Eric Roberts, the acclaimed actor known for his versatile and often intense performances, recently opened up about his profound and at times unsettling experience working with the legendary director Bob Fosse on the 1983 film Star 80. In an in-depth interview on the podcast It Happened in Hollywood, Roberts delved into the director’s unconventional and deeply immersive preparation methods, particularly focusing on a moment that continues to resonate with him decades later. Fosse, a visionary known for his meticulous approach and unflinching exploration of human frailty, pushed Roberts to the edge in his pursuit of authentic portrayal, a testament to his singular artistic vision.
A Night in the Shadow of Tragedy
One of the most striking anecdotes shared by Roberts involved Fosse’s insistence that he spend a night in the actual apartment where Dorothy Stratten, the real-life Playboy Playmate of the Year whose life and tragic death the film chronicles, was murdered by her husband and manager, Paul Snider. Roberts, who portrayed Snider, expressed his initial reluctance. "I didn’t want to go," Roberts recounted on the podcast. "I told him, ‘I don’t want it.’ And he said, ‘No, you’re going to spend the night with it. Come on.’" The apartment, situated near a bustling highway, offered little solace, its constant noise a stark reminder of the violent events that had transpired within its walls. Roberts admitted he did not sleep that night, a sleepless vigil that preceded the filming of one of the movie’s most emotionally taxing scenes. "That was Bob," Roberts explained. "He wanted you to feel what it was." This anecdote underscores Fosse’s commitment to experiential filmmaking, a method designed to imbue actors with a visceral understanding of their characters and the circumstances surrounding them.
A Career Interrupted, a Role Earned
Roberts’s journey to Star 80 was not without its own significant hurdles. Just a year prior to production, he had been involved in a severe car accident that left him in a coma and resulted in lingering memory and coordination issues. At that time, the possibility of his acting career being over seemed a grim reality. It was during this period of uncertainty that his manager presented him with the script for Fosse’s upcoming project, which had not yet been widely distributed.
Roberts confessed that the script didn’t immediately captivate him. "It didn’t grab me right away," he admitted. "It felt very black and white. But it said ‘Bob Fosse’ on it, and that was enough." The mere mention of Fosse’s name, a director whose previous works like Cabaret and All That Jazz had redefined cinematic and theatrical storytelling, was a powerful draw. The prospect of working with such an artist, even with initial reservations about the material, was an opportunity Roberts felt compelled to pursue.
His audition process was far from a single, decisive moment. Roberts estimates he auditioned for Fosse five or six times, a testament to Fosse’s rigorous casting standards and his desire to fully understand an actor’s potential. "He never tipped his hand," Roberts recalled. "Then one day he just asked if I wanted to make a movie." This indirect offer, delivered without fanfare, marked the beginning of Roberts’s immersion into the world of Paul Snider and the tragic saga of Dorothy Stratten.
The Immersive Crucible of Preparation
Once cast, Roberts found himself immersed in a preparation process that he described as exceptionally thorough and, at times, almost overwhelming. For approximately three months, Fosse guided Roberts through key locations integral to the real-life tragedy. This included visits to the Vancouver Dairy Queen where Snider first encountered Stratten, her childhood home, and even the Playboy Mansion, places that held palpable echoes of the events the film would depict. Rehearsals were conducted in a church on Highland Avenue in Los Angeles, where Fosse meticulously mapped out the film’s set designs on the floor with tape, leaving no detail to chance.
"He knew exactly what he was going to shoot," Roberts asserted. "Every move, every piece of furniture, everything." Fosse’s singular focus, according to Roberts, was to avoid a simplistic, villainous portrayal of Paul Snider. "He didn’t want a cartoon," Roberts emphasized. "He wanted someone real. And the truth is, people like that are all around us." This directorial objective suggests Fosse’s intent was to explore the complex psychological underpinnings of Snider’s actions, moving beyond a purely sensationalist depiction of a murderer.
A Shadowy Proposition from Peter Bogdanovich
Adding another layer of surreal complexity to the Star 80 narrative, Roberts recounted a rarely shared pre-production incident. While staying at a motel with Fosse in West Los Angeles, Roberts received a phone call that Fosse encouraged him to take. On the other end was the late director Peter Bogdanovich, a filmmaker who had a deeply personal connection to Dorothy Stratten.
Bogdanovich had cast Stratten in his 1981 film They All Laughed, which marked her significant foray into mainstream filmmaking. Their professional relationship evolved into a personal affair, a fact that proved pivotal in the unfolding tragedy. The obsessive Snider, upon discovering Stratten’s plan to divorce him and marry Bogdanovich, responded with extreme violence, murdering Stratten and then taking his own life. In Star 80, Bogdanovich’s character is depicted as Aram Nicholas, played by Roger Rees.
The entanglement of these lives and careers took an even more bizarre turn. On December 30, 1988, nearly six years after Star 80‘s release, Bogdanovich, then 49, married Dorothy Stratten’s younger sister, Louise Stratten, a union that ignited a significant tabloid frenzy.
During the phone call, Bogdanovich reportedly inquired about Roberts’s salary and how he secured the role. "He asked me what I was getting paid, how I got the part," Roberts recalled. "And then he suggested I leave the movie and that he might consider me for his version." Bogdanovich was, in fact, developing his own account of the murder, which would later manifest as his memoir, The Killing of the Unicorn. This book detailed his relationship with Stratten, the making of They All Laughed, and her tragic demise. Roberts described Bogdanovich’s tone during the call as "condescending." Meanwhile, Fosse, observing the interaction, apparently nudged Roberts to continue the conversation. "I just kept talking," Roberts said. "I told him I’d call him back." He never did.
Upon hanging up the phone, Roberts stated that Fosse was "rolling on the floor laughing." This episode highlights the often interconnected and fraught nature of Hollywood narratives, where personal lives and professional endeavors frequently collide, sometimes with darkly humorous consequences.
Industry Reactions and Lasting Legacy
Upon its release in November 1983, Star 80 garnered a notably subdued reaction from within the film industry, according to Roberts. "They didn’t know how to react," he stated. "They were afraid to like it because it might say something negative about Hollywood. And they were afraid to hate it because it was a great film." This sentiment suggests a complex ambivalence within the industry towards a film that unflinchingly examined its own underbelly and the sensationalized tragedies that can emerge from its pursuit of fame and fortune.
While the film received generally strong reviews from critics, its awards recognition was limited. Roberts earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a drama, a significant achievement for his powerful performance. However, he was not nominated for an Academy Award, a snub that he acknowledged only registered with him years later. "I didn’t even think about it at the time," he admitted. "Then someone mentioned it, and I thought, ‘Oh. Maybe I should have been.’" This delayed realization speaks to the intense focus and emotional toll the filmmaking process had taken on him.
Bob Fosse passed away in 1987, four years after the release of Star 80, never directing another feature film. Looking back at Fosse’s indelible body of work, Roberts places Star 80 in esteemed company with All That Jazz, considering them defining achievements. "Those are perfect movies," he declared. "Working with him, you realize real geniuses are rare. And they don’t work the way anyone else does." This assessment underscores Fosse’s unique talent and his lasting impact on cinema, a testament to his ability to craft narratives that were both artistically profound and emotionally resonant.
The full conversation with Eric Roberts can be heard on the It Happened in Hollywood podcast.
