Paul Newman and Steve McQueen were two of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men, with their charismatic and alluring presences dazzling audiences and establishing them as certified acting legends. In 1974, the powerhouse performers joined forces to headline the action-packed disaster extravaganza The Towering Inferno, which focuses on the valiant efforts of two courageous heroes as they attempt to save the lives of countless people trapped in a burning skyscraper.
Despite both actors having decorated resumes and the adoration of millions of fans, their attitudes and egos clashed during the production of the electrifying flick and soured the shooting experience, with an intense and bitter rivalry forming between Newman and McQueen as a result. Let’s dive in and explore what led to the famous Tinseltown feud and the fiery antics that went on behind the scenes in the making of the ’70s blockbuster The Towering Inferno.
Blending the popular novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Frank M. Robinson to create an epic silver screen adaptation, the 1974 disaster blockbuster The Towering Inferno features a seriously stacked cast of Hollywood greats led by Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, and Fred Astaire and focuses on an enormous fire that breaks out at a luxurious San Francisco high-rise building during its opening ceremony. It’s up to seasoned SFFD Chief Michael O’Hallorhan (McQueen) and the tower’s savvy architect Doug Roberts (Newman) to help save innocent lives and prevent an even bigger catastrophe from happening.
After finding themselves in an intense bidding war for each novel, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. decided to partner up and create a joint cinematic effort out of concern about having two conflicting films about tall building fires. Each story was inspired by the then recently constructed World Trade Center, with Stern and Robinson wondering what would happen if a fire spread in a skyscraper. The opposing studios meshed the similar storylines and characters of The Tower and The Glass Inferno together and came up with a new screenplay and a budget of $14 million, with lead stars McQueen and Newman both being paid an impressive $1 million for their work in the action-packed extravaganza.
Newman & McQueen’s Fiery On-Set Feud
With two massively popular and talented Hollywood leading men starring in the same picture, tensions were bound to mount, and egos emerged as McQueen and Newman quickly clashed on set. “The King of Cool” was riding high on his successful performances in hits like The Great Escape, The Cincinnati Kid, and Bullit, while the blue-eyed cinema staple dazzled the masses with his roles in acclaimed films including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, and the prison escape film Cool Hand Luke. Both acting legends were also famous racing aficionados and thrill-seekers, and with such similar attitudes and equally competitive natures, trouble was bound to ensue.
Newman and McQueen immediately butted heads during production of The Towering Inferno and a rivalry was swiftly formed, as the latter star had an issue with the amount of lines his character O’Hallorhan was given as opposed to his equally famous co-star. McQueen even approached writer Stirling Silliphant and demanded that he add 12 additional lines for him to have, which would bring his total up to match exactly those of Newman. Naturally, the Bullit star’s obsession with getting more screen time and counting lines quickly got under the skin of Newman, who was incensed when friend and writer A.E. Hotchner (who eventually wrote his book Paul and Me) came to visit.
According to Hotchner, via Best Life Online, McQueen’s antics infuriated Newman, and he claimed that his co-star was a “chicken s**t” for his attitude and further complained, “Every day here is like going to the dentist.” McQueen was no stranger to locking horns with his fellow actors, as he had previously had a bitter rivalry with Yul Brynner during the filming of 1960’s The Magnificent Seven and would constantly attempt to one-up Brynner in the many scenes they shared together. Both superstars were also slated to headline the 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but McQueen allegedly dropped out over Newman being billed over him, and Robert Redford was then brought in.
The Tinseltown legends had an intense competition while shooting The Towering Inferno, as Newman insisted on doing his own stunts and McQueen donned full firefighter equipment for the physical role. Both men ended up injuring themselves as a result of their intense dedication, with Newman sustaining a serious burn and McQueen badly spraining his ankle. The studio even had to get creative when it came to editing the poster, as both actors received top billing, and they had to finagle the movie poster layout to accommodate their equal star status. In spite of the on-set animosity between the two, The Towering Inferno was destined for cinematic greatness.
The Towering Inferno Becomes a Celebrated Classic
After the difficult and tension-filled production of the thrilling adaptation, The Towering Inferno made its highly-anticipated premiere on December 16, 1974, and was a knockout hit with both moviegoers and critics, with Variety declaring it as “one of the greatest disaster pictures made” and a “truly magnificent production.” Not only did it earn over $203 million throughout its theatrical run and became the highest-grossing release of the year, but the film also earned an impressive eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, ultimately winning three of the highly-coveted statuettes.
Audiences were blown away by the gorgeous visual effects, heroic and root-worthy characters, and top-notch cast performances, and The Towering Inferno became yet another cinematic triumph for both McQueen and Newman. Since both leading men were given $1 million plus a percentage of the total gross, Newman walked away from the project with a cool $12 million (roughly $77 million today), though the lucrative pay-day did not make the unpleasant film shoot worth it for the Oscar-winner.
The miserable experience led Newman to swear off taking on characters and films just for the hefty paycheck, as he heatedly declared to Hotchner at the time of shooting, “For the 1st time, I fell for the godd**n numbers. I did this turkey for a million and 10% of the gross, but it’s the 1st and last time, I swear.” Buy The Towering Inferno on Prime Video.
