Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's Collaboration with James Cameron in ‘The Abyss' Ends on a Controversial Note
James Cameron, renowned for directing blockbuster movies like Avatar, Terminator, and Titanic, is also known for his work on The Abyss alongside actors Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Ed Harris.
Despite the film's relative success at the box office, reports emerged detailing the controversial and problematic nature of the filming process.
This tumultuous experience may have contributed to Mastrantonio's decision not to work with Cameron again.
Although it may be tempting to label Mastrantonio as one of those difficult Hollywood actors, insights from Ed Harris suggest otherwise.
It appears that Cameron's relentless pursuit of perfection for his films was a factor in the strained relationship with his cast and crew.
One particular scene in The Abyss involved Mastrantonio's character drowning while Harris' character desperately tried to revive her.
Here's a recap of what transpired:
In their attempt to save Mastrantonio, she flatlined after almost five minutes of revival efforts.
Harris, overcome with desperation, refused to give up.
He passionately implored her, exclaiming, “Goddamnit, you never backed away from anything in your life, now fight!”
In an intense moment, he even slapped her twice, seemingly reviving her.
Reflecting on the scene, Harris shared with Entertainment Weekly, “We were guinea pigs, in a way, Jim wasn't quite sure how this was all gonna go down.
[During the drowning scene, I was] screaming at her to come back and wake up, and I was slapping her across the face, and I see that they've run out of film in the camera — there's a light on the camera — and nobody had said anything.”
Harris added, “And then Mary Elizabeth stood up and said, ‘We are not animals!'
and walked off the set.
They were going to let me just keep slapping her around!”
The challenging conditions on James Cameron's set pushed the cast to their limits, resulting in breakdowns and emotional distress.
The grueling scene was not the sole cause of controversy during filming.
Reports indicate that the entire experience was rife with stress and fear.
According to Syfy Wire, Mastrantonio experienced physical and emotional breakdowns while working on The Abyss.
Similarly, Harris admitted to shedding tears in his car after particularly difficult days on set.
The cast endured 70-hour workweeks and had to shoot night scenes to save time on fixing a hole in the black tarp that covered their tank for underwater sequences, which comprised 40% of the film.
Even Cameron himself faced near-death circumstances during filming when an employee neglected to monitor his oxygen levels, leaving him underwater without supervision.
Fortunately, the director managed to swim to the surface in time to avoid suffocation.
Cameron's relentless pursuit of perfection often pushes him to extreme measures in order to create masterpieces.
From his top-ranked films to his less successful endeavors, there have been multiple instances where cast members have expressed concerns about working with Cameron.
While it remains unclear whether their paths never crossed again by coincidence or design, Mastrantonio and Cameron never collaborated on another project.
Following ‘The Abyss,' Mastrantonio went on to receive an Oscar nomination and undertake notable roles such as Linda Greenlaw in ‘The Perfect Storm' and Donna De Angelo in ‘Limbo.'
Meanwhile, Cameron continued to make waves in the industry with subsequent hits, including the iconic ‘Titanic' in 1997.
However, another leading lady, Kate Winslet, voiced her own frustrations with the director, describing him as “genuinely frightening” and having an unpredictable temper during filming.
