A Troubled Director
Their first screenwriter, Lawrence Hauben, introduced Michael to the work of director Miloš Forman. At the time, Forman was living in the Chelsea Hotel in New York. Word on the street was that he had a breakdown and never left the building. Apparently, he would confide in a fellow Czech buddy while lying in bed, and the friend would go out to see a psychiatrist on Forman’s behalf.
Photo by Wolper / Kobal / Shutterstock
But despite his supposed mental break, he flew to California to see the Douglas team. Unlike the other directors the Douglases met, who tended to keep their cards close to their chest, Forman went through the script page by page and told them what he would do.