A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : ARTISTS VS. EXECS : In a Dark Screening Room, It’s Hard to Figure Out Who the Players Are

When Robert Altman was shooting “The Player,” the film version of Michael Tolkin’s black-comic Hollywood novel, the outspoken director was worried that the movie’s biting satire of Armani-clad studio execs might seem too outlandish. But after screening the film for virtually every studio in town in a search for a distributor, Altman is convinced nothing could be more outlandish than the real thing.

“When you see these studio execs in action, you realize they act sillier than anyone in the movie ever could,” says Altman, whose film will be distributed by New Line Cinema, which plans to release the picture in April. “You can never exaggerate when it comes to Hollywood.”

According to Altman, the biggest “jerk” he dealt with was Columbia Pictures Chairman Mark Canton. Altman says he showed “The Player” to a cadre of Columbia execs and, when Canton couldn’t attend, scheduled a private screening for Canton the next morning. In the middle of the screening, Canton demanded that Altman’s editor, who was in the projection booth, leave the building.

“He was accusing him of spying,” says Altman. “I was infuriated. I had my editor stop the projectionist and take the film away. I thought Canton was rude and stupid and I’m not going to lay back and take it just because he has a big job.”

A member of the film’s production team added that Altman became especially incensed when he learned that Canton wasn’t watching the entire film, but was skipping to the last reel.

Canton would not comment on the incident. But a Columbia source insisted that if Altman’s editor was in the projection booth, a studio chief might consider it a breach of the promise of a private screening.

“If Canton wasn’t planning to watch the entire film, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise,” said the source. “He had only agreed to take a quick look as a courtesy to the film’s ICM representatives,” who were packaging the movie’s distribution deal.

Altman said another, unnamed studio asked for a private “Player” screening, but when the director arrived with the print, he discovered that the studio had secretly recruited a test audience, complete with research cards. Altman said he refused to show the movie until the studio sent away its research staffers.

“I let the audience stay and see the film with the execs,” he says. “And you know what, they ended up being the best audience we had.”