The “Twister” producer, hearing of the troubled production, came to Oklahoma to dress down director Jan de Bont from the ramp of his private jet.
Steven Spielberg doesn’t mind boarding his private jet to try and straighten out trouble on one of his sets.
The iconic filmmaker passed on helming the 1996 disaster film “Twister,” but took a role producing it from afar. When he caught wind of the increasingly volatile conditions on set, however, Spielberg flew to Norman, Oklahoma, to put the fear of God into director Jan de Bont.
“It had been brewing,” “Twister” stunt coordinator Mic Rodgers recently told The Independent.
“The ramp came down on the Learjet and Spielberg walked down it and he never touched the ground,” he continued. “He just stood there yelling at Jan. He never even got off the plane. He was just fucking yelling, pointing his finger at him, screaming at him.”
De Bont had, by that point, proven himself a talented action director with “Speed” (1994). And “Twister,” from a script co-written by “Jurassic Park” novelist Michael Crichton about dedicated tornado chasers in the Midwest, ultimately became a classic 1990s popcorn flick, as evident from the success of the new sequel “Twisters.”
But during production, tensions on set grew just as stormy as the plot when de Bont allegedly shoved a camera assistant aside one day and refused to apologize. The entire camera, sound and wardrobe departments walked off set in protest — resulting in an unexpected visit.
“I don’t know what [Spielberg] said to [de Bont], but he barked at him for, like, 15 minutes and got back in the plane,” Rodgers told the Independent. “The plane left without him even stepping off.”
Production had reportedly been fraught with injuries and setbacks. Actor Helen Hunt was struck and concussed by a car door while driving through a cornfield, her stunt double cracked a rib, and cinematographer Jack Green was hospitalized when a hydraulic set reportedly collapsed on him.

From left, “Twister” stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt and director Jan de Bont are seen at the 1996 ShoWest cinema exhibitors convention in Las Vegas.
JEFF KRAVITZ/FILMMAGIC/GETTY IMAGES
Due to the unexpectedly beautiful weather during production, meanwhile, de Bont used such powerful electrical lamps to alter the lighting around them that Hunt and her co-star, the late Bill Paxton, were left blinded for days.
“We were there all day shooting the scene, and the next day, Bill came into the makeup trailer and said, ‘Can you see?’” Hunt told Vulture in 2020. “And I said, ‘Not really.’ It was super-weird … I guess they fry your corneas off and then they grow back.”
The director himself came across as minimally remorseful at the time.
“I love Helen to death, but you know she can also be a little bit clumsy sometimes,” de Bont told The Spokesman-Review following the film’s release. Hunt responded: “Clumsy? The guy burnt my retinas, but I’m clumsy.”
De Bont didn’t immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Spielberg fortunately had little reason to visit the set of the film’s sequel, “Twisters,” directed by Lee Isaac Chung. The sequel hit theaters on Friday to enormous box-office success. According to lead actor Glen Powell, however, the returning producer did have some advice about the ending.
News
😱 ROYAL WATCHERS WERE STUNNED… — Princess Beatrice And Prince William Shared An Unexpected Moment At Peter Phillips’ Wedding, BUT A Brief Exchange Between Them Quickly Sparked A Wave Of Speculation…
😱 ROYAL WATCHERS WERE STUNNED… — Princess Beatrice And Prince William Shared An Unexpected Moment At Peter Phillips’ Wedding, BUT A Brief Exchange Between Them Quickly Sparked A Wave Of Speculation… Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s wedding was meant to…
“IT WASN’T THE BRIDE WHO HAD EVERYONE TALKING…” — Peter Phillips Married Harriet Sperling In A Beautiful Royal Ceremony, BUT Little Lena Tindall Unexpectedly Stole The Spotlight With One Adorable Moment That Cameras Couldn’t Ignore…
“IT WASN’T THE BRIDE WHO HAD EVERYONE TALKING…” — Peter Phillips Married Harriet Sperling In A Beautiful Royal Ceremony, BUT Little Lena Tindall Unexpectedly Stole The Spotlight With One Adorable Moment That Cameras Couldn’t Ignore… Guests arrived expecting to celebrate…
“IT WASN’T THE BRIDE WHO STOLE THE MOMENT…” — Mia Tindall’s Sweet Interaction At Peter Phillips’ Wedding Left Guests Smiling, But Princess Eugenie’s Unexpected Hug Had Everyone Talking 👉 What happened between the cousins that instantly became one of the most shared moments of the day? See more below 👇👇
Dưới đây là bài báo tiếng Anh dài và chi tiết được biên soạn dựa trên nội dung video về đám cưới của Peter Phillips và Harriet Sperling, tập trung vào khoảnh khắc tỏa sáng của cô bé Mia Tindall…
NETFLIX JUST CONFIRMED IT’S TIME TO SAY AU REVOIR 😳💔 — After years of romance, heartbreak, and unforgettable Paris moments, Emily in Paris will officially end with Season 6. Lily Collins has already shared an emotional farewell message, and fans are realizing the final chapter is much closer than they expected. One last season. One last chance to get the ending everyone’s been arguing about
Emily In Paris To End With Season 6 At Netflix — Watch Lily Collins’ Farewell Message It’s time for Emily Cooper to say au revoir to Europe. Netflix announced Thursday that “Emily in Paris” will end with its upcoming sixth season, which…
NETFLIX JUST DROPPED AN ACTION-COMEDY VIEWERS SAY IS FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED 😳🔥 — A retired hitman. A struggling dad. One wildly chaotic mission that turns into something nobody saw coming
NETFLIX JUST DROPPED AN ACTION-COMEDY VIEWERS SAY IS FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED 😳🔥 — A retired hitman. A struggling dad. One wildly chaotic mission that turns into something nobody saw coming. Fans say they pressed play for the action but…
NETFLIX JUST GOT A NEW #1 MOVIE 😳🔥 — A remake that many viewers weren’t expecting to dominate the charts has now surged past one of the platform’s biggest true-crime hits. Fans say the most surprising part isn’t that it reached the top… it’s how quickly it took over. People are already debating whether the hype is deserved or if curiosity is driving the numbers
Netflix remake overtakes The Crash in charts despite being ‘absolute trash’ Some fans say new Netflix film is unwatchable but others say it’s their new favourite movie View 3 Images One viewer called it ‘absolute trash’(Image: Netflix) Netflix viewers can’t…
End of content
No more pages to load