Robert De Niro's Most Stressful Movie Shoot Came From A Wild Marlon Brando Request

Director Frank Oz's 2001 heist film "The Score" is a laidback affair that's more notable for its casual cast interactions than its heist procedurals. The movie centers on Nick (Robert De Niro), a crackerjack safecracker who's contacted by a young hotshot named Jack (Edward Norton) about a potentially lucrative heist involving a rare and valuable scepter. Nick doesn't like talking to Jack, however, as he usually gets his heist jobs from an old associate named Max (Marlon Brando). The scenes between Nick and Max are affable and relatable, and it's certainly something to see De Niro and Brando sharing the screen. Indeed, cineastes may wiggle in their seats seeing Vito Corleone from "The Godfather" directly interact with Vito Corleone from "The Godfather Part II." (And Norton is no slouch, either.)

It seems, though, that Brando was very demanding on the set of "The Score." As Oz told Time in 2001 (via The Guardian), Brando would often mock director Oz for his history working with the Muppets. As his fans know, the man voiced and operated Miss Piggy and many other puppet characters in his long and prolific career. (Oz has also said that Disney hasn't asked him back to play with the Muppets since acquiring the property, for those wondering why he stopped.)

Brando also reportedly refused to talk to Oz on set since he didn't care for his directing style, and even asked De Niro to direct certain scenes. Speaking at the 2018 Marrakech Film Festival (via Variety), De Niro recalled the day Brando forcibly wrenched directing duties from Oz and placed them in his hands. De Niro admitted that he wasn't prepared to direct "The Score," describing it as one of the more stressful moments of his career.

The scene in question was one in which Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando appeared together. De Niro wasn't a neophyte to calling the shots on a film, having directed Chazz Palminteri in the 1993 movie "A Bronx Tale" by then, so he knew what to do behind a camera. The problem with "The Score" is that De Niro was also expected to be in front of it at the same time ... right next to Brando. It was only a five-page scene, but it was still intimidating for De Niro to, quite suddenly, be acting and directing at the same time. He gutted it out, however, saying: 

"Marlon was upset with the director and he wanted me to direct a scene. [...] I was terribly anxious before we started shooting it, and then it was fine."

Indeed, the scene came out well, and that was that. 

So, what was the beef that Brando had with Frank Oz? According to a 2023 article published by Far Out Magazine, Brando merely hated taking direction. It seems that Oz had asked Brando to "bring it down" in one scene, which only got a hearty "f*** you" from Brando. Brando ultimately took the direction in that instance, but tensions remained high throughout the shoot. Essentially, De Niro's direction was a way to mitigate any further conflict. Oz later admitted that he was perhaps a little too belligerent with Brando (which the actor didn't respond well to), stating that the tension was largely his own fault.