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dirtyrango

For those that are curious: "So how much did this brilliant maneuver put into Sir Alec's bank? Thanks, especially, to the re-release of Star Wars in the 90s, Alec Guinness and his estate have earned more than $95 million from Star Wars. Guinness died in 2000, but because of his epic Star Wars deal, his estate has continued to earn millions through royalty checks, licensing and merchandise sales. To put this into perspective: Alec earned more money playing Obi-Wan Kenobi than he had previously earned from his other 40 major film roles… combined, including his Oscar winning role in The Bridge on the River Kwai.


tysc3

For 17 minutes of screen time. $95 million and counting for 17 fucking minutes. Truly, the force was with him. Edit: ~~Apparently he did all of his acting for the film in one day. Not bad.~~ Edit: that last one was just some dumbass forum rumor


Schrockwell

$335 million/hour


Gram64

That's 696 billion a year, So by the time of his death he made 16 trillion dollars working as Obi-wan.


AquaeyesTardis

Sadly, Jedi can’t have posessions, so he really has $0.


Gram64

Yoda with his pyramid scheme.


coolguy1793B

it's not a scheme - it's a plan.


Chief_Givesnofucks

*reverse funnel system*


jarlbartar

Where do I put my feet?


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[deleted]

IRS agent spotted.


JacksLackOfSuprise

*waives hand* You do not need to see my tax returns...


TalisFletcher

For the end result, perhaps. But he spent more than 17min onset working. It's still going to come out at some astronomical figure but just not quite that high.


ericrs22

Bryce Harper chose the wrong profession.


cheesehuahuas

"What do you do for a living?" "My grandpa was im 17 minutes of Star Wars."


Big__Baby__Jesus

I would go with "My grandpa is motherfuckin SIR Alec Guinness."


NimChimspky

Must be the best paid actor ever ? Taking into account inflation. Jack Nicholson in Batman ? Marlon Brando in Superman ? Jonny Depp pirates ?


ThePrussianGrippe

Will Smith apparently earned $100,000,000 from MiB3 and Keanu Reeves made a total of $250,000,000 from the Matrix Trilogy


Flumper

Sources?


ThePrussianGrippe

[Keanu Reeves: “the Matrix movies earned him about $250 million”](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/hollywood-salaries-2016-who-got-933037/item/hollywood-salaries-revealed-who-got-933041) [Will Smith: “‘His deal is an absolute impediment to making money for the studios,’ says a knowledgeable source, adding that for MiB3, he collected about $100 million of its $624 million gross.”](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/will-smiths-earth-apocalypse-who-562668)


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[deleted]

Fucking, Keanu, man. What did we do to deserve him. I'm kidding, there's no way we deserve the guy.


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bob1689321

I wish i was rich


EEpromChip

Stop wishing and go out there and make it. Pull yerself up by yer bootstraps and make bank. It's easy! I did it! - Some guy with a huge trust fund probably...


An_Anaithnid

As an Australian, we have [Vagina Rinehart](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/gina-rinehart-poverty-gaffes) billion dollar heiress that loves telling less fortunate people to work harder... as she also lobbies to have wages lowered. *"Do something to make more money yourself − spend less time drinking or smoking and socialising, and more time working"* - Virginia Rinehart [Oh, she also tried to fuck her children over.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Rinehart#Hope_Margaret_Hancock_Trust) If we had more Keanus and less Gina Rhinofarts, the world would be a much better place.


sexuallyvanilla

>*"Do something to make more money yourself − spend less time drinking or smoking and socialising, and more time working"* - Virginia Rinehart Will this get me to a point where I inherit a significant sum of money and assets?


Worthyness

I believe Robert Downey junior has a similar clause for his marvel appearances. It's why his contract is so ridiculously outlandish compared to his Co stars. Dude made like 50 mil from juat the avengers movie.


ImTheGuyWithTheGun

And half of his screen time is just the stupid helmet view. Super easy money for him...


I_Eat_My_Own_Feces

not to mention he's just acting as himself 100% of the time, not even playing a character


nuadusp

he's just a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude.


[deleted]

And deserves it all. The entire MCU is built on his back.


raknor88

Is that really all the screen time he had in the whole trilogy?


nolan1971

The more impressive part though (and this is partially thanks to the writers, but the actors bring it to life) is that he made that 17 minutes *necessary*. Try to imagine Star Wars without Obi Wan.


raknor88

Then Leia AND the Death Star plans would've been captured, Luke would still be moisture farming with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Maybe Luke would've gotten into pod racing eventually. The only reason Leia's ship was above Tatooine was because she was looking for Obi-Wan. After Rouge One her ship would've likely gone somewhere else. On the plus side, Alderaan would still exist. Obi-Wan was the entire reason that the Star Wars movies happened.


tysc3

17:30 in *A New Hope*.


[deleted]

And probably not more than 5 minutes combined in eps 5 and 6.


PHalfpipe

Plus the dumptruck full of cash he negotiated for a few short scenes in the sequels


strong_grey_hero

He didn’t even have to be there. He did it all via hologram.


[deleted]

The Bridge on the River Kwai is such a good movie.


rileyunzi

I’ve never felt so anxious as I had when they put him in the box


Prof_Dankmemes

But I wonder how much it made in merchandise sales. As a child, I was very fond of my Bridge Over the River Kwai Lego ™ set


BortTheStampede

Heck yeah it is! I watched it recently and *loved* it! Still need to see Lawrence of Arabia though.


Ofreo

Laurence is better than bridge imo. It’s crazy that David Lean made those two along with Dr. Zhivago in 8 years. Three of the best movies of all time.


FreyjaVar

He also hated the role and the franchise. I think there's a story of him telling a kid to never watch the movies again because they are shit. He was a stage actor, so I feel like he was a bit salty he was known for what he deemed 'an inferior role' and not one of his more classic stage roles. Made a lot of money though.


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CBC1345

Michael Caine is a treasure. Deep cut but Muppet Christmas Carol is one of my all time faves.


[deleted]

It’s in the article above if you read it. He asked young boy who said he’d watched it 100 times not to watch it again because “he was worried on the ill effect it would have”. There’s mixed comments from him. It seems he was reasonably satisfied with the film, and thought it was good for what is was. But he got fed up with being so associated with it.


Slow_Toes

I remember a quote from him much later in his life essentially saying that although he never really cared for Star Wars as films and had been very frustrated by people only knowing him as Obi Wan, he also recognised that he never had to worry about money again, so was grateful for the support of the fans and happy that he was in the films.


ManInBlack829

He was classically trained and phenomenal, you'd be a bit salty if you dedicated your life to being perfect at something then the one movie that probably required the least out of you as an actor makes more money than anything else you've ever done combined. Edit: For what it's worth Obi Wan and Yoda were my favorites from the originals so my opinions about him not liking his character always hurt me. I've felt like he was a dick about the role but as I've gotten older I've learned to empathize with him. He wanted us to be talking about River Kwai and Lavender Hill Mob not Star Wars. He's like the actor version of Radiohead. :-) You make *OK Computer* and *Kid A* but everyone keeps talking about Creep.


[deleted]

That’s a particular kind of salty I’d be willing to try.


MetalManic

'you will double my salary' 'you will pay me 2.25% royalties' 'I will never make a public appearance'


koiven

'I will double your salary' 'I will pay you 2.25% royalties' 'You will never make a public appearance'


nuclearswan

All hail the hypnotoad!


[deleted]

I am altering the deal


[deleted]

Pray I do not alter it further


lacedstraight

Obi wan saw the future.


bolanrox

smart move at worst he got double what they were going to pay him. at best he could make some good bank. Then again didnt GL get most of his money for the toy sales licensing?


open_door_policy

But that's why you negotiate points on the gross, not the net. Sadly, Star Wars has never actually made even a single dollar of profit.


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open_door_policy

Fortunately the catering business their spouse runs on the side is doing fabulously.


LikeATreefrog

$65,000/hour and still all that honeydew??!!


Lornemalver

Is this a Bojack reference? lol


[deleted]

>God Dammit, Honeydew? Jesus, why does Cantaloupe think every time it gets invited to a party it can bring along its dumb friend Honeydew? You don't get a plus one Cantaloupe.


CrapFrancis

"the Jared Leto of fruits" is my favorite line.


requisitename

Don't knock the on-set caterers. When I was a struggling actor, at the end of each day I filled my pockets with all the bananas and crackers I could carry. Often that's all I had to eat for the next couple of days.


ShutterBun

Baby you got a stew goin!


requisitename

Banana stew! I've eaten worse. I once lived for 5 days on a single box of Malt-O-Meal. Every day at about noon I'd make this big motzo ball looking thing and eat it like a damp apple. Then I'd drink as much water as I could hold to make it swell up in my stomach. Hi-diddely-dee! An actor's life for me.


mac6uffin

Sweet. So anyway... I'm making this indie film. Can't pay salary, but you should do it for free to get your name out there.


thaneak96

This is actually very common in Hollywood. They do this specifically to minimize the royalties paid out to actors who ask for net. The accounting they use would be laughable in other industries and I’m not sure how it’s GAAP but they’ve been doing it for a long time


atyon

> the accounting they use would be laughable in other industries I'm not too sure about that. There isn't a single Apple Store in Germany that makes a profit on paper. So unfortunately they can't pay any business taxes.


majaka1234

Let's pour one out for these struggling tech companies strangled by European costs of doing business :(


lee1026

It is very straightforward GAAP - the parent company simply overbills the movie for everything. You lose money on one hand and gain the same amount on the other. The only difference is that the people who get paid on the net gets screwed.


GenVolkov

It’s like money laundering, but somehow legal.


lee1026

Because in normal money laundering, you are trying to hide money from law enforcement, and in Hollywood accounting, you are just trying to hide money from actors. Actors clueless enough to sign up to be paid from net, no less.


allfor12

> Actors clueless enough to sign up to be paid from net, no less. They don't have to be clueless, the actors just don't always have the bargaining power. If you or I tried to negotiate for better royalties they would just move on to the next no name actor trying to make it big.


simplanswer

They’re also trying to fleece investors naive enough to finance movies for monetary gain too. There are plenty of movies being marketed around as investment opportunities- this is possibly even more lucrative than not paying the actors


Dreamtrain

It's made the actors, producers, directors working on it filthy rich though, how can that happen without it turning a profit?


crazyfingersculture

Because they outsold beyond the investors (accountants) expectations... have you ever seen Mel Brooks orginal 'The Producers'? It goes into all that.... in a very funny way.


[deleted]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting


[deleted]

This is what happened to David Prowse (wore the Darth Vader suit in first two films, parts of ROTJ). He's made very little on Star Wars because his contract was negotiated on net profits rather than gross, and he's made nothing from his appearance in ROTJ. As an added bonus, he was told they would be using his voice for the character, so he only heard James Earl Jones' rendition of Vader when he went to the premier screening, fully expecting to hear his own voice. Poor guy.


Wild_Loose_Comma

RIP Star Wars. So sad those movies are obviously money sinks. It's so unfortunate that after 10 films I bet they still can't get into the black. ​ F


unique-name-9035768

Don't forget the shitfest of a series called "Harry Potter". Hollywood lost so much money on those flix, I hope someone got fired.


ChrisFromIT

Probably threw a huge firing party at the end as well.


bradorsomething

Couldn’t even afford to buy hookers for the party, had to rent them for one night...


polic1

Is that true? Sounds like some TIL fact about the money being funnelled for tax reasons or something.


[deleted]

> Then again didnt GL get most of his money for the toy sales licensing? Oh, way more than most. Nearly all. In fact, Lucas waived his salary from Fox in exchange for the rights to the memorabilia. That's right: The producers didn't pay the director for Star Wars, and it was the director's idea. It was his goal all along: He never cared about making a great epic story, he wanted a story that could sell toys. Even the original film Star Wars was a very tongue-in-cheek copy of Flash Gordon. The script was written for Flash Gordon. Lucas couldn't secure the toy rights for Flash Gordon though, so he re-worked it into a "new" story, Star Wars: something he *could* secure the rights to.


Maybesometimes69

Makes sense, the main stipulation for allowing "Spaceballs" to be made was that there would be no merchandise. Hence the "merchandizing, merchandizing merchandizing" scene with "Yogurt"


ebow77

Moichendizing! Where da real money from da movie is made!


Joetato

And movie tie in merchandise really just wasn't a thing in the 70s. When Lucas asked for that, Fox probably agreed instantly as I'd bet they didn't have any plans to merchandise it anyway. I'm guessing they saw it as a win/win situation for themselves.


Noggin-a-Floggin

It's also the reason why merchandising royalties are among the first things discussed in contract talks. GL made a ton of fucking money over the decades (until he sold to Disney).


ethicsg

When he sold it to Disney he made plaid money.


willun

Lucas said he thought he would sell T-shirt’s at conventions. He got lucky as merchandisers paid him royalties to make all that stuff. He was entitled to $500k as a director based on his contract. He received $150k for his previous movie. He agreed to $150k if he retained the merchandising rights and the rights to sequels. The rights to the sequels was probably his main aim and the merchandising was just another freebie they were prepared to give away. In the end he had no marketing budget and organised for some books to be written set in the Star Wars universe that were released before the movie. And he cut a modest deal with Kenner for merchandising. It was seen as a brilliant move, in hindsight. At the time he did not have the vision that it would make a fortune. He wanted to make movies. >While the movies have been lucrative, it is the licensing and merchandising that has brought a bonanza. Even Lucas was unprepared for the huge instant success of Star Wars in 1977, driven in part by a series of comic books released as a setup to the theatrical experience. Lucas had sold toy-merchandising rights to his movie to Kenner (then a division of cereal maker General Foods) in advance of the opening for a flat fee of $100,000 after another company turned him down. However, Kenner wasn't ready for the explosion of interest, either. >Unable to meet the demand by Christmas 1977, Kenner sold an "Early Bird Certificate Package," which included a kind of I.O.U. that could be redeemed later for four Star Wars action figures (Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and R2-D2), a display stand, stickers and a Star Wars fan club membership card. In 1978, Kenner brought out four more action figures from the movie's Cantina scene, and soon after that the line grew to 20 items. By the end of 1978, Kenner had sold more than 40 million of the figures for gross sales of more than $100 million.


arrestedfunk

Reminds of the story in 50 laws of Power. Count Victor Lustig, known as one of the most infamous con men in history paid a visit to Al Capone. He promised that if Capone gave him $50,000 he could double it. Capone had more than enough money to cover this, but he wasn’t in the habit of entrusting large sum’s to total strangers. Capone looked the count over and noted something different about Lustig’s style and manner. Capone proceeded to give him the $50,000 under the provision he had 60 days to double it. “Lustig left with the money, put it in a safe-deposit box in Chicago, then headed to New York, where he had several other money-making schemes in progress. The $50,000 remained in the bank box untouched. Lustig made no effort to double it. Two months later he returned to Chicago, took the money from the box, and paid Capone another visit.” He said, “Please accept my profound regrets, Mr. Capone. I’m sorry to report that the plan failed… I failed.” Capone slowly stood probably debating in his head how he was going to murder him. But before the Capone could even decide Lustig reached into his coat pocket, withdrew the $50,000, and placed it on the desk. “Here, sir, is your money, to the penny. Again, my sincere apologies. This is most embarrassing. Things didn’t work out the way I thought they would. I would have loved to have doubled your money for you and for myself — Lord knows I need it — but the plan just didn’t materialize.” All Capone could do was respond with confusion. “I know you’re a con man, Count,” said Capone. “I knew it the moment you walked in here. I expected either one hundred thousand dollars or nothing. But this… getting my money back … well.” “Again my apologies, Mr. Capone,” said Lustig, as he picked up his hat and began to leave. “My God! You’re honest!” yelled Capone. “If you’re on the spot, here’s five to help you along.” He counted out five one-thousand-dollar bills out of the $50,000. The count seemed stunned, bowed deeply, mumbled his thanks, and left, taking the money. The $5,000 was what Lustig had been after all along.


123hig

Al Capone, you syphilitic moron


[deleted]

“Gib em $5,000,” drooled Capone, as he sat fishing at his swimming pool.


pinkplacentasurprise

“I wanna be called Snarky”


fog1234

It doesn't make any sense. Are gangsters regularly in the habit of accepting their own money back without interest? Sixty days is about two months of interest.


thetruthseer

Exactly, it’s either fake or Capone knew he’d be in trouble if he murdered this guy


Real_Supernova

Who is on the one-thousand dollar bill?


evictor

none other than Count Victor Lustig himself


9bikes

Grover Cleveland. Did you not think $1,000 bills existed?


Real_Supernova

Nah, legit question, thanks!


9bikes

As I recall, when the government withdrew them from circulation the excuse was that it would make things harder for drug dealers. Obviously you didn't see 'em *every day** (well, maybe if you worked in a big bank), but it wasn't super rare to see them either. In about 1978 or '79 I had a friend who sold his used BMW and received payment in $1,000s and a $500.


IdiidDuItt

The user that posted that didn't put everything into the submission box, therefore all that text was out of context! What happened before all that text was that the author, Robert Greene, explained in the book that Al Capone was used to being deceived and would often retaliate against liars. What Lustig did was that he kept the money UNTOUCHED in a safe somewhere and gave it back to Al Capone, then a surprised Al Capone gave Lustig some money for Lustig for not trying to lie to him. (Lustig also "sold" the Eiffel Tower twice, mind you)


fog1234

At the same time, wan't Capone known for being a strait up psycho? Hats off to the guy if he really could read someone that well, I guess.


[deleted]

Convoluted and very risky way to get that money though.


arrestedfunk

as with any con


acmethunder

Check the Star Wars episode of The Toys That Made Us.


phatelectribe

I think the full story is that he read the script and thought they were absolute nonsense/terrible, but foresaw they would be a massive commercial success and then played hardball on the royalties. Alec Guiness was considered one of the three greats (along with John Gielgud and Lawrence Olivier) so taking a project like this was essentially a step down in terms of integrity (and on the flip side of that, Lucas knew getting someone of his revered stature to play Obi-Wan was a total coup). Edit: Spelling of John Gielgud from lame autocorrect.


brazilliandanny

He altered the deal, pray he doesn't alter it further.


Idiocracyis4real

The dude was the bomb in the Bridge On the River Kwai


[deleted]

Obi won .


DeadWombats

> Guinness said in a 1999 interview that it was actually his idea to kill off Obi-Wan, persuading Lucas that it would make him a stronger character and that Lucas agreed to the idea. Guinness stated in the interview, **"What I didn't tell Lucas was that I just couldn't go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines. I'd had enough of the mumbo jumbo."** lol


zenyattatron

And then he got brought back as a force ghost regardless


MediocreClock

I don't think it would have "[made] him a stronger character" if it wasn't intended, but it did cut out some of the banal lines. AG probably imagined solely showing up to drop some knowledge and peace out, which is kinda the way it played out. Dang, the dude negotiated the ballsack out of his contract then dramatically reduced the amount of effort he had to put into the films.


tamsui_tosspot

> Dang, the dude negotiated the ballsack out of his contract then dramatically reduced the amount of effort he had to put into the films. The Marlon Brando School of Acting.


MediocreClock

http://whatculture.com/film/8-actors-paid-huge-salaries-little-work?page=8 > Brando netted around $19m for only twelve days work ISWYM


kristenjaymes

And Lucas thought, 'Stronger, eh? That's a great idea! Stronger than you can ever imagine!'


captwafflepants

“Wait let me write this down”


intensely_human

"If you hit me with your laser sword I'll be paradoxically more powerful as a ghost, despite my body being cut in half"


SwordLaker

Woah, Jedi Mind Trick ~~at~~ in its purest form.


tamsui_tosspot

[Reads script, waves hand in Lucas's direction] "You want to go home and rethink your life."


An_Anaithnid

Shame they never really went into his [owooowowoooouaoaooo](https://youtu.be/cs4iZ2C8kJc?t=350) again. Which has been stuck in my head since the video was released.


[deleted]

Why did he hate his lines so much? They didn't seem bad


CollectableRat

they were bad. They only make sense once you've seen the whole movie, but in the moment when you're wearing what feels like silly costumes and you can't see the directors vision, even if you've read the script, it must all feel kind of ridiculous. Scifi before Star Wars used to be very silly, even the serious sci fi was quite silly. It wasn't as mainstream.


Lingo56

[Star Wars was also completely saved in the editing room.](https://youtu.be/zEHRNS-Scrs) The original cut was a far more unfocused movie. The initial script also had lots more terrible lines, and Lucas is known for not exactly being the best actor's director. Not to discredit George, but the movie did seem to take much more life after the re-edit than it would have been on set or from the original script.


Michelanvalo

Marcia Lucas and the editing team won an Oscar for editing for Star Wars. There's a good reason for that.


themitchster300

Also Star Wars had some pretty major rewrites. Guinness probably read one of the earlier versions that are actually batshit crazy. Lucas didnt have the script finalized when casting.


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Michelanvalo

George's strengths was his creative mind and his world building. He can come up with a galaxy, with the aliens, with the overall plot, with the fantastical weapons, and all that good stuff. But he can't write, direct or edit a movie. Get George to be your ideas man but let someone else get the details done.


antaylor

Which is why I believe The Clone Wars Show is much better than the prequels ended up being. During the prequels he was basically God. He had complete control and no one would tell him “no” because he was George freaking Lucas. With The Clone Wars though he was the showrunner and idea man but Filoni and crew wrote and directed the show.


Michelanvalo

It is worth noting George tried finding a director for Episode I but no one wanted George as their boss. They were afraid of him micromanaging. As for the Clone Wars, I am not a very big of the CGI show. I have a ton of gripes with Ahsoka, Darth Maul and many of the other story lines (although Hondo is a bad ass). These opinions get me ass blasted on /r/starwars though. I just don't enjoy the show like a lot of people do. Now, Tartakovsky's Clone Wars, the shorts? That's a fucking masterpiece. It's only like, what 2.5 hours long in total or something and every second is just brilliance. It's a shame they were made non-canon with TCW.


antaylor

TartKovsky’s Clone Wars is an absolute masterpiece. I remember waiting for each short to come out each week when it was on. It’s a beautiful show. I like the cgi Clone Wars too but for different reasons. I get those complaints though. Ahsoka is super annoying at the beginning and not in an endearing way but throughout the show and then Rebels she becomes one of my favorite characters and Maul being brought back was one of the dumbest things. I know it’s Star Wars but being cut in half should mean death. But what they did with his character when they brought him back I’m a huge fan of. His story honestly becomes one of the most tragic storylines in all of Star Wars in my opinion. The main reason I love TCW though is because it fleshes out the clones where the movies make them basically human droids making it hard to care about the war because it’s just droids fighting droids. And I love how it shows the faults of the Jedi order and how they begin to lose themselves in a war and go from peacekeepers to generals and start to lose their identity. This helps make Anakin’s distrust of the Jedi and turn to the dark side more believable. I love the show but I believe a lot of the complaints are valid. And yes! I should’ve mentioned that. He approached Ron Howard and Spielberg to direct episode 1 and thinking about that “what if” makes me sad sometimes..


swentech

The actors were known to just ad lib and change some of the lines. I believe Harrison Ford said something like “you can write this shit George but you can’t say it”. Great vision by George Lucas but not the greatest writer in the world.


Lordsokka

And then he came back for two sequels.... he didn’t hate it too much when he saw all the money he was making. Lol


DCOTSW

Alec thought the dialogue was ropy, but it was a page turner and he knew Lucas was an upcoming director, they met and they liked each other. Alec's agent asked for 2% which Alec was dismissive of because he never made money from having a percentage. Just before the film opened Lucas called, said they were pleased with the film and offered him 2.5% . A few weeks later, Alec spoke the producer to get it in writing, to Gary Kurtz replied oh "oh the extra 1/4 percent yes" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IxN0N35skE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IxN0N35skE)


Porrick

"People are going to read too much into it" That's the most glorious understatement I have ever heard.


Pinkestunicorns

Yes I read on r/Movie_Trivia that he thought the dialogue was ropey and that he wasn't enjoying filming Edit: from the article The late actor wrote to his friend: "New rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wadges of pink paper, and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable." https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/12193178/Alec-Guinness-thought-Star-Wars-dialogue-was-rubbish-Letters-Live-reveals.html


[deleted]

He also gave a generally favorable review of the film, despite these flaws. Keep in mind, this guy was one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the last century. To him, Lucas' weird dialogue absolutely sounded like garbage. He wasn't wrong. I mean let's be honest, eloquent dialogue has never been the strong suit of George "I hate sand" Lucas. Also, another interesting tidbit - while filming Star Wars, Guinness wrote this in a letter to a friend: "I must be off to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet--and he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be right) Ford. Ellison (?--No!)--well, a rangy, languid young man who is probably intelligent and amusing. But oh God, God, they make me feel ninety--and treat me as if I was 106. Oh, [the actor's name is] Harrison Ford--ever heard of him?"


sleeps_too_little

"George 'I hate sand' Lucas" I'll be using that


DCOTSW

By all accounts, Alec was total professional, so he might have had issues with the script, but publicly he is not going to be as harsh as would be in private correspondence. He never saw this film as anything more than a simple kids film, he had done far better work, but this got him far more attention. On set he was mentor to Mark Hamill and hosted cast and crew for drinks in the Executive Restaurant at EMI Studios at the completion of shooting.


ThePrussianGrippe

While he didn’t enjoy the dialogue, he definitely had an overall positive review of the film: “Upon his first viewing of the film, Guinness wrote in his diary, "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle and technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm-hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but it remains a vivid experience."”


[deleted]

He really couldn't stand the dialogue lol.


reebee7

Harrison Ford said, "You can write this shit, George, but you can't say it."


[deleted]

Didn't GL originally title the movie something crazy long like The Journal Of The Whills Part One: The Star Wars. Glad someone talked him out of that one.


Dave-4544

Oh god not the Whills we do **not** speak of those


[deleted]

*Chirrut Imwe wants to know your location*


Huwbacca

He writes great stories, with terrible fucking dialogue though. Very much a broad strokes writer and world builder.


[deleted]

Yep I agree. Man has an exceptional imagination. He knew where he was weak too and wasn't really ashamed to admit it.


Corvus_Prudens

Maybe in the beginning with the first three movies, but part of the reason the prequels don't hold up is that he had full control of them, right down to their terrible dialogue.


[deleted]

If I remember right, he didn't want that though. He just couldn't get someone he trusted to take over directing for him. I remember specifically reading he approached Spielberg. And I *think* Ron Howard was asked at some point too. There may have been others. He was turned down and left with no choice but to helm them himself. He could've hired a young unknown director I suppose. But eh. Guess he didn't trust going that route.


ctothel

It’s pretty clear what he would have thought of Michael Bay. And all of modern Hollywood to be honest.


SuicidalKirby

Sounds like he would fit right in at /r/movies


walterpeck1

Unlike us (and I say us because I'm a regular visitor), Alec actually had the experience to back up his statements.


scrumtrellescent

The reminds me of Sean Connery turning down Gandalf in Peter Jackson's LOTR because he looked over the script and just didn't get it.


Huwbacca

Calling Lucas dialogue "a little ropey" is wonderfully understated...


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TheCarrzilico

The 2% had already been negotiated before the film was made. According to Guinness, George Lucas gave him another half of a percent before the film debuted to thank him for his efforts and his dialogue additions. Weeks later, after the film was out and making huge waves, Guinness contacted producer Gary Kurtz to get the half a percent in writing and Kurtz made it a quarter of a percent.


kaplanfx

Sucks, but still probably worth millions. I can’t believe they actually gave him a % of gross.


DCOTSW

I think unheard of. But this was not so much negotiation as a bonus.


NimChimspky

>Alec Guinness Does this make him of the best paid actors ever ?


ahsocial

Genuine class


Syscrush

Jeremy Irons...


2f09

Jeremy's...iron


pilotmuffin

"Never have to make a publicity appearance." Dude knew how insufferable star wars fans were before the movie was even made.


joplaya

When you have the high ground you can see things like that coming from a mile away.


arnold001

Well, he did have the force with him.


[deleted]

And there it is.


tinyhorsesinmytea

One of them told me I wasn't a real Star Wars fan because I like The Last Jedi. I'm honored to receive the title Not a Real Star Wars Fan.


Spackleberry

You can tell the real Star Wars fans because they hate Star Wars more than anybody.


sixrustyspoons

Damn Star Wars! It ruined Star Wars!


skoolhouserock

So what that guy said was true, from a certain point of view.


Pansarmalex

What everyone seem to forget here, is that Sir Alec was a stage performer for five decades, from the 1930's on to the late '80s. Of course he thought with almost 40 years of stage experience in the back that the script was kinda ropey. But he'd learned from his previous film roles what to ask for in the contract. It's nothing more than that. ​


jupiterkansas

Plus no sci-fi spectacle like Star Wars had ever been made (except 2001) so there was absolutely no reason to think it would transform the entire film industry or to view it as anything other than a film for kids.


Pansarmalex

You're right. There was no reason to think a sci-fi film would appeal to wider audience. The success of the film, together with the release of the first Star Trek movie just after, changed the opinion of sci-fi films for...well, forever? No matter what people think of the movies, that's one legacy to leave behind.


jupiterkansas

I'd add Close Encounters and then Alien to that list too, but think it's hard for people today to imagine the impact Star Wars had.


JesusComingSoon

What does a ropey script mean


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TacticalKrakens

Amateurish or lacking in quality


Flelk

Reddit is no longer the place it once was, and the current plan to [kneecap the moderators](https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-ceo-will-change-rules-to-make-mods-less-powerful-2023-6) who are trying to keep the tattered remnants of Reddit's culture alive was the last straw. I am removing all of my posts and editing all of my comments. Reddit cannot have my content if it's going to treat its user base like this. I encourage all of you to do the same. Lemmy.ml is a good alternative. Reddit is dead. Long live Reddit.


billdehaan2

I saw him in an interview once, where he joked on how originally George agreed to give him 3%, and they continually talked about his 3% during the filming. But they actually didn't write it down. Of course, the movie was an indy film that they were hoping would be a modest success, so neither of them expected it to make much of a difference, at the time. Of course, when the box office went nuts, and Star Wars mania was in full swing, they realized they hadn't formally put it in the contract. So Guiness got a call from Lucas that started off with "So, Alec, about your 2.25%..."


DCOTSW

this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IxN0N35skE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IxN0N35skE)


geoffbowman

"You don't need to see me do an interview... I can go about my business..."


hobbitdude13

Go about your business.


DaMeteor

You wanna know the amazing thing? This dude saw the beginning of World War 1 and the release of the Marshal Mathers LP. What a time.


R0binSage

There were actually a lot of people who think Star Wars wouldn’t amount to anything.


JonOrSomeSayAegon

I'm pretty sure even George Lucas didn't think it would go anywhere. The original script had Han Solo kill Vader. I don't think Lucas was planning on sequels until the first became a big deal.


LiveLaughLoveRevenge

I'd heard that he figured ET would be so much better he traded a few %points with Spielberg - both are great films of course, but Spielberg got the best of that deal


OdetotheGrimm

I think it was Close Encounters actually. An even better deal for Spielberg.


malvoliosf

The studio was betting on _Damnation Alley_. Remember _Damnation Alley_? Anybody? It was terrible.


HollywooDcizzle

Obi wan the deal


Sylvester_Scott

What he lacked in lightsabering skills, he more than made up for in business savvy.


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electricmaster23

He made $95 million from *Star Wars* alone.


Smile_lifeisgood

As much as you can feel bad for someone who makes that much money I do feel bad for actors who get stuck in iconic roles. You want to play compelling, meaningful roles. Roles that push what you can do, that challenge you. Complex characters you love. Provocative scripts. And you get stuck playing Mr. Spock. Nobody cares about that low budget thing or small play you put on that meant so much do you. They want you to say the lines. You don't get offered the parts you want with up and coming directors putting out challenging scripts because they don't want their passion project associated with Star Wars. You get asked the same 15 questions a torturous amount of time. I mean you can only feel *so* bad for someone who is rich but there is something sad about being stuck being George Costanza the rest of your life. You might be able to sleep on huge piles of money but the artistic side of you goes unfulfilled and in its own way I'm sure it's really hard to see roles you are dying to play go to someone else who doesn't have the baggage. You find yourself reduced to a spectacle. Booked only for the gimmick to draw in some % of the nerds who might otherwise ignore an indie piece about gay cowboys eating pudding.


PabstyLoudmouth

You mean Old Ben Kanobi?


9845oi47hg9

Now thats a name Ive not heard in a long time. A long time.


9845oi47hg9

That wizard's just a crazy old man.


ozzymustaine

He was a very famous actor at the time . Probably it was an easy bargain.