While under contract with MGM, Vidal was one of several script doctors rewriting the screenplay for Ben-Hur, originally penned by Karl Tunberg. He rewrote significant portions, specifically to clarify the enmity between the Jewish protagonist, Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), and the Roman antagonist, Messala (Stephen Boyd), who had been childhood friends. Years later, Vidal revealed that he made the source of the tension between the two characters their boyhood sexual relationship, which Masala wished to resume. When Ben-Hur failed to respond, this turned into political antagonism. Vidal claimed that director William Wyler and actor Stephen Boyd were aware of this motivation, but they decided not to tell Charlton Heston, fearing that he would refuse to play the scene. Vidal was not given credit for the screenplay; however, in exchange for rewriting what would be a wildly successful blockbuster, Vidal negotiated the early termination—at the two-year mark—of his four-year contract with MGM.