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Steve Martin's Little Shop of Horrors (1986) was an iconic movie, that still holds a special place in the hearts of fans. However, Miriam Margolyes, who played the nurse tortured by Steve Martin's psychotic dentist, Orin Scrivello, alleged that the actor was anything but charming behind the scenes.
Miriam Margolyes stated in her new memoir Oh Miriam: Stories from an Extraordinary Life that her co-star Steve Martin was not pleasant to work with. She went as far as to call him "horrid" and even claimed that the violence by his character Orin Scrivello, including punches, and slaps actually hurt her.
Martin responded to her statements and claimed that he took "extreme caution" not to hurt Miriam.
"I was hit all day by doors opening in my face": Miriam Margolyes opens up about working with Steve Martin
On Thursday, September 14, 82-year-old BAFTA-winning actress, Miriam Margolyes released her second memoir, Oh Miriam: Stories from an Extraordinary Life. The actress, who is known for her blunt opinions on stars in the industry, made some shocking revelations.
She spoke about her time working on the cult classic, Little Shop Of Horrors alongside Steve Martin and did not have many good things to say about the experience. In the film, Martin played the psychotic dentist, Orin Scrivello, who loved to hurt his dental nurse, played by Miriam Margolyes.
Margolyes stated that despite the success of the film, working with Steve Martin was not a pleasant experience. She called Martin "undeniably brilliant" despite being "horrid" to her. According to The Independent, she wrote:
"I was hit all day by doors opening in my face; repeatedly punched, slapped and knocked down by an unlovely and unapologetic Steve Martin – perhaps he was method acting – and came home grumpy with a splitting headache."
She added:
"Let it not be said that I have never suffered in the name of art."
"I remember taking extreme caution": Steve Martin objects to Margolyes' comments
The actor objected to Margolyes' account of the events that took place during the shoot of the film. The 78-year-old actor and comedian told The Hollywood Reporter that he had a different version of the events that the actress had spoken about. He stated that he was surprised when he read Margolyes' comments as he objected to her claims about him being careless while acting out the violent scenes.
The actor particularly objected to Margolyes' claim about him punching her.
"I remember taking EXTREME caution regarding the fake punch — the same caution I would use with any similar scene," he told the publication.
He added:
"There was never any physical contact between her and me, accidental or otherwise, in this scene or any other we shot."
Director Frank Oz was also surprised by the actress' revelations and also shared a statement with the outlet. He mentioned that the physical scenes were always rehearsed in slow motion as he said:
"It’s puzzling what she’s talking about. It’s not the Steve I know or anyone knows. He’s always been professional and respectful of everyone on all of my shoots."
Martin is not the only celebrity who was mentioned in Margolyes' memoir, as per The Independent. She also spoke about how sweet Steve Buscemi was and shed light on an incident where she flashed Martin Scorcese on the sets of The Age of Innocence, a movie for which she would later receive a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
