James Gunn Keeps a List of Actors He’ll Never Work with: ‘Life’s Too Short’

Samantha Bergeson

James Gunn wants to stay a galaxy away from certain A-list actors.

The “Guardians of the Galaxy” director revealed during a Twitter Q&A that he has no problem recasting “assholes” and keeps a “long list” of stars he will never work with.

More from IndieWire

“If it’s their temperament & it’s serious, I’ll immediately recast,” Gunn tweeted. “Life’s too short for assholes. Same if they’re repeatedly very late, which I hate, or unprepared. I have a long list of actors, A-list & otherwise, I’ll never work with for these reasons.”

Gunn continued, “But if it’s performance related, & they’re putting their all into it, I’ll do everything on my end to make it work until it’s absolutely clear the quality of the project will be perceivably harmed if we don’t recast. This can happen with really talented actors who just don’t fit.”

Another fan asked how Gunn discovers that actors are “assholes” and whether he compares notes with other filmmakers.

“I always do due diligence on actors & production heads with directors, actors, producers & crew members I trust,” Gunn replied. “If it checks out they’re jerks (not just cranky or curmudgeons but actual jerks) or irresponsible I don’t hire them. Some actors I already know never to even consider.”

The director clarified that actors will get paid in full if they are recast during production. Of course, Gunn’s “Guardians” cast is among his most beloved.

“I’m very attached to the Guardians cast,” Gunn shared. “Some of them are among my best friends in the world. But I’m even more attached to the Guardians characters, & that’s what gets me emotional while writing.”

Gunn also took the moment to praise “The Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker” star John Cena.

“@JohnCena is among the best people to work with – always prepared & on time & kind to everyone,” Gunn penned. “He & many of my regulars are among the actors I die to work with. I want to shout out to them here but paucity of characters means I’d be leaving many out.”

Gunn previously defended “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Chris Pratt, saying he is infuriated with Pratt being dubbed the “worst Hollywood Chris” behind Chris Pine and Chris Evans.

“Chris is unspeakably kind to people; he goes out of his way to help kids,” Gunn said earlier this year. “He’s an especially loving father. And there’s a lot of stuff that people have literally just made up about him — about his politics, about who he is, about what he believes of other people, you know?”

Best of IndieWire

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.

Advertisement