In his memoir published in 2006, actor John Leguizamo scratched a lot of his work partners. In particular Penelope Ann Miller, in the cast of Brian De Palma’s “Impasse”, released in 1993. And to support his point, he then revealed a rather vicious maneuver by the film crew with regard to the actress …
The Impasseunforgettable negative of scarface
After his huge scarface, Brian De Palma couldn’t see himself coming back to tell the story of another drug dealer’s fate. However, finally convinced by David Koepp’s script, adaptation of the novels Carlito’s Way and After Hours by Edwin Torres, he directed in 1993 The Impasse with Al Pacino, ten years after their collaboration for scarface.
In this film which recounts with melancholy the fall of Charlie “Carlito” Brigante, a former boss released from prison who wishes to go green, Brian De Palma almost stages an anti-scarfacefilming Al Pacino as an ex-criminal in love wishing to make himself very small and above all not to find his life before.
When it was released, the film did not make the American crowds rise, and it was rather abroad that the film was noticed. First small success of Brian De Palma, The Impasse finished by growing in popularity over the years and no longer appears today as a “minor” film by its director
In its casting, around Al Pacino, Sean Penn as a crooked lawyer and John Leguizamo as a resentful antagonist shine. In the female lead, Penelope Ann Miller plays Gail, Carlito’s former girlfriend turned stripper. This was not the first choice of Brian De Palma, who preferred Alison Doody and Mélanie Griffith. But the first refuses because of a topless scene, and the second appears inaccessible for a role initially considered small. Eventually, Penelope Ann Miller landed the role. And according to John Leguizamo, it didn’t go well during filming.
“You really have to know Penelope Ann Miller not to love her”
Colombian-American actor John Leguizamo is not known for his diplomatic skills, or for playing the hypocrite when discussing his former co-workers. On the contrary, he is always happy to send punchlines and vitriolic remarks, such as those he slips into his memoirs published in 2006: Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life. In these, several celebrities take it for their rankincluding Penelope Ann Miller.
About his work partner in The Impassehe writes thus “that you really have to know Penelope Ann Miller not to love her“. But above all, when promoting his memoirs, he tells the New York Post a rather salty anecdote. Indeed, John Leguizamo explains that faced with the actress’ apparently detestable attitude, the person in charge of the costumes reduced his clothes by one centimeter a day to make her think she was gaining weight…
The person in charge of the costumes has started, in secret, to remove a centimeter a day from his clothes! It’s a revenge, such a “fuck you”, funny and clever. You should never get confused with the team. No matter how the coffee is, I drink it. He’s too strong ? Never mind.
Eleven years later, during his participation in April 2017 on the show Live with Kelly and Ryanit emerges this anecdote and put on a layer.
She was completely panicked. But she was mean, she was evil, so they kept doing it.
John Leguizamo has finally apologized
It’s one thing to write it down in your memoir, and it’s quite another to insist on the subject 24 years after the release of The Impasse. Therefore, citing an error in judgement, the actor apologized in 2018 for her comments about Penelope Ann Miller, via a tweet. The actress, not resentful, thanked him for the gesture.
I made hurtful remarks about Penelope Ann Miller in a book I wrote years ago, and on Kelly Ripa’s show last year. It was an error of judgment on my part because I worked with Penelope on “The Impasse” and I personally had no problems with her, nor did I personally hear of any problems that she would have had with the film crew. I’m sorry if I hurt Penelope.
