In 1989, the film Steel Magnolias was released, directed by Herbert Ross and starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. The film tells of a group of women who bond closely after one of their own dies. However, the on-set behaviour of Herbert Ross was completely unacceptable.
Shirley MacLaine once revealed that Ross’s behaviour on set led to a bond between the actors he had treated with disrespect. “My deepest memories of the film were how we bonded together after he told one of us or all of us we couldn’t act,” she said (via Yahoo).
Sally Field added the fact that Ross was particularly cruel to Julia Roberts. “He went after Julia with a vengeance,” she said. “This was pretty much her first big film.” In 1993, Ross said that Roberts “looked bad and gave a very bad performance” in Steel Magnolias.
However, Roberts returned fire and said that Ross was “mean and out of line”. She added: “If he thinks he can talk about me in such a condescending way and not have me say something about it, then he’s nuts”. Evidently, Ross had no respect whatsoever for his cast, and thankfully, they have called him out on his behaviour.
Dolly Parton noted that Ross often told her during the film’s production that she needed acting lessons. “He didn’t particularly like me or Julia Roberts at the start and was very hard on us,” she said. “Julia Roberts was not the big star she is now, and I think Herbert Ross resented having to use her. He told me I couldn’t act.”
Parton, in typical Parton fashion, brilliantly responded, “I’m not an actress, I’m Dolly Parton. I’m a personality who has been hired to do this movie. You’re the director. It’s your job to make me look like I’m acting.” However, by the time production finished, it looked like friendships had been healed. She added, “By the end of the film, we had all made peace and become friends.”
MacLaine also remembers the time when Ross suggested to Parton that she take some acting lessons. Outraged, MacLaine said, “You don’t say that to Dolly Parton! Dolly Parton is absolutely the funniest, wittiest and filthiest, and she will cut you to ribbons.” Like Parton, she acknowledged the fact that everyone on set made friends but stopped short of attending Ross’ funeral when he died in 2001.
