Bill Murray is defending his late Royal Tenenbaums co-star Gene Hackman from the film’s “punk” director Wes Anderson.

Following yesterday’s tragic loss of the great Gene Hackman, many who knew him (and even more who simply respected his work) ...

"Gene's made some of the greatest American movies. So he was a little irritable" working on 'The Royal Tenenbaums,' Murray ...

So he was a little irritable, but he had to work with children, dogs … they put him in very challenging positions to work.’ ...

Murray said Hackman likely saw director Wes Anderson as “just a punk kid” and wasn’t afraid to be “rough” on him ...

And he was really difficult, we can say it now, but he was a tough guy. Older, great actors do not give young directors much ...

Bill Murray has remembered the late Gene Hackman as being a great but “difficult” actor who was “really rough” on The Royal ...

Bill Murray co-starred with Gene Hackman in the 2001 film "The Royal Tenenbaums" directed by Wes Anderson. (Feb. 27) ...

Murray remembered wincing as he witnessed the scene, thinking to himself, “Oh, God. … No wonder this guy wants to throttle people.” ...

He admitted that the late actor was "a little irritable" during filming but ultimately came around to director Wes Anderson ...

Of course, “the performance he gave was brilliant,” Murray adds, theorizing that Hackman had to know the juice was worth the squeeze after seeing the film. “When you see the movie, it’s a real piece ...

Director Francis Ford Coppola, actor Viola Davis and director Paul Feig are among those paying tribute to Gene Hackman after ...