Miriam Margolyes Calls ‘Little Shop Of Horrors’ Co-Star Steve Martin “Horrid,” “Unlovely” And “Unapologetic” In Her Scathing New Memoir

Miriam Margolyes has some choice words for Steve Martin.

In her new memoir Oh Miriam!: Stories From An Extraordinary Life, the British actress recalled her not-so-nice interactions with Martin while filming the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors, in which Martin played dentist Orin Scrivello and Margolyes played his assistant, the Dental Nurse.

The two performed together in the musical number “Dentist!,” in which Martin’s Scrivello punched Margolyes’ character.

“During my only musical number (‘Dentist!’) I was hit all day by doors opening in my face; repeatedly punched, slapped and knocked down by an unlovely and unapologetic Steve Martin – perhaps he was method acting – and came home grumpy with a splitting headache,” she wrote, per HuffPost UK, adding, “let it not be said that I have never suffered in the name of art.”

While she admitted that Martin was “undeniably brilliant,” she also claimed that he was “horrid” to her.

When reached for comment by Decider, Martin provided the following statement:

“When I first read Miriam Margolyes’ pejorative account of our scene in Little Shop of Horrors, I was surprised. My memory is that we had a good communication as professional actors.  But when it is implied that I harmed her or was in some way careless about doing the stunts, I have to object. I remember taking EXTREME caution regarding the fake punch – the same caution I would use with any similar scene. She assured me she felt fine, and we did a few successful takes and stopped. There was never any physical contact between her and me, accidental or otherwise, in this scene or any other we shot.“

Martin’s representative also shared the following statement from director Frank Oz:

“I always rehearse physical actions in slow motion. The scene was supposed to include a fake punch. It’s puzzling what she’s talking about. It’s not the Steve I know or anyone knows.  He’s always been professional and respectful of everyone on all of my shoots.”

Other than her role in Little Shop, Margolyes is best known for her role as Professor Pomona Sprout in both Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2.

According to HuffPost UK, Martin is not the first victim of Margolyes’ wrath. The actress has previously deemed Arnold Schwarzenegger as “a very boring man” and John Cleese as a “puny tadpole of a person.”

However, Margolyes raved about Steve Buscemi in the new memoir. She starred alongside the actor in the 1993 dark comedy Ed and His Dead Mother, and wrote that he is a “brilliant actor,” and that they had “a delightful rapport.”

“For somebody who’s being terrorized by me in the form of a murderous living corpse, he was unerringly sweet – knocked spots off Steve Martin,” she added.

The 1986 adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors is streaming on Max.