Life is imitating art for Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale on the set of the Sony Screen Gems thriller “Vacancy,” in which a couple is trapped in a motel from hell. Except the real misery is on the L.A. set – and the combatants are Wilson and Beckinsale.
Both have fallen ill while shooting, but the real problem is they can’t stand each other. One on-set source said Wilson is often hung over and late to the set, and when he does show, insists on bragging about “all the girls he hooked up with over the weekend and how drunk he got.”
The blond funnyman with the distinctive nose is also making diva-like demands. “He doesn’t want anyone on the set in his line of sight except the director,” said another spy – and that includes his leading lady Beckinsale. Wilson is “outwardly rude and awful to Kate,” the second source said. He often doesn’t show up for “reversal” shots, where he is off-camera but needs to be there for Beckinsale to relate to when she speaks. Instead, he sends a stand-in. “He is a total diva,” the second spy said.
But a Wilson pal disputes that account: “That is baloney. Luke is way too conscientious and uptight to ever be late. He is a consummate professional.”
The situation became so tense last week that when it came time for Wilson to shoot his reversals, Beckinsale is said to have sent out a picture of herself with a note that read, “Read your lines to this – it will be better for both of us.”
Beckinsale is much loved by the studio and crew. “This is her fourth movie with Screen Gems, and she is like family to them. I doubt Screen Gems will work with [Wilson] again,” one source said.
Leslie Sloane Zelnik, Beckinsale’s rep, said, “Kate loves this project and is enjoying filming.” Wilson’s rep, Mara Buxbaum, dismissed the reports of tension, saying, “There’s no truth to this.
“Vacancy” producer Hal Lieberman said, “We have a great production. The actors have been great. We are on schedule and on budget. Luke and Kate have been incredibly professional. I have enjoyed working with both actors.”
(via Page Six)
