Warren Beatty was quite the ladies man in his day, but the Hollywood legend is finally putting a rumor about his sexual prowess to bed.
Author Peter Biskind’s biography of the actor and director put the number of young actresses Beatty had slept with in his life at 12,775 — a number which the actor disputes.
“Think about it, sleeping with 12,775 people,” Beatty said in an interview with AARP Magazine. “That would mean not just that there were multiple people a day, but that there was no repetition.”
While Beatty wouldn’t quote an exact figure, he did address the question of how he managed to sleep with so many Hollywood people and still enjoy a good reputation in the industry.
“Look, I never misled anyone,” he said. “And … and I’m a nice guy.” That must be good news for Annette Benning, Beatty’s wife of 24 years.
“I waited a long time to be married,” he said. “When you don’t get married until you’re 54 … well, as Arthur Miller said, ‘It comes with the territory…’ You’re participating in a profession that, for obvious reasons, needs to heighten elements of sexuality, [especially] if you delay marriage a long time.”
But Beatty’s bedroom antics are not the reason he is back in the news of late. He is preparing for the release of his new Howard Hughes movie, “Rules Don’t Apply.”
Beatty plays the eccentric billionaire in the film, which takes place in 1950s Los Angeles. Aspiring actress Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins) arrives to begin working for Hughes and meets her new driver, Frank (played by the newly cast Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich).
The two are immediately attracted to each other, but cannot act on it for professional and religious reasons. Before long, Collins’ character and Hughes begin to get closer, much to Frank’s horror.
Beatty produced and directed the film — his first directing project since 1998’s “Bulworth.” He also wrote the screenplay, based on a story by himself and Bo Goldman.