Anna Faris revealed on the latest episode of her “Unqualified” podcast that director Ivan Reitman slapped her butt on the set of their 2006 action-comedy “My Super Ex-Girlfriend.” According to Faris, the director, who has since died, also yelled at her in front of the crew on the first day of filming after she showed up late to set because of an accident.
The actor said she was left “angry and hurt and humiliated” by Reitman, who directed with a “reign of terror.”
“One of my hardest film experiences was with Ivan Reitman,” Faris told her “Unqualified” guest Lena Dunham. “I mean, the idea of attempting to make a comedy under this, like, reign of terror, he was a yeller. He would bring down somebody every day … and my first day, it was me.”
Variety has reached out to representatives for Faris and the producer of “My Super-Ex Girlfriend” for further comment.
Faris said that an accident occurred in the makeup trailer before she was supposed to be on set for the first time. Her hair designer knocked over a jar of wig glue and it got on Faris’ costume, which resulted in Faris being “20 to 25 minutes” late to set.
“I was terrified on my first day that Ivan thinks I’m some kind of diva that doesn’t come out of her trailer,” Faris said. “I’m in the middle of the street that’s all lit. Ivan is just taking me down. He was like, ‘Annie, you can’t play like that around here!’ I was like, ‘Don’t do it. Don’t cry. No crying.’ I felt angry and hurt and humiliated and defensive. Eventually I said, ‘Did no one tell you what happened?’ At that point he shut up and went behind the camera. Later, he slapped my a-- too. That was a weird moment.”
Back in 2017, Faris revealed for the first time that a famous director slapped her butt on set, but she did not reveal the director by name at the time.
“I was doing a scene where I was on a ladder and I was supposed to be taking books off a shelf and he slapped my a-- in front of the crew so hard. And all I could do was giggle,” Faris said at the time. “I remember looking around and I remember seeing the crew members being like, ‘Wait, what are you going to do about that? That seemed weird.’ And that’s how I dismissed it. I was like, ‘Well, this isn’t a thing. Like, it’s not that big of a deal. Buck up, Faris. Like, just giggle.’ But it made me feel small. He wouldn’t have done that to the lead male.”
On the new episode of “Unqualified,” Dunham told Faris, “I don’t think you’re the first person who’s reported that. And I’m so sorry you had that experience. And did no one step in and say, ‘No?’”
“No. It was, like, 2006,” Faris responded.