'Get Shorty' Director Barry Sonnenfeld Claims Gene Hackman Was Not Happy With John Travolta

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Behind the scenes of the 1995 big-screen comedy Get Shorty proved to be quite a challenge for director Barry Sonnfeld, and actor Gene Hackman, though not so much for actor John Travolta.

In the acclaimed film, Travolta plays Chili Palmer, a super-cool loan shark from Miami, who's also a major movie buff. Chili journeys to Los Angeles for a shake-down with low-budget film producer Harry Zimm, played by Hackman.

According to Sonnenfeld's new memoir, Hackman despised working with Travolta due to what he observed as the latter's lack of professionalism and lackadaisical attitude. "While Hackman spent his weekend learning [lines]," Sonnenfeld writes in his book, "...who knows what John was doing. Gene's performance was fantastic, John was slow on the uptake and he fumbled and mumbled through the scene. Hackman was getting more and more frustrated with John's delayed responses and lack of pace."

Hackman eventually settled down, though not before mediator Sonnenfeld bore the worst of the actor's anger, ultimately, to keep peace on the set.