'Wayne's World' director dishes on working with Mike Myers and Carrie Fisher

It’s been 25 years since “Wayne’s World” partied on and director Penelope Spheeris says she never imagined the comedy would become a classic.

“The whole project was a surprise in terms of its success in the beginning and then to have this happen 25 years later is just astounding to me,” she told Confidential. “I’m thrilled with it but it’s very surprising.”

Spheeris discounted rumors that star Mike Myers was difficult to work with, even though she said she’d been asked not to discuss the subject.

She said the “Saturday Night Live” alum was difficult only a “very small amount of the time. And I think that the media — this is going to get me in trouble — but I do agree with Trump on the media thing sometimes, because they blew it out of proportion, you know?

“In fact, they don’t want to write about it unless it causes trouble. I like Mike. He likes me,” she adds.

The 71-year-old director called the “Austin Powers” star a genius and said she’s worked with a long line of gifted comedians, including Albert Brooks, Lily Tomlin, Carrie Fisher and Richard Pryor, who all had their moments.

Spheeris recalled that she gave Fisher her first role after rehab in a schlocky film called “Hollywood Vice Squad” that neither of them wanted to do.

“Working with Carrie when she got out of rehab was difficult,” she said. “I had to sign a piece of paper that if Carrie caused production to shut down and we lost money, it would be taken out of my salary.”

The “Little Rascals” director said that eventually things became rocky between them and they stopped speaking.

“I think it was probably because I didn’t realize she had a bipolar diagnosis,” Spheeris said. “She wouldn’t talk about it back then and so I think I got confused whenever she would have a downer going on and took it personally. Last time I saw her she was very sweet and friendly, but I didn’t realize she had the diagnosis.”

Spheeris, whose breakout movie was the documentary trilogy “The Decline of Western Civilization,” is busily working on a fourth installment — along with a country and Western musical that’s set in a trailer park.

Source: Confidential