Director Alan Metter has reflected on how difficult he found working with Robert Downey Jr on the 1986 comedy Back to School, describing the actor as "frustrating" to direct. The pair reportedly clashed on set, with Metter feeling he wasn't capturing Downey's best work on camera, while Downey grew frustrated at being told as much. Their differing views highlight how mismatched creative approaches between director and actor can complicate a production, even when the finished film succeeds.

According to Metter, Downey thrived during improvisation and rehearsals but "stiffened up" once the cameras rolled for scripted takes, meaning his strongest performances often happened before filming officially began. To work around this, Metter started rolling the camera earlier than planned to capture Downey at his most natural, even though this compromised the shot's lighting and visual quality. He said he prioritised a great, authentically lit performance over a technically perfect but flat one, despite ongoing disagreements with his director of photography over the approach.