Kurt Russell says Michelle Pfeiffer had ‘difficulties’ with ‘Tequila Sunrise director Robert Towne
Kurt Russell claims Michelle Pfeiffer had on-set tension with “Tequila Sunrise” director Robert Towne.
“There were difficulties between Michelle and [Robert], in all honesty,” the actor, 75, told People at a FYC event for his and Pfeiffer’s Paramount+ series, “The Madison.”
“I was a bit of a go-between as it were,” he continued, noting that “because of that,” he and Pfeiffer, 68, “had a strong relationship.”
“We had a great time working together,” Russell added.
Page Six has reached out to Pfeiffer’s reps for comment.
The 1988 movie, written and directed by Towne, follows two childhood friends (played by Russell and Mel Gibson) who become entangled in a tense love triangle with a gorgeous restaurateur (played by Pfeiffer).
Towne famously wrote 1974’s “Chinatown,” which won him the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and its 1990 sequel, “The Two Jakes.” He died in July 2024 at the age of 89.
Russell also told People that Pfeiffer’s character in “Tequila Sunrise,” Jo Ann Vallenari, was “the glue” of everything.
“Michelle was becoming a major player, and she was a rising star and all of that,” Russell remembered. “But she was, I felt, really, really right for [the role].”
Pfeiffer, for her part, told the outlet she “fell in love” with Russell when they first met and that he “showed up to support” her “every day.”
“It’s who he is as a person,” the “Batman Returns” star shared. “Whenever I would have a tough day or something, I’d go to Kurt, and he just kind of helped me talk it through.”
Pfeiffer previously told Variety that Russell was her “comrade-in-arms” when they were making “Tequila Sunrise.”
“He was my protector, my confidant, my court jester,” she explained in March. “He was always there to make people laugh and brings a tremendous amount of joy every day to the set. We had a really nice chemistry acting together. It was just effortless with him.”
The two actors are working together again in “The Madison,” in which they play a married couple from New York City who deal with a terrible family tragedy.
“It was years and years since in between seeing each other,” Russell told People at the FYC event. “Never had the opportunity to work with each other until this.”
The Taylor Sheridan-created series, which premiered in March, has already been renewed for two more seasons.
