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WORK TITLE: Leading Lady
WORK NOTES:
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BIRTHDATE:
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CITY: Los Angeles
STATE: CA
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NATIONALITY:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-galloway-bab306138/ * http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2100208/stephen-galloway * http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/sherry-lansing-stephen-galloway-reveal-backstory-new-book-leading-lady-997599
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:Cambridge University, M.A.; also graduated from the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film Studies.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Entertainment journalist. Hollywood Reporter, journalist and executive features editor, 1993–, roundtable series founder. Loyola Marymount University, Cosgrove Visiting Artist, 2014; moderator for the 2014 season of the television series “The Hollywood Masters.”
AWARDS:Entertainment Journalist of the Year Award, 2013.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Stephen Galloway is an entertainment journalist who graduated from Cambridge University and the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film Studies. He has been with the Hollywood Reporter since 1993, where he serves as the executive features editor and founded the roundtable series. Over the course of his career, he has interviewed numerous celebrities, including Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Sean Penn. Galloway is the recipient of the 2013 Entertainment Journalist of the Year Award. In 2014 he served as the Cosgrove Visiting Artist at Loyola Marymount University and also moderated the 2014 season of the television series “The Hollywood Masters,” which featured Hollywood directors David O. Russell, Judd Apatow, and Clint Eastwood. Collaborating with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. in 2009, he cofounded the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.
In 2017 Galloway published Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker. The book serves as a biography of Hollywood heavyweight Sherry Lansing and her rise to the top. Lansing worked with Galloway in his writing of this book, providing numerous interviews to help fill out the finer details of her life. In the biography, Galloway relates how a newly married Lansing left her life in Chicago in the 1960s to become a Hollywood actor. Neither her acting career, nor marriage, lasted long. However, she took to script reading in the early 1970s and was hired by a major film studio. This marked the start of her executive career, which culminated with her becoming the head of 20th Century Fox in 1980, becoming the first woman at the top of a major Hollywood film studio. Galloway details the numerous major movies, actors, and directors she interacted with over her career, offering behind-the-scenes conversations and gossip. The book then shows how her philanthropist career after leaving Hollywood in 2005 earned her even more recognition for her achievements.
Booklist contributor Kristine Huntley claimed that “Galloway has crafted a sharp-eyed, captivating look at a brilliant pioneer who broke through the glass ceiling.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews said that because of Galloway’s frequent quoting from Lansing’s interviews, “he seems more of a ghostwriter than biographer. Nevertheless, he tells an energetic and entertaining story.” The Kirkus Reviews critic concluded by calling Leading Lady “a brisk, breezy look at the turbulent world of moviemaking.” A Publishers Weekly contributor claimed that “Galloway has created a colorful page-turner chronicling Lansing’s legacy as both a filmmaker and a philanthropist.” A contributor to the BreakOfDayLibrary Website said that “Galloway is an exceptional writer.” In an article in U.S. News, Douglass K. Daniel summarized that “Lansing did indeed break ground, though she is not depicted as a crusader. She bore the sexism, learning to work with older, powerful men who doubted her at first because of her gender. Like many women before and since, she did her job and let her achievements speak for her.” A contributor reviewing the biography in Parkdalear’s Blog observed that “Galloway shows Lansing’s determination, grit, and strength along with the odds she faced in becoming such a power in Hollywood film industry.” The same reviewer also noted that “Galloway writes about Lansing’s personal and professional life with clarity and grace.” The Parkdalear’s Blog critic insisted that “Galloway’s credentials made him the right choice for writing Sherry Lansing’s story. He delves into her personal life and her career with insight. He interviewed Lansing extensively and talked with many others who have known and worked with her.” Writing in the Digging through the Fat Website, Pam Munter noticed that Galloway compiled “an impressing amount of research” to be able to write such a book, adding that he “has written a delicious valentine to [Lansing] in Leading Lady.” Munter explained that “the book is filled with the intricate details of tense negotiations and the making of many of her biggest films,” appending that “the counterpoint to this book is the evolution of Hollywood, itself—studio consolidation, the death of the movie mogul, the rise of corporate mergers.” Munter opined that Lansing’s “personal struggles are more riveting than the studio battles, at least for a layperson,” insisting that “those occasions when she battled prominent actors, producers, and directors make for a fun and juicy reading, spicing up the endless details of deals.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 1, 2017, Kristine Huntley, review of Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker, p. 30.
Hollywood Reporter, April 26, 2017, Chris Gardner, “Sherry Lansing, Stephen Galloway Reveal Backstory of New Book ‘Leading Lady.'”
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2017, review of Leading Lady.
People, April 25, 2017, review of Leading Lady.
Publishers Weekly, February 13, 2017, review of Leading Lady, p. 64.
ONLINE
BreakOfDayLibrary, http://breakofdaylibrary.com/ (September 14, 2017), review of Leading Lady.
Digging through the Fat, https://diggingthroughthefat.com/ (June 27, 2017), Pam Munter, review of Leading Lady.
Parkdalear’s Blog, https://parkdalear.wordpress.com/ (August 8, 2017), review of Leading Lady.
U.S. News, https://www.usnews.com/ (May 31, 2017), Douglass K. Daniel, review of Leading Lady.*
APRIL 26, 2017
11:40am PT by Chris Gardner
Sherry Lansing, Stephen Galloway Reveal Backstory of New Book 'Leading Lady'
During an ICM Partners-hosted cocktail event on Tuesday night, the iconic studio executive reveals how in "a moment of weakness" she said yes to Galloway's request to write her life story: "I don’t think anybody else could’ve convinced me to do this."
Todd Williamson/Getty Images
From left: Toni Howard, Chris Silbermann, Sherry Lansing, Matthew Belloni and Stephen Galloway
During an ICM Partners-hosted cocktail event on Tuesday night, the iconic studio executive reveals how in "a moment of weakness" she said yes to Galloway's request to write her life story: "I don’t think anybody else could’ve convinced me to do this."
Sherry Lansing has many talents, but writing is not one.
That’s not an insult — it was her own admission, revealed Tuesday night just after 7 p.m. while standing in the 34th floor lobby of ICM Partners' Century City headquarters in front of some of the most powerful people in the entertainment business. She had a microphone in hand and a table at her hip filled with freshly printed books featuring her face next to the title Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker.
"When I left Paramount, I decided to write a memoir and I made a deal to do so," recalled Lansing of her exit, which marked the end of an era for one of the powerful women to ever rise through the studio ranks. "Then I found out that, first of all, I can't write at all. I mean, not at all. It's appalling the way I write."
The reflection caused quite a bit of laughter from the gathered guests, including ICM's hosts Chris Silbermann and Toni Howard along with high-ranking executives Ron Meyer, Stacey Snider, Tom Rothman, Michael Burns and Dana Walden, along with Anjelica Huston, Christine Lahti, Irwin Winkler, Judy Sheindlin, Marty Singer, Nina Shaw, Rob Friedman, Donald DeLine, Laurence Mark, George Schlatter, Claudia Lewis, Adrian Lyne, Lisa Paulsen, Anne Sweeney, Armani's Wanda McDaniel and ICM's Eddy Yablans, Hildy Gottlieb and Doug MacLaren.
Fox Television Group chairman and CEO Dana Walden, WME's Nancy Josephson, Sherry Lansing and Anjelica Huston catch up at the "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing" book party at ICM Partners in Century City on April 25, 2017. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images)
Todd Williamson/Getty Images
Fox Television Group chairman and CEO Dana Walden, WME's Nancy Josephson, Sherry Lansing and Anjelica Huston catch up at the "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing" book party at ICM Partners in Century City on April 25, 2017. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images)
But it was more than the writing part that kept Lansing from pushing forth with a book about her life and storied career. "I didn't want to look back," she said. "I only wanted to look forward."
Enter Stephen Galloway.
The veteran journalist, who currently serves as executive editor of features for The Hollywood Reporter, had a "wonderful lunch" with Lansing at the Polo Lounge inside the Beverly Hills Hotel five years ago. After hearing her story, Galloway couldn't contain his enthusiasm. "I thought, 'Oh my God, I want to write that story.' In a moment of weakness, she said yes," he recalled during his own turn at the mic, a series of remarks that also included Silbermann, THR's editorial director Matthew Belloni and Lansing. "In the process of writing this book, I discovered who she was — deeply. And I understood the extraordinary talents that took her where she was."
Stephen Galloway speaks during the "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing" book party at ICM Partners in Century City on April 25, 2017. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images)
Todd Williamson/Getty Images
Stephen Galloway speaks during the "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing" book party at ICM Partners in Century City on April 25, 2017. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images)
It wasn't always an easy process, Galloway noted. He credited the talents of his ICM agent Jennifer Joel for making the deal with publisher Crown Archetype happen, and he thanked Lansing for allowing him to include all aspects of her life, from personal heartbreak and insider studio drama to filmmaker fights, all of which have contributed to her colorful life. "Lovely," "feisty," "imaginative," "caring" and "brilliant" are just a few of the adjectives he used to describe his subject. "I started with her on a pedestal and ended with her on a different pedestal. That pedestal was even higher," Galloway said. "It's been the honor of my life to spend this time with you."
Genuine compliments such as that were easily uncovered from other guests.
Longtime friend Sheindlin — aka Judge Judy — politely excused present company (her other BFF, veteran power agent Howard) and gushed that Lansing is “probably the greatest woman I’ve ever met.” Sheindlin, who often goes on group vacations with Lansing, Howard and their respective husbands, not only singled out Lansing’s impressive film business résumé, she seemed equally dazzled about her post-Hollywood philanthropy career. “She can do anything. She knows more about medicine than most doctors. She knows about the treatment for cancer, what’s coming up, what’s in the pipeline. She speaks about it with ease; it’s not rote,” Sheindlin noted. “She’s a fun friend, a devoted wife and a glorious person.”
ICM's Toni Howard, Sherry Lansing and Judy Sheindlin (aka Judge Judy) attend the "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing" book party at ICM Partners in Century City on April 25, 2017. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images)
Todd Williamson/Getty Images
ICM's Toni Howard, Sherry Lansing and Judy Sheindlin (aka Judge Judy) attend the "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing" book party at ICM Partners in Century City on April 25, 2017. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images)
Said Winkler: "Here's the power of Sherry Lansing: In 1981, I decided I was going to stop making movies for awhile. I enrolled at Oxford University in England to study Shakespeare. Sherry called one day to say that she wanted to make a script of mine. 'Can you come back?' she asked. We were on the next plane. She defeated Shakespeare and Oxford in one call."
Fox chairman-CEO Snider, someone who has followed in Lansing’s footsteps to the top post of a major Hollywood studio, acknowledged how Lansing paved the way. “For me, as a young executive, she was an inspiration and even now, I cannot wait to read the book because I know there will be some observation, some insight that I will benefit from — without a doubt,” Snider told THR.
READ MORE
Sherry Lansing Book Excerpt: Screaming Matches and Tears on 'Fatal Attraction' Set (Exclusive)
Added Rothman: "She was a pioneer, and a true original. I've known her since my very very first job in the movie business when I worked for Arthur Klein, we represented Jaffe/Lansing Productions. I’ve known her more than 35 years."
Though not quite as long, Huston said her relationship with Lansing dates back to the Addams Family days in 1991 at Paramount. "She's the nicest person in show business," the actress smiled. "For a woman to have been the head of a studio in this — if you'll forgive me — rather misogynistic town, is an extraordinary feat."
Many of the guests praised Galloway's writing talent and admitted that they couldn't wait to get home and crack open the book. Power lawyer Singer is one who said he’s confident her story will make for an amazing read. “She succeeded with kindness in one of the toughest businesses in the world,” he noted. “She doesn’t have that tough veneer or aggressive attitude that most men and women have in the entertainment industry. It’s not only her career in the movie business, but what she’s done since then. She’s one of the most charitable and philanthropic women that you would ever meet. She’s an amazing person.”
Atmosphere inside the "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing" book party at ICM Partners in Century City on April 25, 2017. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images)
Todd Williamson/Getty Images
Atmosphere inside the "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing" book party at ICM Partners in Century City on April 25, 2017. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images)
During his remarks, Silbermann gushed that he always looked up to Lansing as "the epitome of what I wanted to be when I grew up." He continued, "I saw her as smart, classy, tough, strong, warm and loving — just everything you could imagine is possible in the world. The world is a better place because of you."
Belloni had equal praise for Galloway, calling him the "epitome of class, intelligence and wit," and praising his motivations in tackling Lansing's story as a "labor of love."
"When Stephen came into my office a few years ago and said, 'I am going to write a book and it’s going to be about Sherry Lansing,' I said, first of all, 'Are we going to get the excerpt?' And the second response was, 'That makes absolute sense,'" Belloni recalled, before endorsing the final product. "[The book] is deeply reported, compassionately written, accurate and triple-sourced. With that kind of detail, you get a finished product that will stand the test of time."
READ MORE
Sherry Lansing: Why I Left the Movie Business
It's a finished product that totals 416 pages and is currently available following Tuesday's release. Despite the near-constant anxiety that came with digging through her past, Lansing, who admitted that she didn't have approval over any text, expressed her hopefulness that others enjoy it.
"Stephen, without you, this book would not exist obviously. I don’t think anybody else could’ve convinced me to do this. I’m so in awe of your talent. Stephen found out things that I did not know. They are accurate. I don’t like everything in the book, but fortunately the stuff that I don’t like is true," Lansing laughed. "I love each and everyone of you. I hope you love the book."
Even if she didn't write it herself.
Stephen Galloway
S G
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
STEPHEN GALLOWAY is a critically acclaimed entertainment reporter and winner of the Entertainment Journalist of the Year Award in 2013. He is the executive features editor for The Hollywood Reporter, and was the moderator for the 2014 season of The Hollywood Masters, a TV series featuring interviews with major Hollywood directors, such as David O. Russell and Judd Apatow.
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Studio boss Sherry Lansing quit Hollywood. Then, she made history with her second act.
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Publish date April 22, 2017
April 22, 2017
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Experience
The Hollywood Reporter
Executive editor
Company NameThe Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Execeutive features editor
Company NameThe Hollywood Reporter
Dates Employed1993 – Present Employment Duration24 yrs
LocationLos Angeles
Stephen Galloway is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who serves as the executive features editor for The Hollywood Reporter. Among his honors, he was named 2013 journalist of the year at the National Entertainment Journalism Awards.
He is the author of the biography Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker, out April 25, 2017.
He has interviewed a who’s who of Hollywood including Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and George Clooney. He also created the Reporter’s acclaimed roundtable series, featuring the likes of Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
In 2014, he was named the Cosgrove Visiting Artist at Loyola Marymount University, where he now hosts the interview series The Hollywood Masters, which has featured filmmakers such as Clint Eastwood and Sean Penn.
In 2009, he joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. to create the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. Each year, the program takes between 15 and 20 high school juniors from disadvantaged backgrounds and pairs them with some of the top women in film and TV. Mentors have included NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke, Paramount Pictures marketing and distribution president Megan Colligan and Fox Network Groups general counsel Rita Tuzon. More than 120 girls have taken part in the program, and almost all of them have gone on to four-year colleges, supported by more than $4 million in scholarship money that Galloway has helped raise.
Born in the United Kingdom, he holds an M.A. from Cambridge University and is a graduate of the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film Studies.
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Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of
a Hollywood Groundbreaker
Kristine Huntley
Booklist.
113.13 (Mar. 1, 2017): p30.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker.
By Stephen Galloway.
Apr. 2017.416p. illus. Crown Archetype, $27 (9780307405937). 791.4302.
When young newlywed Sherry Lansing left Chicago in 1966 bound for Hollywood to pursue an acting career, few
would have predicted the heights she'd reach. Both her acting ambitions and her marriage fizzled, but she found a new
calling as a script reader in the early 1970s. Before long, she was hired by a major movie studio, and her ascension up
the executive ladder began. After stints at MGM, Columbia, and Fox, she partnered with Stanley Jaffe to form a
production company, which produced the hits Fatal Attraction and The Accused. Paramount lured both Jaffe and
Lansing away, with Lansing achieving the coveted position of studio chairman at a major movie studio, the first woman
to do so. After Lansing bet big on and shepherded a string of soaring successes, including Forrest Gump, Braveheart,
and Titanic, the movie industry's turn toward franchises and her own interest in charity work led Lansing to resign in
2005 to turn her attention to education and cancer research. Galloway has crafted a sharp-eyed, captivating look at a
brilliant pioneer who broke through the glass ceiling.--Kristine Huntley
YAIS: A great read for young women interested in the executive track in any industry. KH.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Huntley, Kristine. "Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker." Booklist, 1 Mar.
2017, p. 30. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA488689454&it=r&asid=2424cc0c48eb8f72cdc5f237ef301765.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A488689454
10/7/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Galloway, Stephen: LEADING LADY
Kirkus Reviews.
(Feb. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Galloway, Stephen LEADING LADY Crown Archetype (Adult Nonfiction) $27.00 4, 25 ISBN: 978-0-307-40593-7
A biography about a powerful former studio head.By the time she was 35, at the helm of Fox Productions, Sherry
Lansing was the highest-paid and highest-ranking woman in the American film industry. In his debut biography,
entertainment journalist Galloway, executive features editor for the Hollywood Reporter, follows Lansing's career from
her unsuccessful stab at acting to a more satisfying job as a script reader and finally to the positions at Columbia
Pictures, Fox, and Paramount that put her in a glaring spotlight. The author acknowledges "hundreds of hours of
interviews" with his subject, from which he quotes so liberally that at times he seems more of a ghostwriter than
biographer. Nevertheless, he tells an energetic and entertaining story, filled with divas, tantrums, and abundant
Hollywood gossip. Besides Lansing, Galloway interviewed scores of actors, directors, producers, and screenwriters,
including Michael Douglas, who shared candid recollections about the trials involved in producing Fatal Attraction;
Glenn Close, who nearly did not land a role in that film; the demanding Jane Fonda; Titanic director James Cameron;
the irascible Sumner Redstone; Steven Spielberg; and Meryl Streep, relatively unknown when she won the part playing
opposite Dustin Hoffman in Kramer v. Kramer. Hoffman created "a host of difficulties" on the set, including a horrible
relationship with Streep: "at one point," Galloway divulges, "just before they shot a dramatic scene, out of the blue he
hit her, perhaps believing her performance would be more authentic." The two never acted together after that. Among
Lansing's memorable movies were Forrest Gump, Braveheart, a host of action films, and The Hours. In 2005, Lansing
decided to leave movies and, as she put it, "recreate my life." She established the Sherry Lansing Foundation, a
charitable organization focused on cancer research and education, to which she brought the same determination and
hands-on management style that had defined her throughout her career. A brisk, breezy look at the turbulent world of
moviemaking.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Galloway, Stephen: LEADING LADY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2017. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA480921818&it=r&asid=17c82025d7222e40e75586cb562835c0.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A480921818
10/7/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of
a Hollywood Groundbreaker
Publishers Weekly.
264.7 (Feb. 13, 2017): p64.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker
Stephen Galloway. Crown Archetype, $27 (416p) ISBN 978-0-307-40593-7
Galloway, executive features editor for the Hollywood Reporter, provides a fascinating look at Sherry Lansing, whose
appointment as head of 20th Century Fox in 1980 made her the first female president of a major Hollywood studio. He
follows Lansing from her Chicago childhood, explaining how her father's death and mother's resourcefulness influenced
her strengths and insecurities. A gawky teenager, she gained from movie going a desire to "reinvent herself' and as a
young woman moved to California to follow her acting dreams. Although this first career didn't last long, she found a
mentor in producer Ray Wagner, who hired her as a script reader, a move that transformed her life. Galloway captures
the personal drive that allowed Lansing to forge a path through sexist Hollywood and shepherd films such as Kramer
vs. Kramer, Forrest Gump, and Saving Private Ryan past creative obstacles to eventual success. He also shows how she
personally left her mark on many films, such as by helping to craft Fatal Attraction's revised, crowd-pleasing finale. As
the book concludes, having worked her way up the corporate ladder, Lansing realized she wanted more out of life, and
by 2005 left Hollywood behind to start a cancer research foundation. Galloway has created a colorful page-turner
chronicling Lansing's legacy as both a filmmaker and a philanthropist. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker." Publishers Weekly, 13 Feb. 2017, p.
64. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA482198213&it=r&asid=8af10267c913e442bda6d3bf01c4593c.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A482198213
Hoffman vs. Streep and Sharon Stone's On-Set Affair: Biggest Bombshells from Revealing New Hollywood Tell-All
BY ALE RUSSIAN•@RUSSIAN_ALE
POSTED ON APRIL 25, 2017 AT 9:00AM EDT
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Hollywood’s real leading lady is telling all.
Sherry Lansing, the first woman to ever head a major movie studio, is the subject of Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker, a biography by Stephen Galloway that details her rise from struggling actress to Hollywood power player.
The Illinois native worked at MGM as a script reader and briefly worked at Columbia Pictures before becoming 20th Century Fox’s first female president in 1980. She then went on to become CEO of Paramount Pictures in 1992.
Lansing, who greenlit smash hits such as Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump and the Mission: Impossible franchise and helped back Titanic, had to navigate a world full of sexism and nonstop drama to achieve her amazing success in the business.
Read the biggest revelations from her book below.
DAVID CROTTY/PATRICK MCMULLAN
Hoffman vs. Streep
After Lansing got a gig as script reader at MGM, her second movie for the studio was what would be Meryl Streep‘s first Oscar win — Kramer vs. Kramer. The future exec identified with the female character who “broke social conventions” by leaving her husband (Dustin Hoffman) and her child.
Streep, a relatively unknown actress, was cast opposite Hoffman, but the two didn’t get along. The veteran actor once shattered a wine glass in the middle of a scene without alerting a incensed Streep, who ended up with shards in her hair. Tensions boiled over the most when Hoffman slapped Streep as they were about to start filming in an effort to elicit a more authentic performance from the young actress. Streep was “furious,” producer Stanley Jaffe says in the book. The two never worked together again.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES/AP
She loved Titanic — but tried to veto Celine Dion’s massive hit
After she renegotiated a deal with 20th Century Fox (the main studio backing the movie) that saw Paramount put up barely a third of the $210 million dollar budget the film eventually required, Lansing was able to take a backseat as she watched James Cameron create his epic Best Picture winner — even through tensions and drama on set. But when she finally saw the finished result, the woman famous for giving constructive notes had just one for Cameron: change the theme song, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”
“I said, ‘Jim, isn’t this a little corny? Do we really need it?’ He said, ‘Oh my God, Sherry! The song is fantastic,’ ” she recalls.
It became one of the best-selling singles in history — as Titanic shattered box office records. It’s still the second highest-grossing movie of all time.
Glenn Close and Michael Douglas on the Famous Bunny Boiling Scene in 'Fatal Attraction'
Glenn Close was unsure about her character killing a pet bunny in 'Fatal Attraction' until she spoke with a psychiatrist.
Play Video
Sharon Stone competed with a volcano to cause trouble
Filming 1993’s Sliver proved to be months of off-camera drama. Leads Sharon Stone and Billy Baldwin were at odds, with both stars refusing to read lines for each other’s close-ups, Galloway writes. Stone also caused a publicity flurry when she struck up a romance with Bill MacDonald, one of the film’s producers. When MacDonald left his wife for Stone, screenwriter Joe Eszterhas left his for McDonald’s, causing tension on set.
But a truly scary moment came when a cameraman and a helicopter vanished inside a Hawaiian volcano. The men were trapped inside for two days due to the vapor and sulfur before they were rescued. “I felt I was in a David Lynch film,” Lansing says of the experience.
EVERETT
Explosive negotiations with Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson was still a newcomer to the directing game when he signed on to direct, produce and star in the smash hit Braveheart — and he was not shy about his passion for it. When budget negotiations got tough, Gibson came in for a meeting with Bill Bernstein, the head of business affairs. After Bernstein offered a low number just weeks before filming, Gibson was enraged. Jeff Berg, an agent who was present at the meeting, says Gibson picked up an ashtray and “threw it through the wall. We were stunned.”
Still, Lansing praises Gibson for sticking to his guns and the actor was grateful to Lansing for being one of the only execs to truly support him throughout his career. “He has his demons, and when he drinks he becomes another person,” Lansing says in the book calling Gibson, who has now been sober for many years, “shy, honest and funny.”
MOVIESTORE COLLECTION/REX/REX USA
A real bunny got boiled in Fatal Attraction
If you ever wondered why Anne Archer — who, as Michael Douglas’ wife, discovers the family’s rabbit boiling on their stove in the film — looked so horrified during the scene, it’s because she really was. Lansing revealed the scene involved a real dead bunny.
“The stench was beyond belief,” said director Adrian Lyne. “That probably helped Anne because the smell was so bad.”
CROWN ARCHETYPE
Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker is out now.