EXCLUSIVE: Secrets of 'The Thomas Crown Affair' — How Pulling Off Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway's Slick Heist Classic Was Far From Smooth Off Camera
'The Thomas Crown Affair' faced major off-camera struggles during its stylish production.
May 20 2026, Published 8:15 a.m. ET
For a movie so filled with twists and turns, it's fitting that 1968's The Thomas Crown Affair had its share of the same behind the scenes.
Starring action hero Steve McQueen (The Great Escape) and Faye Dunaway, hot off her Oscar-nominated role in Bonnie and Clyde, the film proved pivotal for them both.
Steve McQueen Reinvented His Image
Marc Eliot said 'The Thomas Crown Affair' marked Steve McQueen's first successful turn as a romantic leading man.
RadarOnline.com can reveal that before stepping into the tailored duds and sleek Rolls-Royce of the titular millionaire businessman-bank thief, "Steve had never played, successfully, a romantic leading man," said Marc Eliot, author of Steve McQueen.
In fact, "he never wore a suit in a film in his life."
Meanwhile, Dunaway chose to play Vicki Anderson, the FBI agent hot on his trail following a $2.6million Boston bank heist, "because she doesn't swoon over the leading man," added Eliot.
A Cult Classic
Faye Dunaway said she chose 'The Thomas Crown Affair' because her character did not 'swoon over the leading man.'
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The two "fought all the time" when the cameras weren't rolling, but over the past 50 years, the film, with its unusual split-screen effects and famously sexy chess scene, has grown into a cult classic.
