Cher blasts ‘arrogant’ ‘Mask’ director Peter Bogdanovich, says he wasn’t ‘nice to the girls’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Legendary singer and actor Cher blasted the 1985 drama 'Mask' director Peter Bogdanovich and called him "an a**hole" in a new interview with The Times of London.

Timed to the release of her memoir 'Cher: The Memoir', the 'Believe' singer talked about the directors she hated working with and discussed various aspects of life in the interview to the outlet.

Cher reveals why she hated working with 'Mask' director Peter Bogdanovich

Cher said during the interview, "There are only two directors I didn’t like: Peter Bogdanovich and the guy from 'The Muppets'."

She added, "I actually got the guy from 'The Muppets' fired. 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!'"

Bogdanovich, who died at 82 in 2022, once claimed Cher was the most difficult person he ever worked with. He told Vulture in 2019, "She didn’t trust anybody, especially men. That’s why she dropped her father’s name, Sarkisian."

Taking a jibe at the director, Cher said, "He was an a**hole. He was not nice to the girls in the film and he was so f**king arrogant. I really, really disliked him."

She talked about a particular incident from the sets of 'Mask'. 

"He comes in and says, ‘Cher, where do you think we should film this scene?’ And I say, well, the kitchen is working pretty well, why don’t we do that again? The next morning he arrives on set, eating an egg sandwich,and starts screaming that he’s not going to let me direct this film; I’m a nobody; he can cut me out at any moment. Oh yeah, he was a pig," said the iconic singer.

She added, "Ask everybody: I’m really easy to work with. I’m not arbitrary in the things I say, because it’s right to do what the director wants until you need to speak up."

'Mask', also starring Sam Elliot, Eric Stoltz and Laura Dern, was a turning point in Cher's career. It was based on the real life and early death of Roy L 'Rocky' Dennis, who had a rare genetic disorder called Lionitis, or craniodiaphyseal dysplasia.

'Mask' won the Academy Award for Best Makeup at the 58th ceremony, while Cher and Stoltz received Golden Globe Award nominations for their performances.

Cher's 'huge fight' with producer over hit song 'Believe'

In her memoir, Cher revealed that she got into a "huge fight" with her producer, Brit Mark Taylor, over hit song 'Believe'.

She explained, "He kept saying, ‘Cher, sing it better!’ Eventually I said, ‘You want someone to sing it better? Get someone else to sing it!’ and walked out."

The legendary performer continued, "I came back and he told me to sit down. People only tell you to sit down when something bad is about to happen, but I did, listened to the song with all the effects on it, and at the end we jumped up and did a high-five."

She added, "When we played it to Rob Dickins [head of Warner UK] he said, 'But Cher, nobody will know it’s you.' I said, yes, and that’s why I love it. It took a lot of faith to do something nobody had ever heard before."

Cher gets candid about breakup with Val Kilmer

Cher revealed she was deeply in love with Hollywood star Val Kilmer but he ended their relationship and left her.

On the November 21 episode of 'The Howard Stern Show', Stern asked Cher if her partners "expect fabulous sex because you're Cher," and she quipped, "Yes, and they get it." She explained when the host asked how she could tell, "You could tell by the reaction."

Stern went on to say, "Who would ever leave you? Men are fools. You have to kick them out."

Cher replied, "Few men, few men... but a couple. Look, I was madly in love with Val Kilmer and he left." 

A shocked Stern asked, "Why would he leave you? He is having fabulous sex with one of the most beautiful women in the world. What the f**k is the problem with this guy?"

The iconic singer replied, "Because sometimes you're only meant to stay with someone so long. And Val was like, he was really young."