Standing high and mighty as two proud pillars to the chamber of Hollywood’s inner sanctum are Kirk Douglas and John Wayne, two true icons of American cinema. Douglas’ intense gaze seemed to pierce through the screen in notable performances like Spartacus and Paths of Glory and he carved out a legacy for himself unlike any other.
Wayne, on the other hand, was the true hero of cinema’s western genre and his hulking figure dominated sets of barren and dusty trails and vast prairies. With efforts like True Grit and The Searchers, Wayne also crafted his own path to becoming a film icon, mirroring in some ways the route that Douglas himself had taken.
However, while their dual legendary status was always assured, Wayne was known to criticise pretty much everything around him that he didn’t feature in, and when it came to a Douglas-starring movie, it didn’t get much worse in his eyes than the 1956 biographical film Lust for Life, directed by Vincente Minnelli and adapted for the screen by Norman Corwin from the 1934 novel of the same name by Irving Stone.
The role had drawn criticism from Wayne, and when appearing on Conversations with Classic Film Stars, Douglas opened up on an incident that saw Wayne call out his fellow actor. “There’s a famous story about that,” Douglas said. “When I played van Gogh in Lust for Life, we had a private showing of it, and John Wayne was there. We had a little supper party, and Wayne had a few drinks.”
Douglas continued: “Afterward, he motioned to me to go out on the veranda with him, and he berated me! He said, ‘How the hell could you play a goddamn character like that?’ And I said, ‘What do you mean? I’m an actor. He’s a fascinating character.’ And Wayne said, ‘No, no. We should never play those kind of weak, sniveling characters. I don’t ever want to see you in a part like that again! They have no dignity!’”
Still, Douglas wanted to stand up for himself and have conviction in the role that he’d chosen for himself. His effort as Vincent van Gogh was something of a departure from his usual roles, but he wanted to express his talent in a new way, and the gamble paid off as he was nominated for the ‘Best Actor’ award at the Oscars.
“As far as I’m concerned, I have always believed it’s important for an actor to know the difference between make-believe and reality,” Douglas noted. “So I’ve never hesitated to kid myself if the part calls for it. I find characters with a little evil in them much more interesting to play than the good guy. I’d rather play Doc Holliday than Wyatt Earp.”
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