Liza Minnelli seemingly didn’t have a great time working with the late Gene Hackman in “Lucky Lady.”
The duo starred in the film more than half a century ago, and the Broadway legend now claims in her upcoming memoir that her co-star was “downright rude” and that they lacked any on-screen chemistry.
Liza Minnelli also revealed in the soon-to-be-released tome several never-before-heard details about her interactions with high-profile figures in the industry, including a past fling with director Martin Scorsese.
Liza Minnelli Opens Up About Filming With The Late Gene Hackman
Minnelli’s upcoming memoir, “Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!” is set to debut on shelves next Tuesday, featuring several reflections on her decades-long career in Hollywood, along with other never-before-heard details about her life.
One of the many revelations she shares dates back to her time on Lucky Lady, the Stanley Donen-directed comedy-drama in which she co-starred with the late Gene Hackman.
In the film, Minnelli played a songstress and widow named Claire who becomes involved in a love triangle with Hackman’s character, Kibby Womack, and that of another co-star, Burt Reynolds (Walker Ellis).
Reflecting on the movie in her tome, Minnelli claimed to have had a bad experience filming with Hackman, whose death anniversary was just weeks ago.
“I don’t like to whine, but Stanley later shared publicly that Gene was very dismissive of me during the film,” the veteran actress penned, per Entertainment Weekly.
“It’s hard to go to work when the chemistry is absent,” she said further of working with Hackman. “I think it’s fair to say that Gene was downright rude.”
The Veteran Actress Reflected On Her Fling With Director Martin Scorsese
Hackman wasn’t the only person Liza Minnelli criticized, as she also mentioned director Martin Scorsese, whom she worked with on the 1977 film “New York, New York’ and the Broadway musical “The Act.”
She claimed to have had a fling with the director while she was married to her second husband, Jack Haley Jr., but said the whirlwind affair had many issues that doomed it from the start.
“Truth be told, our love affair had more layers than a lasagna. We were both Italian. Passionate. Intense. Committed to our craft,” Minnelli wrote in the book, per the Daily Mail.
“We both had volcanic tempers. He was a diabolically handsome man who shared my love for film. I was a director’s daughter,” she added.
Ultimately, when their romance ended, it wasn’t on amicable terms. Minnelli claimed that Scorsese seemingly harbored resentment toward her that he “turned away” when she tried to greet him at an awards event decades later.
Liza Minnelli Is Still Hurt Over Her Inability To Have Children
In past interviews, Minnelli has spoken about how much she wanted children and once said that not having any remains one of her life’s “true regrets.”
Those sentiments are echoed in her memoir, particularly when she reflects on the painful experience of delivering a stillborn baby at five months pregnant during her marriage to her third husband, sculptor Mark Gero. Minnelli was married to Gero from 1979 to 1992, making it the longest of her four marriages.
“I prayed every day that our child would survive, but it was not to be. I was rushed to a hospital in Reno, Nevada, where I went through the wrenching experience of a stillbirth,” she shared.
“To this day, I can’t talk about these events without sadness and anxiety. The inability to become a mother is a tragedy I will never get over,” the actress remarked.
The ‘Cabaret’ Star Shared Her Regrets Over Her Marriage To David Gest
Following her union with Gero, Minnelli went on to tie the knot with late producer David Gest.
Her marriage to Gest was short-lived, lasting just 16 months after they tied the knot in 2002.
Despite how brief it was, the period was quite tumultuous, with Minnelli describing the marriage as “insane” and making several accusations against him.
She claimed that Gest controlled nearly every aspect of her life, adding that she felt more like his “prisoner” than his wife.
Liza Minnelli Accused David Gest Of Exploiting Her And Leaving Her Feeling ‘Betrayed’
Minnelli also accused her late husband, the producer, Gest, of financially exploiting her.
The actress alleged that he often charged the cost of his frivolous spending to her credit card, leaving her feeling “betrayed” and “disgusted.”
“I was disgusted, I felt betrayed, humiliated, ripped off, and wounded,” Minnelli said about their marriage, of which the divorce was finalized in 2007.
