Charlton Heston Takes Aim at Hollywood

Charlton Heston Takes Aim at Hollywood

NewsMax.com
Tuesday, March 20, 2001

Barbra Streisand needs to take lessons about the Constitution; "Ben-Hur" is the best movie he ever made; William Wyler, his director in "Ben-Hur," was the best director he ever worked with; and Russell Crowe deserves an Oscar for his work in "Gladiator," Charlton Heston says.

Asked if he feels that the media have mistreated him, Heston told the Los Angeles Times last week: "I have never felt I was being ill-treated by the press. Ill-treated by Barbra Streisand, maybe. But Ms. Streisand, I suggest, is inadequately educated on the Constitution of the United States."

While never mentioning his highly controversial role as head of the National Rifle Association, Heston still found a few targets to aim at:

Liberal author Gore Vidal found himself in Heston’s sights for having claimed he did much of the script for "Ben-Hur." Vidal’s role as a screenwriter for "Ben-Hur" is overblown, Heston said.

"Gore Vidal has made a career over the last 30 years that he made a contribution. They decided they wanted some rewrites, so they brought him in to do a scene. He wrote a scene between Messala and me, but all three of us said, 'No,' it wouldn't work. It wasn't used.

"In all that time, he insists he wrote everything up to the chariot race, which is simply not true."

Heston took issue with some of the rumors about "Ben-Hur" that have persisted. For example, nobody was ever killed during the filming of the movie, and there is no red Ferrari that rumors claim can be seen parked in the corner of the arena during the chariot race. Moreover, his wristwatch never shows up in scenes, as some have said.

Asked about the possibility that Arnold Schwarzenegger might become a Republican candidate for the California governorship, Heston said: "Arnold's a pretty bright guy. I know him more than a little, and I know there's talk of him running for governor. So I wish him luck. Tough job."

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Guns / Gun Control