‘Twister’ Stunt Boss Says Steven Spielberg Flew to Oklahoma and ‘Was F—ing Yelling’ at the Director After Crew Walked Off Set Amid Chaotic Filming

As a movie buff with a deep appreciation for behind-the-scenes stories, I find the chaos that unfolded during the production of “Twister” utterly fascinating. The tale of Jan de Bont’s alleged meltdown and Steven Spielberg‘s intervention is a testament to the intense pressure and unpredictability that comes with making a big-budget blockbuster.


Before the premiere of “Twisters,” the initial stunt coordinator for the 1996 film “Twister” shared stories about the mayhem behind-the-scenes with The Independent. Mic Rodgers described an incident where director Jan de Bont reportedly had a temper tantrum on set, causing the team to briefly halt production.

According to The Independent’s report, an explosive outburst from director Jan de Bont almost derailed the production. One day, while filming in a ditch, De Bont pushed a camera assistant, causing him to fall into the trench. Despite apologizing not being forthcoming from De Bont after the incident, the entire camera team, followed by the audio crew and wardrobe department, walked off the set in protest.

“It had been brewing,” Rodgers told the publication about the set tension.

I was thrilled to hear that Steven Spielberg, no less, came to Norman, Oklahoma the very next day to reprimand our director for the chaos on set. To my surprise, I learned that Spielberg hadn’t even made it to the production and instead met de Bont at the airport.

Based on the given account from Rodgers, it seems that Spielberg, a renowned film director, had quite an intense interaction with someone named Jan while boarding or disembarking from a Learjet. According to Rodgers, Spielberg never actually stepped off the plane but rather remained on it and verbally confronted Jan for an extended period of time, approximately 15 minutes.

EbMaster contacted Spielberg’s team for further information. De Bont was silent on the issue when queried.

The production progressed despite the turmoil and numerous injury risks while filming on location during stormy conditions. For example, Helen Hunt sustained a head injury during the shoot, and Bill Paxton was momentarily incapacitated by bright lights. However, their efforts proved fruitful as “Twister” turned out to be a massive hit in 1996, earning $495 million globally and ranking as the second-highest-grossing film of that year.

In an interview with EbMaster, “Twister” director Jan de Bont described his filming experience as “quite a challenging physically” and “exhausting” due to the unpredictable weather conditions. Consequently, they frequently had to relocate during the day to adapt to either rain or sunshine.

He continued, “Frequently, we encountered extra challenges. Filming for this movie spanned several months despite only taking place in a single day. At the start, the set appeared bare, but soon the corn sprouted and trees began to flourish. Unfortunately, before long, we had to locate a new site that resembled the original one. This process repeated numerous times – it was an incredibly arduous experience.”

I’m excited to share that “Twisters” is currently screening in cinemas across the country! For a deeper insight into the film, I strongly recommend checking out Rodgers’ comprehensive interview on The Independent’s website.

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2024-07-23 01:48