The roaring 1960s and 70s of Hollywood was a different time altogether. With the gangster phase that Hollywood saw in the 60s, Dennis Hopper and Will Smith’s co-star Rip Torn joined in for the ride when they created the iconic 1969 movie Easy Rider.

With the movie surrounded by controversies and Rip Torn allegedly pulling a knife on Dennis Hopper at a dinner table, Easy Rider is easily one of the most iconic films of all time. Having a dispute about who gets to star in the movie, it was allegedly reported that Dennis Hopper and Rip Torn pulled a knife at each other at a dinner table!
A still from Easy Rider (1969)

When Rip Torn Pulled A Knife At Dennis Hopper

Before all hell broke loose, Rip Torn was on his way to becoming a successful actor with several accolades to his name. Starring in iconic roles such as Agent Zed in the Men in Black franchise, the actor received an opportunity to star alongside Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in the 1969 movie  Easy Rider.
Rip Torn as Agent Zed in the Men in Black franchise
With an intriguing storyline of two bikers traveling cross-country after a successful drug deal to find peace, the movie has been revered as a classic Hollywood flick but also had its fair share of controversies. As per allegations and reports, Rip Torn and Dennis Hopper sat down for dinner at a dinner table when an argument started. The argument turned fierce and Rip Torn allegedly pulled a knife and pointed it at Dennis Hopper.

In his defense, Torn stated that it was actually Hopper who pulled a knife on him. Either way, he was fired from the movie, and Jack Nicholson was cast instead. In a video shared on YouTube by MyTalkShowHeroes, Dennis Hopper recalled that fateful dinner table and what actually happened.
“At dinner, he [Rip Torn] pulled a knife on me. I was cutting him out of the picture as he put it. Before, we were just writing and at the time we decided that the script wasn’t really ready. It was one way for me to say ‘We’re not working together’”.

Following the knife incident, the movie which heavily relied on medications and recreational drugs as one of the major plot points of the movie also surmounted controversies in the film!

Dennis Hopper Allowed Actual Drugs To Be Consumed In Easy Rider!

Dennis Hopper
As stated earlier, the script wasn’t ready, a storyline wasn’t developed, and drugs were a major plot point of the movie. These three things led Dennis Hopper to think that it would be okay for the entire cast and crew of Easy Rider to indulge themselves in recreational drugs for creativity!

It was confirmed by stars Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda, as per a report by Far Out Magazine, that the crew and the cast did partake in the usage of recreational drugs.
“Everyone had their [medication] of choice on Easy Rider. [Hopper] had his drink, [Nicholson] smoked joints, and the crew dabbled with acid and dope.”
P.S.: The lead trio smoked a total of 150 joints throughout the filming of the movie! In the end, the film received a rating of 7.3/10 on IMDB and 84% on Rotten Tomatoes upon its release. Easy Rider became one of the iconic movies of Hollywood and is currently available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.