Hollywood veteran Barry Diller has revealed that the Maltese set of the 1980 musical comedy Popeye was the “most coked-up film set” he encountered during his time as CEO of Paramount Pictures.

Speaking during a Q&A in New York City where he was promoting his new memoir, Mr Diller didn’t hesitate when asked which film production topped the list for on-set drug use. “Coked-up film set? Oh, Popeye,” he said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.

“If you watch Popeye, you’re watching a movie that –⁠ you think of it like record speeds, 33 RPM or whatever. This is a movie that runs at 78 RPM and 33 speed,” he remarked, hinting at the chaotic energy on set.

Mr Diller, who led Paramount from 1974 to 1984, oversaw the release of major hits like Saturday Night Fever, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Grease, and Beverly Hills Cop. Yet it was director Robert Altman’s Popeye that stood out for its off-screen excesses.

“You couldn’t escape it,” Mr Diller said, recalling how film canisters used to send footage back to Los Angeles for processing were reportedly also being used to smuggle cocaine to the set. “Everyone was stoned,” he added.

Popeye marked Robin Williams’ big-screen debut, following his rise to fame on the television shows Happy Days and Mork & Mindy. Starring alongside Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl, the film was a box office success, earning $60 million worldwide at the time, nearly double its production budget.

The film set has since been transformed into one of Malta’s most popular tourist attractions, known as Popeye Village. Located in Anchor Bay, the colourful wooden village now welcomes visitors year-round, offering family-friendly activities and film history tours that celebrate the movie’s enduring legacy.

Despite the turbulent behind-the-scenes atmosphere, Popeye remains a memorable entry in both Robin Williams’ career and Malta’s cinematic history.