Key Takeaways:
– Louis Leterrier, director of “The Incredible Hulk,” revealed his conflicts with actor William Hurt during the film’s production.
– Hurt was reportedly difficult to work with, leading to Leterrier physically shaking him during an argument to assert his dominance.
– Hurt’s role as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross was his only MCU appearance, which subsequently became a significant character in the franchise.
– In addition to heated exchanges, arguments also arose regarding the size of Hurt’s on-screen mustache.
Behind-The-Scenes Conflict on “The Incredible Hulk” Set
“The Incredible Hulk,” despite being an early installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, remains a unique entry for a multitude of reasons. One surprising disclosure from the set has recently emerged, fueling the film’s status as the black sheep of the MCU.
The movie notably marked Edward Norton’s only portrayal of Bruce Banner / Hulk. It also introduced the late William Hurt’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, a major supporting character in the MCU. In a recent interview, the film’s director Louis Leterrier shed light on the challenging production process, particularly his constant disagreements with Hurt.
Leterrier’s Problems with William Hurt
In a conversation on Josh Horowitz’s YouTube channel in 2023, Leterrier revealed the full extent of his tumultuous relationship with the late William Hurt, who passed away in 2022. Besides the troubles in capturing Leterrier’s vision for the movie, Hurt’s confrontational and intellectual approach to his character led to heated exchanges between the actor and the director.
Surprisingly, the tensions escalated to a point where Leterrier had to resort to a vaguely violent encounter with Hurt to show his control. Describing an incident where both locked horns on a moving helicopter, Leterrier said: “One day, he was just screaming at me, ‘You don’t know anything about actors!’ Too bad for him, he was on the giant helicopter at the end and I was in control.”
The incident escalated to the point that Leterrier shook Hurt into a wall, causing him to fall. This strange occurrence paved the way for Hurt’s newfound respect for Leterrier, and they reportedly had no further disputes while working on the project.
The Great Mustache Debate
Interestingly, one of the recurring points of disagreement was the size of the mustache donned by Hurt’s character Thaddeus Ross. Hurt was worried about his mustache outdoing his acting prowess in the action-packed film. Speaking about this, Leterrier added, “A lot of [‘Incredible’] is non-verbal and so, you can only do this with amazing actors. He also didn’t want the mustache to out-act him, so the size of the mustache was a discussion.”
Getting Hurt to align with his vision for Thaddeus Ross in the film was clearly a difficult task for Leterrier. The disagreement over the character’s portrayal also implied that Hurt felt more like a prop in the film than a crucial character.
Post Hurt’s demise, the revered Hollywood actor Harrison Ford has stepped into the shoes of Ross in the MCU, making his debut in the upcoming film “Captain America: Brave New World.”
“The Incredible Hulk,” despite its rocky behind-the-scenes history, is an integral part of the billion-dollar MCU franchise. You can stream the film on Disney+. William Hurt’s contribution as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, despite these revelations, significantly shaped the character for the franchise’s future installments.
