Was Maxwell Caulfield Difficult to Work with?

[Michael Torrance]

This clip makes it seem like both John James and Maxwell Caulfield hint at that. Combined with the publicized stories of Heston's scolding of Caulfield, the clip makes me wonder.

 

[Zable]

If memory serves me well, Charlton Heston's pre-Christmas letter to Caulfield highlighted MC's unprofessionalism, and his assault of one of the production staff was one of the things specified. I wouldn't characterise that as a mere scolding.
After the new year, Heston lost his temper because of the noise MC made on the roof of the sound stage where filming of a Heston scene was taking place. In MC's defense here, he hadn't known that filming was taking place in that particular sound stage.
A lot of folk were upset, especially Ms Stanwyck, when MC held up filming of the meet-my-bride-Randall scene because he insisted on having a red rose, forcing all to wait while someone drove out to buy one.
Stephanie Beacham's first encounter with him was a bad one, because she was in the make-up chair when he and a young friend popped in and he (without directly acknowledging her) derided her to his friend, and both went away laughing at the idea that she was going to play his mother; and she resolved to avoid touching him as much as she could because she didn't want to come across as one of those women eager to be in bodily contact with him. But she later praised him, liking the way he treated his much older wife.
To me, these incidents are not examples of someone being difficult to work with. I think CH was right to call it unprofessionalism.

ETA: I forgot another incident.... MC turned up to work with a badly cut and bruised face and they couldn't film his scenes for days. He'd gotten into a fight with some locals in his off-time, and not for the first time.

 

[Willie Oleson]

So, basically, he was playing himself: an insensitive, spoilt brat.
Thank God Jeff was around to correct him, and give him a proper beating every now and then. It made the show look even more organic.
Too bad Dynasty couldn't see the benefit in Helmut Berger's unprofessional behaviour - it could have made things so much more interesting.

 

[Michael Torrance]

Too bad Dynasty couldn't see the benefit in Helmut Berger's unprofessional behaviour - it could have made things so much more interesting.

I think maybe it is easier for some to overlook the antics of a 20-something than those of a 40-something (I mean still not everyone liked Caulfield on the set even per his words). Plus Berger is Austrian, and they are just impossible to get along with.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Plus Berger is Austrian, and they are just impossible to get along with.

Why is that?

 

[tommie]

I think maybe it is easier for some to overlook the antics of a 20-something than those of a 40-something (I mean still not everyone liked Caulfield on the set even per his words). Plus Berger is Austrian, and they are just impossible to get along with.

I'd say that Caulfield also held a more important role on the show than Berger did on Dynasty, so it was probably easier to boot him.

I also get the impression that he improved on his behavior as the show went on.

 

[James from London]

A producer I know worked who with Caulfield when he did a year-long stint on Casualty in the UK in the early 2000s said he was very sweet and very humble on set. He also comes across as very likeable on Twitter.

I kind of have a soft spot for anyone who admits to having been difficult to work with, as he does on The Colbys DVD interview. And I've heard stories about Heston and Beacham being both lovely and difficult. I mean, we all get it wrong from time to time.

 

[Alexis]

He does seem very humble now, and seems to have seen the error of his youthful ways. He thought he was the best thing since sliced bread when he was a hot twenty something. He probably looks back at that behaviour now and thinks he was a twat. As many of us do thinking about our younger selves.

 

[Michael Torrance]

Why is that?

That is what people usually tell me when they are exasperated.

As for Caulfield, as others have mentioned in this thread, he actually admits to his bad behaviour on the set, which is rather rare--and which I always take as a sigh of growth and maturity.

And I've heard stories about Heston and Beacham being both lovely and difficult. I mean, we all get it wrong from time to time.

Well, the COLBYS producers did know what they were getting with Heston, good and bad, since he was decades in the business. A funny story I remember reading back in the 80s was that before the network decided to cancel the show, Spelling wanted to see if bringing the budget down would make it more palatable for the network to pay the fee. But before there were even some serious budget cut discussions, Heston heard the rumour and sent Spelling's people a photocopy of his signed contract with his salary page. But I think that was also paying Spelling back in kind, because that is what he would do when an actor would ask for a raise.

 

[Zable]

So, basically, he was playing himself: an insensitive, spoilt brat.

Not necessarily. John James said MC arrived on set in character and stayed in character. What if that meant MC was taking his character off-set too? I reckon CH's letter was a wake-up call.

 

[Willie Oleson]

What if that meant MC was taking his character off-set too?

That's what they said about Joan Collins but a) she had been playing that character for several years and b) Alexis was far more iconic and established.

 

[Zable]

Lo. They weren't in each other's league. I doubt MC had her on his mind. ETA: To emulate, I mean.

 

[Matthew Blaisdel]

I probably wouldn't have watched The Colbys without Maxwell C. as Miles.
He was clearly the main attraction for me there.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

He had a goofy appeal.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I doubt MC had her on his mind

My point was that I find it hard to believe that he would identify with his role from the very beginning (or, at all)

 

[Zable]

The rebel without a cause? Why not.

 

[James from London]

My point was that I find it hard to believe that he would identify with his role from the very beginning (or, at all)

Maybe he embraced the Californian fast-living playboy aspect of the role.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Or...or...or, maybe he still felt a bit GREASE-y

 

[Michael Torrance]

I probably wouldn't have watched The Colbys without Maxwell C. as Miles.
He was clearly the main attraction for me there.

While he was undeniably sexy, Caulfield had more chemistry and was more natural in scenes with his mother/Beecham than Fallon/Samms. He also had great chemistry with Jeff as rivals, actually better than Thomson and James had on DYNASTY. I was reading some comments the other day where some YouTube commentators mistakenly think Jack Coleman was a great recast because nobody complained about him (hello?) whereas Samms was, in their view, a worse one. I think in addition to the horrendous way Fallon was written/directed on THE COLBYS (evidence by her relaxed performance as soon as she moved to DYNASTY in season 8), Coleman's replacement happened when the show was climbing the ratings, whereas Samms had to help anchor a brand new show and time-slot for ABC. In that sense, whom they would pair Miles with was paramount, and the stilted hausfrau helped not at all.

But I must also say, while I thought Connie's decision to give the shares to Jeff was insane, nothing Miles did proved he was ready to take over the reigns of Colby Enterprises. No wonder Alexis took them over in "The Reunion."

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

He seems so …. so sensitive.