Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando!
First of all, we will be surprised to learn that the two cinema legends filmed together. They both seem to come from two different eras of cinema.
In any case, they did work together in 1967 in The Countess from Hong Kong .
Charlie Chaplin directed the film and Marlon Brando starred alongside Sophia Loren and Tippi Hedren.
It was a small production and Marlon Brandon only accepted the role so he could work with Chaplin, who was one of his idols.
Only from the start of filming, the relationship between the two legends turned sour.
Charlie Chaplin had a very precise idea of what he wanted from his actors. And, to ensure that they would give him exactly what he wanted, he played each scene for them, telling them the facial expressions and intonations he wanted to see.
Tippi Hedren shares some memories from this shoot in her autobiography “Tippi: A Memoir” :
“It was a very unusual way of directing actors. But you have to have humor in life. The fact that Chaplin played each of our characters in front of us before each scene, I found that adorable. But Marlon n I didn’t like it at all.”
It is an understatement to say that he did not appreciate Chaplin’s method: he was downright outraged and felt insulted.
Marlon Brando was not the most flexible of actors. He had his own style and he couldn’t believe anyone could tell him how to play. Especially since he had been praised by critics for his revolutionary way of approaching acting.
As a result, he wanted to leave the shoot.
Chaplin had to beg him to stay. Which cost him, because he wasn’t known for being the most flexible of men either…
The two men’s relationship was forever damaged.