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Cary Elwes Talks Time as Marlon Brando's Assistant on Set of "Superman: The Movie"
Actor Cary Elwes is well known for his starring roles in such films as "The Princess Bride," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "Saw," "Days of Thunder," and the Netflix series, "Stranger Things".
However, in 1978 prior to his acting career, a then-16-year-old Elwes was tasked with being an assistant to the legendary Marlon Brando on the set of "Superman: The Movie" after one of the assistant directors fell ill.
In a recent interview with The Daily Telegraph, Elwes states that his primary job was to make sure that Brando - who portrayed the role of Jor-El in the blockbuster film - was out of his trailer and on the set in time to film his scenes; a task that was not always easy to manage.
"Marlon had no incentive to be on time, because his agent had struck the most amazing deal for him. Every day that the picture went over, he got another million dollars," stated Elwes. "So he drove poor Richard Donner up the wall, because he just strolled in whenever he felt like it. Sometimes before lunch, sometimes... not before lunch."
Elwes revealed that he eventually learned how much Brando enjoyed being brought food that he liked which would not only make him happier, but also result in the star into arriving on the set on time.
"How did I manage it? Mainly with food, once you fed Marlon he was in a much better mood. So I tried to find delicacies that appealed to him, which were limited at Shepperton at the time. He mainly wanted desserts."
The film would go on to being a huge hit at the box office and Elwes - now 59 - would ultimately enjoy a successful acting career over the coming decades with upcoming roles in "Mission: Impossible 7" with Tom Cruise and Guy Ritchie's spy thriller, "Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre".
