Cher Opens Up About Difficult Directors in Her New Memoir

In her new memoir, Cher: The Memoir Part 1, the legendary entertainer doesn’t shy away from sharing her candid thoughts on her decades-long Hollywood career.

Among the revelations is her dislike for two notable directors: Peter Bogdanovich and Frank Oz.

Cher, known for her Oscar-winning performance and trailblazing career, reflected on her experiences during an interview with The Times.

She spoke about the challenges she faced on the set of the 1985 film Mask, directed by Bogdanovich, and her 1990 movie Mermaids, directed by Oz, whom she referred to as “the guy from The Muppets.”

“I actually got the guy from The Muppets fired,” Cher disclosed, recalling tensions on the Mermaids set.

“I said, either you’re going or I’m going, which is a shame because he’s a really good director, but he had a thing about me. He would go, ‘At least my wife loves me!’”

Cher bluntly criticized Bogdanovich, calling him an “a–hole. “He was not nice to the girls in the film and so arrogant. I really, really disliked him.”

The actress recounted a particular incident on the set of Mask when Bogdanovich belittled her.

“He comes in and says, ‘Cher, where do you think we should film this scene?’ I suggested the kitchen since it worked well before.

The next morning, he storms in, eating an egg sandwich, and starts screaming about how he’s not going to let me direct the film, calling me a nobody and saying he could cut me out at any moment.

Bogdanovich, who passed away in 2022, had previously labeled Cher as “difficult to work with,” claiming she didn’t trust men. Cher, however, refuted this characterization.

“Ask anybody: I’m really easy to work with,” she asserted.

Cher contrasted these difficult experiences by praising directors she admired, such as Robert Altman, Mike Nichols, and Norman Jewison.

“I’m not arbitrary in the things I say. It’s right to do what the director wants—until you need to speak up.

Meryl [Streep] says that if a director wants you to do something you don’t like, you say: ‘Yes, yes, yes, I’ll do it that way.’

Then you do it your way, and they don’t even notice.”

Cher’s memoir offers an unfiltered glimpse into her journey, shedding light on both her struggles and triumphs in the entertainment industry.

Solidifying her status as a trailblazer who never hesitated to stand her ground.