In what Hollywood movie does the headliner get upstaged by another actor? How so?
Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves (1991) starred Kevin Costner. At this point in Costner’s career he was a major draw, having recently starred in Field of Dreams (1989) and Dances with Wolves (1990).
(Kevin Costner sans English accent)
The Sheriff of Nottingham was played by the brilliant Alan Rickman. At that time, Rickman was best known for his stage work, although he won critical acclaim for his portrayal of Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988).
(Alan Rickman, regretting his hair style)
Costner took a lot of criticism for his inability to speak in an English accent. Behind the scenes, Rickman also complained that the screenplay was terrible. The movie was poised to be a bomb.
But Rickman had an idea. He took it upon himself to liven up his role by adding his own lines. In fact, many of the Sheriff’s best threats and insults came from Rickman directly, including the famous line “Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas!”
Rickman’s over-the-top performance saved the movie and garnered praise from even the harshest critics.