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Actress Miriam Margolyes has hit out at her former co-star Steve Martin, calling him “horrible”.
The star of stage and screen, who has become increasingly known for his unfiltered views on celebrities he has met, takes aim at the Hollywood comedian and Only Murders in the Building star in his new memoir.
In the book, published Thursday, Margolyes reflected on the “unpleasant” experience of working with Martin, 78, on Frank Oz’s cult hit “Little Shop of Horrors,” released in 1986.
Margolyes, 82, played the secretary to Martin’s “psychopathic dentist” Orin Scrivello in the film, and in her musical number “Dentist!”, Margolyes is beaten by Martin’s character, who also slams a door in her face.
In her memoir, Margolyes hinted that she had actually been injured while filming the scenes, writing: “I was hit all day by doors opening in my face; repeatedly beaten, slapped and knocked down by an ugly and uncompromising Steve Martin – perhaps he was method acting – and came home grumpy with a splitting headache.”
Margolyes added, “Let it not be said that I have never suffered in the name of art,” concluding that the actor was “undeniably brilliant, but terrible for me.”
She further praised her former co-star Steve Buscemi, saying the actor was “unfailingly sweet” and “blew Steve Martin away.”
Martin has since refuted Margolye’s version of events while categorically “objecting” to the claim that he hit her.
The actor, whose film credits include “The Man with Two Brains” and “Parenthood,” currently stars in the Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building,” which he co-created.
Martin stars in the show alongside Martin Short and Selena Gomez.
Steve Martin and Miriam Margolyes in “Little Shop of Horrors”
(The Geffen Company)
Elsewhere in Margolyes’ memoir, the actor recalled portraying an “exhausted” Martin Scorsese while working with him on the 1993 film The Age of Innocence.
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Margolyes called John Cleese “toxic” in a recent interview and branded him “a puny tadpole of a person.”
In recent years Cleese, who will launch a new show on GB News this month, has become an increasingly controversial figure. In 2019, he appeared to denounce multiculturalism, saying: “London is no longer an English city.”
After being criticized, the 83-year-old responded: “I suppose I should apologize for my affection for the English of my upbringing, but in some ways I found it calmer, more polite, more humorous, less tabloid and less money-oriented than the one who replaces him.”
Oh Miriam: Stories from an Extraordinary Life is now available. Here, find 11 of the book’s biggest revelations – from Margolyes’ “most despised” people to her encounter with a “smug” Mick Jagger.