Actors Who Flat Out Refused To Work Together
It seems like every job has at least one — the annoying coworker that everybody in the office avoids like the plague. Perhaps they like to play "pranks" that only they find hilarious, or they steal lunches out of the communal refrigerator, or maybe they like to show off for management at every possible opportunity by stealing credit for other people's work. In a lot of ways, it often turns out that working in Hollywood is just like any other job, and unfortunately, having coworkers you can't stand is part of that too.
Over the years, some actors have earned a seriously poor reputation among their co-stars — so much so that those co-stars don't ever want to work with them again. From simple personality conflicts to deranged name-calling and everything in between, let's take a look at some of the most infamous co-star beefs, and how they got started. These are actors who all flat-out refused to work together.
Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones
When Jim Carrey starred as the Riddler in "Batman Forever," he was at the height of his comedy career on the big screen. His co-star Tommy Lee Jones — who played Harvey "Two-Face" Dent — was definitely not a fan of Carrey's slapstick style. Director Joel Schumacher confirmed that Jones had an attitude on the set, telling Entertainment Weekly in 1996, "Jim Carrey was a gentleman, and Tommy Lee was threatened by him. I'm tired of defending overpaid, over-privileged actors."
The night before filming a scene together, Carrey and Jones ran into each other at a restaurant. When Carrey approached Jones' table to say hello, he didn't get quite the greeting he expected. "He got up, kind of shaking, and hugged me and said, 'I hate you. I really don't like you,'" Carrey told Howard Stern. "And I was like, 'Wow. What's going on man?' And he said, 'I cannot sanction your buffoonery.'" We're going to save that line for the next time we need to tell some kids to get off our lawn.
Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte
In 1994, Nick Nolte and Julia Roberts starred together in the romantic comedy "I Love Trouble." Despite the considerable screen presence wielded by both, the two didn't mesh well on the set, and their lack of chemistry definitely shows onscreen. Reportedly, the constant quarreling got so bad that director Charles Shyer resorted to filming some of their scenes separately to keep them apart as much as possible.
While filming "I Love Trouble," Roberts told the New York Times that Nolte was "completely disgusting," and that he "seems go out of his way to repel people." Nolte later shot back, "It's not nice to call someone 'disgusting.' But she's not a nice person. Everyone knows that." The off-screen feud wasn't forgotten in 2009, when Roberts appeared on "The Late Show" and gave a profanity-laden impression of a former co-star — which turned out to be Nolte.
James Franco and Tyrese Gibson
Much of the 2006 military drama "Annapolis," directed by Justin Lin, centers around a planned boxing tournament for the recruits and officers of the U.S. Naval Academy. But when star James Franco took method acting a bit too far, things soon turned ugly between him and co-star Tyrese Gibson. According to Gibson, Franco would actually land his punches as they rehearsed the boxing scenes. "The dude was full-on hitting me," Gibson told Elle. "I was always like, 'James, lighten up, man. We're just practicing.' He never lightened up."
For his part, Franco denies ever hitting Gibson, but admitted to GQ that at the time, "I was probably a jerk." The admission wasn't good enough for Gibson, who told Playboy in 2007, "I never want to work with him again, and I'm sure he feels the same way. It felt very personal. It was f***ed up."
Will Smith and Janet Hubert
If you're a dedicated "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" fan, you're probably aware that the actress who played Aunt Vivian was replaced halfway through the series, but you might not know why. Janet Hubert portrayed Aunt Viv on the show until 1993, when she was replaced with Daphne Reid, who continued in the role until "Fresh Prince" ended its run in 1996.
According to accounts from show insiders and even Hubert herself, Will Smith and his other younger co-stars were needlessly cruel to her on the set. "[Smith did] some heinous, horrible things to me — they were like bad kids, Will and Alfonso [Ribeiro]." For his part, Smith knocked down Hubert's allegations in a 1993 interview with an Atlanta radio station, claiming she had a bad attitude while filming and adding, "No matter what, to her I'm just the Antichrist."
In 2011, Hubert fired back, even going so far as to tell TMZ that she'd never work with Smith again. "There will never be a reunion ... as I will never do anything with an a**hole like Will Smith," she ranted. "He is still an egomaniac and has not grown up."
Shannen Doherty and everyone
Shannen Doherty has something of a history when it comes to on-set feuds with her female co-stars. She reportedly nearly came to blows with her "Beverly Hills 90210" castmate Jennie Garth. Fellow "90210" vet Tori Spelling revealed in a 2015 Lifetime special that she got her father Aaron Spelling (who produced the show) to fire Doherty from the teen drama.
Four years later, Doherty and castmate Alyssa Milano developed a real beef on the set of another Aaron Spelling production, "Charmed." According to Milano, "there were definitely some rough days," and "it was very much sort of like high school." A source inside the show told TV Guide in 2001, "It eventually became clear that [either Doherty or Milano] had to go." Over a decade has passed since Doherty's departure from "Charmed," and it seems she and Milano have finally buried the hatchet: Milano reached out to Doherty in 2016 after her former co-star was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the two are now friendly again.
Richard Gere and Sylvester Stallone
For years, there's been an apparent behind-the-scenes feud between Richard Gere and Sylvester Stallone. Stallone finally explained the beef between the actors during a 2006 Q&A session with Ain't It Cool News, saying Gere had originally been cast as lead character Chico in the 1974 coming-of-age drama "The Lords of Flatbush." Unfortunately, Gere and Stallone clashed immediately during filming, and Gere was replaced by Perry King.
Stallone recalls Gere being a complete jerk on the set, including getting too rough during fight rehearsals and spilling greasy food all over Stallone's pants. "The director had to make a choice: one of us had to go, one of us had to stay," said Stallone about the conflict. "Richard was given his walking papers and to this day seriously dislikes me. He even thinks I'm the individual responsible for the gerbil rumor. Not true ... but that's the rumor."
Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard has never been shy about talking about his falling out with "Iron Man" co-star Robert Downey Jr., after Howard was replaced by Don Cheadle as Tony Stark's best friend, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, in "Iron Man 2." In 2013, Howard appeared on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live," and claimed that while Marvel Studios had initially signed him to a three-movie deal, "They came to me with the second and said, 'Look, we will pay you one-eighth of what we contractually had for you, because we think the second one will be successful with or without you."
He went on to put the blame firmly on Downey's shoulders: "I called my friend, that I helped get the first job, and he didn't call me back for three months." It would take another three years for the pair to finally patch up their differences, when they reunited at the 2016 wedding of director Brian Grazer. But Cheadle still has the job to this day.
Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis
While Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis had no issues acting together on the set of "Live Free or Die Hard," the two had a very uneasy working relationship on the set of the 2010 police comedy "Cop Out," in which Willis starred and Smith directed. Prior to working together on the underwhelming buddy-cop film, Smith had greatly admired the "Die Hard" superstar and actually took a massive pay cut to work with Willis. Unfortunately, superstars sometimes come along with super egos.
Smith later described the "Cop Out" directing experience with Willis as "soul-crushing" and credits Willis' co-star Tracy Morgan with helping him get through filming: "Were it not for Tracy, I might've killed myself or someone else in the making of that movie." In his 2012 memoir "Tough S***," Smith goes into more detail, saying that Willis "turned out to be the unhappiest, most bitter, and meanest emo-b**** I've ever met at any job I've held down. And mind you, I've worked at Domino's Pizza." Ouch.
Wesley Snipes and Ryan Reynolds
Reading Patton Oswalt's account of his time on the set of 2004's "Blade: Trinity" is far more interesting than watching the movie itself. Unlike the first two films in the trilogy, "Trinity" was a critical and commercial letdown. According to Oswalt, director David S. Goyer shouldn't be blamed for the way the movie turned out, as he spent half his time dealing with the erratic behavior of leading man Wesley Snipes.
"Wesley was just f***ing crazy in a hilarious way," the actor-comedian told A.V. Club. "He wouldn't come out of his trailer, and he would smoke weed all day." Oswalt claimed Snipes "tried to strangle the director" at one point, which led to Goyer hiring a bunch of bikers as bodyguards. "That freaked Wesley out so much that, for the rest of the production, he would only communicate with the director through Post-It notes. And he would sign each Post-It note 'From Blade.'"
It wasn't just Goyer that Snipes clashed with, however. The mercurial action star also didn't get along with co-star Ryan Reynolds, apparently refusing to even call him by his name. "He refers to Ryan Reynolds as 'that cracker,'" one executive crew member told writer Chris Parry on condition of anonymity. "'Tell that cracker to get out of my eyeline,' and 'tell that cracker to get his lines right.'" Reynolds laughed when he was asked if he would ever consider reuniting with Snipes for a fourth "Blade" movie, answering with an emphatic "no."
Tom Sizemore and Val Kilmer
Throughout the '90s, Tom Sizemore's star was on a meteoric rise in Hollywood, particularly due to his roles in great dramatic films like 1995's "Heat," alongside Val Kilmer. But when Kilmer and Sizemore reunited five years later on the set of "Red Planet," things weren't so rosy. Reportedly, Kilmer was upset when he learned that the production had paid to ship Sizemore's exercise equipment to Australia, where filming was taking place.
According to Sizemore's memoir, "By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There," a shouting match erupted which escalated into Sizemore throwing a 50-pound weight at Kilmer (he missed). Later, a producer asked Sizemore to avoid hitting Kilmer in the face when they got into their next knock-down drag-out fight. Tom complied, dutifully slugging Kilmer in the chest and telling him, "I'm never going to another planet with you again." Time heals all wounds, however: the two former co-stars had finally buried the hatchet as of 2014.
Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi
On the set of the long-running CBS legal drama "The Good Wife," an ongoing feud between stars Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi caused tension for years before Panjabi left the show. While the characters the two women played were once very good friends, the actresses notoriously were not. The pair actually were never filmed together for a whopping 51 episodes, and most on-screen communication between their characters took place over the phone.
When Panjabi left the show, she and Margulies finally had a scene together — one where the two actresses filmed their parts of the scene separately and then were stitched together using the power of green screen and CGI. If you can't even stand to be in the same room as a coworker, and your characters can only coexist in the digital realm, it may be time to follow Panjabi's lead and find a new job.
William Shatner and George Takei
The decades-long feud between William Shatner and George Takei started on the set of the original "Star Trek" series, where they apparently clashed over close-ups. Shatner (Captain Kirk) was "not a team player," according to Takei (Lt. Sulu), but the commander of the USS Enterprise claims he barely even knew his lieutenant, and has even questioned Takei's mental health. "It's so painfully obvious that there's a psychosis there," Shatner said. "I don't know what his original thing about me was, I have no idea ... I literally don't know him. I didn't know him very well on the series."
Takei claims to know Shatner better than he'd care to admit, however. During his weeklong stint as a guest on "The Howard Stern Show" (via TrekMovie), Takei told the host that the "self-centered" Shatner refused to join him and other former "Star Trek" cast members on stage for the ailing James Doohan's (Scotty) last-ever convention appearance, reportedly calling it "Alzheimer's crap."
"[A] monstrous statement," Takei said of Shatner's choice of words. "It was not surprising, but yes, shocking. This is the usual thing that happens on the set, whether it was the TV series or the movies, or at conventions. This was another convention where he decided he was not going to do what they wanted him to do, and he walked out." Doohan passed away in 2005.
Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe
While today it's considered to be one of the greatest comedies of all time, the filming of "Some Like it Hot" was not a barrel of laughs for the cast, particularly for Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. Reportedly, Monroe was notorious for causing issues on the set, costing the production time and fistfuls of money because of her erratic behavior, her lateness on arriving to the shoot every day, and her reported addiction to pills at the time.
With Monroe allegedly needing anywhere from 35 to 40 takes just to get her lines right (Curtis and co-star Jack Lemmon used to take bets on just how many), Curtis apparently reached his limit after having to re-film a kissing scene. When early cuts of the film were screened for the cast and crew, someone asked Curtis what it was like to kiss Monroe, to which Curtis glibly replied, "[it was] like kissing Hitler!"
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford
It was one of the most famous Hollywood rivalries of all time — so much so that FX even developed a series centered on the feud, with Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon playing Bette Davis. These two queens of the silver screen had it in for each other as early as the 1930s, when Davis starred in the film "Dangerous" alongside Franchot Tone. Davis was soon smitten with the handsome actor, but Crawford won that round, marrying Tone soon after the movie wrapped production. Later, Davis famously remarked, "[Crawford] slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie."
The rivalry came to a fever pitch in the 1960s, when Davis and Crawford co-starred in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," a psychological thriller about two aging antagonistic sisters — a perfect backdrop for their real-life hatred. When only Davis was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the film, Crawford was livid. She campaigned against Davis and managed to steal the limelight for herself when she accepted the Oscar on behalf of eventual winner Anne Bancroft, who was unable to attend the ceremony.
Producer William Frye recalled Davis' reaction at an Oscars after-party. Davis filled a glass with Scotch all the way to the rim, telling Frye it was for Crawford. When Frye told her that Crawford drank vodka, and not Scotch, Davis replied, "I don't care what she drinks. This is going into her f***ing face."
Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke
Martin Scorsese's crime epic "The Irishman" was a grand reunion of Hollywood legends, but Mickey Rourke wasn't invited. According to the actor, he was in line for a part in the film until one of the stars stepped in and put the blocks on it. "Marty Scorsese, great director, he wanted to meet me for a movie with Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Chris Walken and Robert De Niro," Rourke told Italian TV show "Live – Non è la D'Urso" (via PageSix). "The casting person told my manager that Robert De Niro said he refused to work with me in a movie." Rourke added that he was "broke" at the time, which made the rejection sting all the more.
The "Sin City" star claims that his problems with De Niro began in 1987 when they appeared opposite one another in the psychological horror movie "Angel Heart." Rourke grew up idolizing De Niro, but his opinion changed drastically after he introduced himself on set. "About five minutes later, [De Niro] comes over," Rourke recalled. "He said, 'I think it's better if we don't talk because of [our] characters in the movie. It's better if we don't say hello, talk or anything.' It hurt my feelings a little bit, 'cause I looked up to him." Producers denied his claims in a statement, saying: "Mickey Rourke was never asked to be in 'The Irishman' nor was he ever even thought of, discussed or considered to be in the movie."
Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg
Long before they appeared alongside each other in Martin Scorsese's Best Picture winner "The Departed," Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg were castmates on a controversial high school drama named "The Basketball Diaries." At the time, Wahlberg was better known as Marky Mark, Calvin Klein-modeling rapper and frontman of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Nobody really took him seriously in Hollywood, and when DiCaprio discovered that Marky Mark was being considered for one of his associates in "The Basketball Diaries," he apparently freaked out.
"Leonardo was like, 'Over my dead f***ing body, Marky Mark's not going to be in this f***ing movie,'" Wahlberg said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, revealing that their one-time beef was entirely his doing. "I was a bit of a d*** to him at a charity basketball game. So he was like, 'This f***ing a*****e is not going to be in this movie.'" According to Wahlberg, he and DiCaprio both had "a specific opinion about each other" prior to meeting, but that all went out of the window as soon as they got to work. "Once I finally got to the point where I was able to audition and read with him, then we just both kinda looked at each other, we were like, 'Wow!'" Wahlberg told Extra. "We were literally out that night and we became fast friends."
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
Many critics found 2004's The Notebook a little too clumsy and cliché-ridden, but audiences fell hard for Nick Cassavetes' romantic drama. According to the director, the drama sometimes continued after he yelled cut, with co-stars Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling clashing in front of the crew. "Maybe I'm not supposed to tell this story, but they were really not getting along one day on set — really not," Cassavetes told VH1 (via Entertainment Weekly). "And Ryan came to me, and there's 150 people standing in this big scene, and he says, 'Nick, come here.' And he's doing a scene with Rachel and he says, 'Would you take her out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with me?' I said, 'What?' He says, 'I can't. I can't do it with her. I'm just not getting anything from this.'"
Producers called a clear-the-air meeting after Gosling refused to shoot the big scene with McAdams, and it got off to a rocky start. "They started screaming and yelling at each other," said Cassavetes, who "walked out" of the room. "They had it out," the director said. "I think Ryan respected her for standing up for her character and Rachel was happy to get that out in the open. The rest of the film wasn't smooth sailing, but it was smoother sailing." The two actors dated for a couple of years after wrapping "The Notebook," but their highly-shipped romance didn't stand the test of time.
Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel
There were rumors that the beef between Vin Diesel and "The Fate of the Furious" co-star Dwayne Johnson was a promotional ploy when they first started feuding in 2016, but it turned out to be 100 percent genuine. It all kicked off when Johnson took to social media to slam an anonymous co-star during the last week of filming, bemoaning the fact that some "candyass" actors don't know how to "conduct themselves as stand-up men and true professionals" and were "too chickens*** to do anything about it." Johnson later confirmed that he was indeed talking about Diesel. The latter was reportedly late to set on a regular basis, which clearly didn't sit well with The Rock.
"Vin and I had a few discussions, including an important face-to-face in my trailer," Johnson later revealed to Rolling Stone. "We have a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating." When the film came out, some suggested the pair's scenes were shot to hide the fact that they weren't even together on the set. "That is correct," Johnson confirmed to the music mag. "We were not in any scenes together." But even this clash of the titans came to an end, with Johnson showing up at the end of 2023's "Fast X" and slated to return for the franchise's next installment.
Pauley Perette and Mark Harmon
Former "NCIS" star Pauley Perrette has revealed that she'll never return to the CBS procedural because she's scared of former colleague Mark Harmon. "I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me," Perrette said. "I have nightmares about it." Perrette played forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on the show for a whopping 15 seasons, making her departure all the more shocking. She didn't go into specifics about why she was so scared of Harmon (Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs), claiming that there was a "very powerful publicity machine" keeping her quiet. She did, however, seem to confirm that she was subjected to violence during her time on the show.
"I've been supporting ant[i]-bullying programs forever," she said. "But now I KNOW because it was ME! If it's school or work, that you're required to go to? It's horrifying. I left. Multiple Physical Assaults. I REALLY get it now." Perrette's cryptic tweets led to a story from 2016 reemerging, suggesting that Harmon upset the cast and crew of "NCIS" by continually bringing his dog to set, despite the fact that it had bitten a crew member. According to Vanity Fair, Perrette was apparently the only one brave enough to call him out over it, and that's where their beef began. The two reportedly started shooting on different days to avoid contact with one another and did not get a face-to-face goodbye in Perrette's final episode, even though Harmon's character was always a father figure to her.
Charlie Sheen and Selma Blair
After Charlie Sheen's unceremonious and highly publicized departure from "Two and a Half Men," "Anger Management" was meant to be the project that got him back to his winning ways on the sitcom scene. He was the undisputed face and star of the show as anger management therapist Dr. Charlie Goodson, but he was also supported by castmates such as Selma Blair, who portrayed Dr. Kate Wales — Charlie's therapist and on-again, off-again lover.
Blair appeared alongside Sheen for over 50 episodes from 2012 to 2013. There was reportedly friction between the two on set after Blair complained about how difficult and unprofessional he was to work with due to his tardiness. Sheen allegedly retaliated by threatening to leave the show if his co-star wasn't fired instantly. Since Sheen was an executive producer and the main attraction, he held the ace in this particular feud.
Ultimately, Blair left "Anger Management," but that wasn't the end of the story. According to Deadline, Sheen sent her a derogatory text message where he proceeded to insult and fire her. A few months later, it was reported that Blair demanded a payout or she would sue for wrongful termination. "Anger Management" was canceled a year later in 2014.
Alec Baldwin and Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf has attracted his fair share of controversy in his career, and entire headlines have been dedicated to the "Transformers" actor's reported conflicts with his co-stars. One of his strangest bust-ups happened on the 2013 Broadway production "Orphans," which he departed after an issue with Alec Baldwin.
According to Baldwin's comments to New York magazine (via Broadway Buzz), there had been problems from the beginning since LaBeouf had already memorized his lines while Baldwin hadn't. Baldwin alleged that his co-star reacted aggressively to him in rehearsal, so "The Hunt for Red October" actor pulled aside director Dan Sullivan and said someone needed to exit, offering to depart the project altogether. However, the director chose to fire LaBeouf instead. "[LaBeouf] was shocked," Baldwin said. "He had that card, that card you get when you make films that make a lot of money that gives you a certain kind of entitlement. I think he was surprised that it didn't work in the theater."
Baldwin also accused the director of duplicity and not being entirely committed to the production. LaBeouf responded by posting screenshots of his email correspondences with both Baldwin and Sullivan, confirming that there had been exchanges regarding Baldwin's lack of preparation for the play and the director acknowledging that they were "incompatible" as performers.
Bill Murray and Harold Ramis
Bill Murray and Harold Ramis are best known for playing Peter Venkman and Egon Spengler in the "Ghostbusters" movies, but the two teamed up for many other projects as well. As a writer and director, Ramis often turned to Murray for his films, since they were close friends and worked well together. Not surprisingly, Ramis cast Murray as the lead, TV weatherman Phil Connors, in the 1993 comedy "Groundhog Day"; however, the movie created a rift between the two friends that lasted for two decades afterward.
The problems started when Murray and Ramis had disagreements about the creative direction of the film. This resulted in tension between the two on set that also affected their personal relationship. Discussing the production with The New Yorker, Ramis said, "At times, Bill was just really irrationally mean and unavailable; he was constantly late on set. What I'd want to say to him is just what we tell our children: 'You don't have to throw tantrums to get what you want. Just say what you want.'" Ramis said that Murray simply stopped speaking to him after "Groundhog Day."
Ramis' daughter Violet revealed in her book, "Ghostbuster's Daughter: Life with My Dad, Harold Ramis," that Murray and her father did manage to reconcile before Ramis' death in 2014.
America Ferrera and Lindsay Lohan
After lighting up the early 2000s with memorable roles in fan-favorite films such as "Freaky Friday" and "Mean Girls," Lindsay Lohan hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons toward the end of the decade. Wherever she went, controversy seemed to follow and Lohan became known more for her escapades than her on-screen performances.
In 2008, Lohan showed up as Kimmie Keegan in four episodes of "Ugly Betty" — one of the most popular shows on TV at the time. Lohan was scheduled to perform in six episodes, but her appearances were cut down to four.
As per Page Six, the reason for this change was allegedly due to Lohan's behavior, which rubbed "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera the wrong way. The publication cited an unnamed friend of Lohan, who stated: "America was mean to Lindsay. Producers give her too much power. Lindsay didn't do the last two episodes because America didn't like her and got her kicked off." It's reported that Lohan behaved like a diva on set and exhibited bizarre behavior whenever she was around.
Jay Mohr and Jennifer Aniston
Jay Mohr received a major opportunity when he was cast as the leading man in the 1997 romantic comedy "Picture Perfect," where he would star alongside Jennifer Aniston. The actress was one of the biggest celebrities at the time thanks to her role as Rachel Green on "Friends," so Mohr's casting was a big deal and something that could take his career to the next level.
Apparently, Aniston wasn't a fan of Mohr's casting, and couldn't believe he had secured the lead role. While Mohr didn't mention Aniston by name — and refused to confirm or deny it was her — the timeline of his recollection to Elle matches up with the period when he starred in "Picture Perfect."
"[It was awkward] being on the set of a movie where the leading woman was unhappy with my presence and made it clear from day one," Mohr said. "I hadn't done many movies, and even though they screen-tested some pretty famous guys, I somehow snaked into the leading role. The actress said, 'No way! You've got to be kidding me!' Loudly. Between takes. To other actors on set."
Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron
Action movie fans ate well in 2015, thanks to George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road." In this long-overdue continuation of the popular film series, Tom Hardy replaced Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, while Charlize Theron was introduced as Imperator Furiosa. The film won six Academy Awards and the hearts of film lovers around the world.
While it might have been a masterpiece on screen, it was anything but behind the scenes. Hardy and Theron created magic as their characters, but the real-life people had problems that boiled over on set. Vanity Fair published a shocking excerpt from Kyle Buchanan's book, "Blood, Sweat and Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road," which painted a terrifying picture of the breakdown in Hardy and Theron's relationship.
The working relationship between Hardy and Theron became strained to the point when a producer was called out to help get them on the same page. One day, Hardy arrived late on set and Theron went off at him. Hardy stormed over to her and there was fear of a physical altercation. "He was quite aggressive," camera operator Mark Goellnicht said. "She really felt threatened, and that was the turning point, because then she said, 'I want someone as protection.' She then had a producer that was assigned to be with her all the time." The actors have both admitted regret over their behavior at the time, but they have also avoided working together since then.
Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd
Before Bruce Willis saved Christmas as John McClane in "Die Hard," he came to the public's attention as David Addison Jr. in "Moonlighting." His chemistry with co-star Cybill Shepherd, who portrays Maddie Hayes on the show, was through the roof, and fans couldn't get enough of this scintillating pairing.
Yet, off screen, these two were like oil and water, doomed to constantly clash and also make life difficult for those around them as they struggled to work together. Co-star Curtis Armstrong detailed the feud in his book, "Revenge of the Nerd: Or ... The Singular Adventures of the Man Who Would Be Booger" (via Express). He stated the two "hated each other," while also discussing one incident that turned aggressive. "The scene broke down and some sort of dispute began," Armstrong wrote. "It escalated rapidly, ending with Cybill flinging a briefcase against the door with a force that shook the set." Producer Jay Daniel confirmed reports of dissension and drama, explaining how it was difficult to manage both of them because of their unwavering animosity.
While Shepherd and Willis went their separate ways after "Moonlighting" ended in 1989, they appear to have made nice since then, with Shepherd even participating in "Roast of Bruce Willis."
Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker
One of the most infamous feuds in Hollywood involves "Sex and the City" co-stars Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker. While the two might have starred in a television show that will go down in history for what it did for the medium, the tension between the actors manifested for the longest time, with Cattrall reportedly ostracized from the rest of the cast. Still, the ladies put aside whatever animosity they had to film the movies after the show had ended.
When Cattrall decided she was done with the character and wasn't interested in returning for a third film, the gloves were off. After Cattrall posted about the death of her brother on Instagram, Parker reached out with a message. However, Cattrall responded with a public callout on Instagram to her, writing: "Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven't already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I'm writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your 'nice girl' persona."
A revival of "Sex and the City" titled "And Just Like That..." premiered in 2021, but Cattrall wasn't approached to reprise her role, nor did her castmates expect her to. However, Cattrall has returned for a cameo in Season 2, though she didn't interact with the rest of the cast.
Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Hopkins
Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Hopkins are widely regarded as two of the finest actors of their generation — and perhaps even of all time. They have dazzled audiences with countless awe-inspiring performances throughout the decades, and they collaborated in 1980's comedy-drama "A Change of Seasons." Unfortunately, their team-up wasn't as successful as some might have imagined, with the film receiving the kind of nominations no performer dreams of: Razzie nominations, with Hopkins nominated for Worst Actor after his turn as Adam Evans.
Hopkins didn't seem to have been impressed by his co-star either, referring to MacLaine as "the most obnoxious actor." MacLaine responded to his retort in a 2014 interview with the New York Post, saying, "I didn't like him either, but he was on the wagon at that time and it was hard on him."
MacLaine and Hopkins have avoided sharing the screen since then, presumably for good reason.
Channing Tatum and Emma Watson
Whenever Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill team up for a movie, it should be expected that it won't be PG-13. In 2013's "This Is the End," they amped up the raunchy humor and got wild with a lot of their pals, such as Danny McBride and Channing Tatum. Emma Watson also cameoed in the film, but there was one scene that proved to be too much for Watson and she departed the set.
According to an extra who spoke to Pop Focal, Watson wasn't a big fan of a scene she had to film in which Tatum was dressed in only a leather thong. The source explained how Watson walked off set and quit the movie afterward: "During the scene Channing decided to do some of his breakdancing in front of her but alas he was in nothing but a thong. So Emma storms off set. Everyone's like WTF where is she going? She walks all the way down the street. So we wrapped the night 5 minutes later." Reportedly, Watson also wasn't impressed that Tatum had been drinking before filming the scene.
Rogen was asked about the incident in a later interview with GQ. The actor confirmed that it did happen but stressed that there was no bad vibe between them and Watson even promoted the movie.
Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando
At the height of their popularity, both Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer had to deal with accusations of being divas on set. Putting them together in a movie where both wrestled to be considered the top dog was always going to be interesting. Much has been documented about 1996's "The Island of Dr. Moreau," and it appears that the stars didn't do much to help. It was a troubled production on which director Richard Stanley was removed after just a few days on the set, while his replacement, John Frankenheimer, told Entertainment Weekly: "I don't like Val Kilmer, I don't like his work ethic, and I don't want to be associated with him ever again."
According to sources, Kilmer was continuously late to the set, while Brando started to do the same thing as well. The production lost almost two weeks' worth of shooting time as a result. Allegedly, Brando wasn't a fan of Kilmer either, as he is reported to have told him, "Your problem is, you confuse your talent with the size of your paycheck."
In a Reddit AMA session years later, Kilmer praised his time working with Brando and was only complimentary of him as a performer and person. The "Batman Forever" actor suggested that most of the publicized issues surrounding "The Island of Dr. Moreau" were a result of the executives and director trying to save face and divert attention elsewhere.
Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise
As two of the most recognizable actors in the world, you'd expect that there would be a little healthy competition between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise over who is the bigger movie star. Even so, they combined their powers to make 1994's Oscar-nominated "Interview with the Vampire," which is generally considered one of the best vampire films of all time and a showcase of both actors at their peak. Yet, while Pitt's Louis and Cruise's Lestat were blood brothers on screen, it doesn't appear like the same sentiment was shared when the cameras stopped rolling.
Pitt has gone on record to discuss how generally unhappy he was during the shoot for the movie, but it also wasn't helped by his co-star. "He bugged me," Pitt is quoted as saying (via Radar Online). "There came a point during filming when I started really resenting him. He's North Pole, I'm South. He's always coming at you with a handshake, whereas I may bump into you. There was this underlying competition that got in the way of any real conversation."
Before Pitt and Cruise wrapped up "Interview with the Vampire," there was a point when Pitt tried to depart the project before finding out the financial impact it would have. In the end, he stayed on, but he and Cruise have largely stayed out of each other's orbit since then.