Former Paramount CEO Diller Reveals 'Most Coked-Up Film Set' on 1980 Popeye Shoot

Barry Diller, former CEO of Paramount Pictures, revealed during a conversation with Anderson Cooper that the 1980 film 'Popeye,' directed by Robert Altman and starring Robin Williams, was the most drug-fueled movie set he ever visited. Diller described the set as heavily laden with cocaine use, noting that film cans sent back to Los Angeles for processing were actually being used to ship cocaine to and from the Malta-based set. He humorously compared the frenetic atmosphere of the movie to playing a record at an impossible speed. The film marked Robin Williams' big-screen debut and co-starred Shelley Duvall. Despite mixed reviews, 'Popeye' was a box office success, earning nearly double its production budget worldwide. Diller's candid anecdotes come from his recently published memoir "Who Knew," during which he also touched on his influential career in Hollywood.