Kaylah Walton
Cher has experienced a notable journey in both the music and film industries, allowing her to encounter various personalities along the way. One such experience, however, was quite negative, occurring during the filming of ‘Mask‘ in the 1980s, under the direction of the late Peter Bogdanovich, who was well-known for his challenging demeanor.
The iconic singer, now 78, reflected on how Bogdanovich described her as “the most difficult actress to work with” while she was promoting her memoir titled “Cher, The Memoir”.
Cher recounted an incident where Bogdanovich solicited her input on the shooting location for a scene.
“I suggested we could do it in the kitchen again since it worked well previously,” Cher shared.
However, the following day, he arrived on set, devouring an egg sandwich and expressing his disdain, claiming: “he wasn’t going to allow me to direct; that I was insignificant and could be dismissed at any moment. He was truly unpleasant.” Cher added, “He treated the women poorly and exuded arrogance. I didn’t appreciate him at all.”
The Conflict Between Cher and Peter Bogdanovich
From Bogdanovich’s perspective, the animosity was likely mutual. During interviews in 2019, he labeled Cher as “the most difficult actress to work with” and commented that “she had trust issues, especially with men.”
“She struggled to perform like Tatum [O’Neal] did in ‘Paper Moon,'” he mentioned in his conversation with Vulture. “She would begin well but would quickly drift off track, which is why I had to rely on close-ups since she excelled in that format.”
Moreover, Cher’s negative experiences extended beyond Bogdanovich. She also spoke out against director Frank Oz, with whom she worked briefly in 1990 on ‘Mermaids‘, leading to his controversial dismissal from the project.
“I ended up getting the guy from ‘The Muppets’ fired,” Cher revealed. “I told him: one of us has to go. It’s unfortunate since he’s a talented director, but there was tension between us. He quipped, ‘At least my wife loves me!’
The first volume of ‘Cher: The Memoir’ is currently available at retailers, with the second volume set for release in 2025.
