It was a heartbreaking shock to discover that Rob Reiner and his wife died. Of course, tributes came pouring in from actors and creatives who were impacted and deeply moved by the filmmaker. One of Reiner’s first assistant directors, Dennis Maguire, was another person in his life who didn’t shy away from shining a light on what he learned from him, saying, “as a human being, [he] did everything he could.”
The world lost a talented actor-turned-director in Rob Reiner. Rising to prominence playing Mike in All in the Family, his feature directing career soared on the first try with the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. His directorial career continued growing from there with Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, Misery, When Harry Met Sally, and more.
First AD Dennis Maguire, who worked with Reiner on Misery and the reshoots for Stand By Me, reflected on the late filmmaker’s talents and career, too. He made sure to tell Business Insider a memorable story of when they filmed in Lake Tahoe, and the snow machines weren’t working. Feeling like Maguire let his director down, the Misery filmmaker offered him words of encouragement to ease his worries:
He looked at me, stopped, and said, ‘Dennis, I know you care. Don’t worry about that. It’s out of your control and out of my control. We do the best we can, and when weather and other factors beat us, it’s not on us.’
Rob Reiner made a great point in that there’s only so much that crews can control. It’s an admirable quality that the A Few Good Men director handled obstacles with ease and didn’t allow that to ruin his day. That’s all the more reason why Maguire said he felt grateful for their past collaborations:
Rob, as a human being, did everything he could. I’m happy I had the opportunity to work for somebody like him.
Maguire continued to go on about other lessons he learned from the Wolf of Wall Street actor, like how he was open to suggestions to make a scene great, as well as shooting short days to avoid the cast and crew being burned out. Reiner may have broken into the entertainment industry as an actor first, but he clearly left a massive mark behind the camera and on those he worked with.
In the days since news broke that Reiner and his wife were killed, tributes and reflections have poured in left and right. All this is to say, the impact these two left on the entertainment industry is insurmountable and incredibly positive.
Rob Reiner clearly impacted AD Dennis Maguire by teaching him about controlling what you can and not worrying about the rest. While his death proved to be a heartbreaking loss to loved ones and fans, we should follow the advice of When Harry Met Sally‘s Meg Ryan, who said his story “will not end with this impossible tragedy.” Overall, Reiner’s legacy is legendary, and his impact will live on forever in the films he created and the artists he inspired.