Director of This 92%-Rated Crime Drama Made Amy Adams' Work a Living Hell: 'He Was Hard on Me'
Is a cinematic masterpiece worth the emotional and psychological sacrifice of the actors? The actress doesn't think so.
Participation in films by the best directors of our time, a brilliant acting performance in the series Sharp Objects, as well as the versatility of the roles and characters she chooses – it is no coincidence that Amy Adams is considered one of the most talented actresses of the last decade.
The role in American Hustle became a real creative gem for Adams – she played Sydney Prosser, a former stripper who joins the criminal adventures of Irving Rosenfeld, an experienced con man.
It was in David O. Russell's film that the actress was able to reveal her creative versatility – here she plays a businesswoman, an unpredictable con artist, and an uncontrollable force of nature who surrenders to the power of pleasure and luxury.
American Hustle Filming Conditions Were Terrible Because of the Director
But Hollywood, for all its promises of the good life, can also be a very toxic environment. At the same time, Amy Adams never became the heroine of scandalous chronicles.
The only exception was the unbearable working conditions on the set of American Hustle. Director David O. Russell shouted at the actress until Christian Bale, who played Irving, intervened.
In an interview with GQ, Amy Adams admitted that the working conditions on the set of American Hustle were extremely difficult:
“He was hard on me, that's for sure. It was a lot. I was really just devastated on set. I mean, not every day, but most.”
David O. Russell is one of those directors who provoke unexpected reactions and emotions from actors, thus opening up new facets of talent.
However, Adams herself admitted that this approach does not suit her – real life is more important to her than movies.
American Hustle Was Involved in an Unequal Pay Scandal
However, this was not the only scandal surrounding American Hustle. Leaked Sony correspondence showed, for example, that Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams had a very serious conflict with the producers, where the actresses' talents were valued less than the work of actors Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and Jeremy Renner.
The men's contracts implied that each would receive nine percent of the film's profits, while Jennifer was entitled to only five, like her partner Amy Adams. Only the threat of a major scandal forced the studio to raise the actresses' pay to seven percent.