John Travolta pays heartfelt tribute to 'Get Shorty' co-star Gene Hackman, calls him 'always brilliant'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Travolta paid an emotional tribute to his 'Get Shorty' co-star Gene Hackman after his tragic death at 95.

Travolta, 71, shared a heartfelt message on his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, March 4, along with a throwback photo of himself with Hackman on the set of the 1995 film.

John Travolta remembers co-star Gene Hackman, calls him 'easy to act' with 

John Travolta reflected on his time working with Gene Hackman and shared how much he enjoyed their collaboration.

"I really enjoyed my time with Gene. Great conversations and very funny too,"  Travolta wrote in his Instagram sotries. 

"So easy to act with and always brilliant! I'll miss you Gene!" he added.

'Get Shorty' director Barry Sonnenfeld also spoke about Hackman, recalling memories of the actor and his work ethic.

Speaking with BBC News, Sonnenfeld, 71, described Hackman as a gifted actor who did not enjoy the formalities of movie-making.

"He had this conflict in that he was this brilliant actor but he hated the tropes of what it took to act in movies," said Sonnenfeld, adding "All that sort of fussy hair and makeup and all that stuff, I think that drove him crazy."

Gene Hackman was once uninpressed with John Travolta on 'Get Shorty' set 

Barry Sonnenfeld also shared an incident from the set where Gene Hackman was frustrated by John Travolta not learning his lines beforehand.

Hackman, who played a Hollywood producer in 'Get Shorty,' worked alongside Travolta, who portrayed a Miami mobster sent to collect a debt.

According to Sonnenfeld, Hackman was unimpressed when Travolta arrived on the set unprepared.

When Travolta casually asked Hackman what he had done over the weekend, Hackman responded, "Nothing except learn the lines," to which Travolta replied, "Well that's a waste of a weekend."

As filming continued, Hackman became increasingly frustrated with Travolta's lack of preparation.

"Gene was a consummate actor, both technically and artistically. So he came to set every day knowing his lines," said Sonnenfeld.

"John came to set not knowing his lines, probably not having read the script the night before," he said.

Barry Sonnenfeld says Gene Hackman would often yell at him because of John Travolta 

Barry Sonnenfeld recalled that Gene Hackman directed his frustration at him rather than John Travolta.

"For the next 12 weeks, he would yell at me whenever John didn't know his lines," he said.

Despite the tension, Sonnenfeld admired Hackman’s dedication and talent.

"But he's great in a movie. And I knew he was never really mad at me," Sonnenfeld said.

Hackman retired from acting in 2004 after a celebrated career spanning decades, including Academy Award-winning performances in 'The French Connection' and 'Unforgiven.'