, but has managed to ignore it better than Adams. It seems the director takes acting incredibly seriously, and she doesn’t necessarily agree with that level of intensity on set.
Of course, it probably didn’t help that Amy Adams knew that she and her co-stars earned less for the movie than the movie’s male actors. Bad treatment is one thing, but earning a fraction of your colleagues definitely adds insult to injury.
All things considered, we’re not too sure that Amy Adams regrets her decision to take part in the film. Although David O. Russell was sometimes a difficult director to work with, he got an impeccable performance from her – and everyone else. Her performance in American Hustle proved so powerful that it earned her a fifth Academy Award nomination; not too shabby, Mrs. Adams.
If nothing else, the experience helped Amy Adams develop thicker skin that she’s continued in the other movies she’s worked on since American Hustle. Not that she needs to, she is one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood working today. Be sure to catch her as Lois Lane in Zack Snyder’s upcoming blockbuster Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which hits theaters later this month on March 25.
