The Guard Writer/Director Was Banned From Heath Ledger Set
At the Friars Club luncheon for the Don Cheadle-Brendan Gleeson comedy The Guard the other day, the film's writer-director, John Michael McDonagh, casually mentioned that he wrote the 2003 movie Ned Kelly, but was banished from the set by the director, Gregor Jordan.
Why?
"I don't get on with egotistical, humorless morons," he said, plainly.
"But other than that, you liked him?" I quipped.
"Yeah," McDonagh laughed.
He said Jordan wouldn't take anyone else's (good) ideas because they weren't his. He also contended that the guy would constantly reference his own movies, never mentioning anyone else's.
"Once, he actually said, 'When I made a short film that won an award at Cannes ...' I thought, 'So now we're referencing the short films?'"
McDonagh told me he won't be worried if this war escalates to physical proportions.
"I'm a big guy, so I can hold my own," he said.
"And he wears turleneck jumpers!"
Ouch.
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