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It took two weeks to shoot the 12 most famous minutes of the 1968 film "Bullitt." Sounds like overkill, but the scene is just one of the ways Hollywood icon Steve McQueen became inexorably connected with high-speed shenanigans on- and off-screen. Love it or hate it, no list of racing films is complete without mention of the 1971 flick "Le Mans." McQueen's love for racing extended beyond the movies, and he famously took to the track under the alias Harvey Mushman. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.
The King of Cool, as he was also known, could be a bit mercurial, as it turns out. Enough so that he repeatedly lost his cool on set, ticked off a couple of other leading movie men in the process, and made something of a reputation for himself. Two of these leading actors included fellow car guys and racing drivers James Garner and Paul Newman.
Things got heated enough between McQueen and Garner that the latter wasn't shy about calling the former out after working together on the set of "The Great Escape." Newman wasn't so keen on McQueen, either. We'll explore these disagreements below, which still prompt movie and motorsport fans to compare the racing careers and accolades of all three Hollywood leading men, from Sebring to Le Mans.
Legendary actor and car guy Steve McQueen wasn't so chummy with Paul Newman or James Garner
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Big actors have to spend their time (and money) off-screen doing something, right? In the case of Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and James Garner, cars and motorsport were irresistible. McQueen managed to place second alongside Peter Revson at the 12 Hours of Sebring, coming in just behind the last American international racing legend himself, Mario Andretti. Newman's racing career spanned 35 years and a dozen championships as a driver and team owner. Garner was an Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee who raced in everything from the Indianapolis 500 to the NORRA Mexican 1000.
You might think that would be enough to squash any set beef and keep things civil among petrolheads. Not so much. While Newman and McQueen were co-stars in the 1974 movie, "The Towering Inferno," the two reportedly hit a boiling point. Newman called the Bullitt star a "chickens**t" following McQueen's rage over Newman having 12 more lines than him. The two then feuded over billing on the film's posters and credits until the studio settled on double top billing.
Garner, even with his good guy repute in show business, had some choice words for McQueen, labeling the actor a "poser who cultivated the image of a macho man" after working with him on the set of "The Great Escape." Ouch. McQueen's behavior on "The Great Escape" also prompted Garner to say, "Steve could be a stubborn little cuss, but the director added some motorcycle stunts to pacify him and changed his character to a guy who goes out to reconnoiter the countryside then unselfishly allows himself to be recaptured so he can share information with others."
McQueen feuded with the actors despite having car enthusiasm in common
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A love for all things fast, fun, and dangerous wasn't enough to keep McQueen from a strained relationship with Newman and Garner. If anything, the connection invited competition and frequent comparison. When it came to "The Towering Inferno" co-stars, famed racing driver Dick Barbour applauded both actors, but seemed to give the edge to McQueen for his talent. "Paul was a very methodical driver. He wasn't a natural like Steve. McQueen picked it up immediately," Barbour said. That's coming from a driver who spent time co-driving with Newman and coaching McQueen.
Granted, Garner and McQueen weren't co-stars on the track, but that didn't stop the former from impressing racing royalty. Bob Bondurant, the former Formula 1 racing driver and racing school founder, applauded Garner's skills in the 2006 documentary "Pushing the Limit: The Making of Grand Prix."
"If he was in a real race, he would have been able to beat several drivers," Bondurant said. "In a Formula 1 race, that's saying a lot!" McQueen was originally slated to star in "Grand Prix," but after failing to mesh with the film's director, John Frankenheimer, Garner replaced McQueen. According to Garner, McQueen didn't speak to him for "about a year and a half" following the casting change, despite the two being neighbors.
On the other hand, James Garner and Paul Newman got along quite well. The two starred in the 1998 movie "Twilight" and shared a lifelong love for racing. Still, a reputation for hot-bloodedness didn't stop McQueen's screen appeal from being lost on fans. It's the sort of thing that prompted Jerry Seinfeld to buy the 1969 Porsche 917K Steve McQueen drove in 'Le Mans' – and then send it to a Mecum auction in 2025. Ultimately, the television star decided $25,000,000 wasn't enough to buy his Porsche at auction, later selling it privately.