Even Great Chemistry Can Be A Lie
Though some actors have unbelievable chemistry on screen, not all of them carry this camaraderie into the real world. From Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams to Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, these are the actors who resented one another on set.
Ryan Gosling And Rachel McAdams
Though Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams eventually dated, their time filming 2004's The Notebook wasn't all smooth sailing. Even the director Nick Cassavetes admitted that the two actors had an animosity toward one another.
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"I Can't Do It With Her"
Cassavetes later recalled one memorable day on the set of The Notebook: "...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'".
Letting It All Out
This led to a screaming match between the two actors, which Cassavetes believed cleared the air: "I think Ryan respected her for standing up for her character and Rachel was happy to get that out in the open".
New Line Cinema, The Notebook (2004)
Claire Danes And Leonardo DiCaprio
Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio captivated audiences with their chemistry in Romeo + Juliet—but rumor has it that these two clashed behind the scenes.
An Immature Love Interest
Allegedly, Danes found DiCaprio "very immature," and resented all of the pranks and jokes he liked to pull on set. Some sources say that she tried to steer clear of him as much as possible.
Sophia Loren And Marlon Brando
Sophia Loren did not mince her words when she wrote about Marlon Brando in her 1963 memoir. The two acted together in A Countess from Hong Kong—and Brando's behavior was chilling.
Universal, A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)
Without Her Consent
Loren claimed that Brando got handsy with her on set: “All of a sudden, he put his hands on me. I turned in all tranquillity and blew in his face, like a cat stroked the wrong way and said, ‘Don’t you ever dare to do that again. Never again!’”
From then on, their working relationship was strained.
Meryl Streep And Dustin Hoffman
While filming 1979's Kramer vs Kramer, Dustin Hoffman was going through his own divorce. He later admitted that he might have been projecting a lot of his issues on his co-star, Meryl Streep. This led to one unforgettable moment.
Columbia Pictures, Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
He "Overstepped"
In one tense scene, Hoffman went too far and struck Streep across the face.
Streep later confessed: "This is tricky because when you’re an actor, you’re in a scene, you have to feel free. I’m sure that I have inadvertently hurt people in physical scenes. But there’s a certain amount of forgiveness in that... But he just slapped me. And you see it in the movie. It was overstepping".
Evening Standard, Getty Images
Richard Dreyfuss And Robert Shaw
While filming 1975's Jaws, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw really started to get on one another's nerves. As the older actor, Shaw liked to press Dreyfuss's buttons. In retaliation, Dreyfuss would reportedly throw Shaw's drinks into the water.
Humiliation Station
Steven Spielberg shone a light on the actors' unique dynamic: "Robert would basically humiliate Richard into taking a chance. For instance, Robert would say 'I'll give you a hundred bucks if you climb to the top of the mast and jump off into the water'".
Debra Winger And Richard Gere
It is a testament to the actors' talent when two romantic leads seem so perfect together on screen, and so wrong for each other off screen. Debra Winger and Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman are a perfect example.
Paramount, An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
Where Are The Gentlemen?
Debra Winger has admitted that her experience filming An Officer and a Gentleman wasn't all sunshine and roses: "When pigs are involved, when there are bad men running the show, they tend to take the fun out of it". But that wasn't all.
Alice Attie, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
A Brick Wall
Allegedly, Winger called her Gere "a brick wall". However, their tumultuous history is now far behind them: "I run in to Richard Gere quite a lot and he half jokes: ‘Are you still saying terrible things about me?’"
Jennifer Grey And Patrick Swayze
Dirty Dancing may have one of the most iconic couple of all time, but Jennifer Grey was actually hesitant to accept the role of Baby because of Patrick Swayze.
Vestron Pictures, Dirty Dancing (1987)
They Had History
The two actors had worked together previously on Red Dawn.
Grey admitted that she didn't really get along with Swayze: "Patrick was playing pranks on me and everybody. It was just, like, macho, and I just couldn't take it. I was just like, 'Please, this guy, that's enough with him'".
She Was Too Emotional
Patrick Swayze also spilled the tea in his autobiography The Time of My Life. He included some serious criticisms of Grey, calling her "particularly emotional" and noting her "silly moods".
Harrison Ford And Josh Hartnett
According to rumors, Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett didn't see eye to eye on the set of Hollywood Homicide—literally. Reportedly, they didn't even make eye contact during filming. But that was just the beginning.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Just A Punk
During the film's promotional tour, Ford and Hartnett had a penchant for arguing. Allegedly, Hartnett called Ford "an old fart," while Ford called Hartnett a "punk".
Gillian Anderson And David Duchovny
Mulder and Scully were two of televisons most beloved partners in The X-Files, but Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny's working relationship had its ups and downs.
Fox Broadcasting, Getty Images
"Familiarity Breeds Contempt"
Though Anderson and Duchovny are longtime friends, Duchovny later confessed in 2008 that "Familiarity breeds contempt". He went on to say, "We used to argue about nothing. We couldn’t stand the sight of each other".
A Love/Hate Relationship
Of course, Duchovny wasn't alone with his conflicted feelings as Anderson also said, "I mean, yes, there were definitely periods when we hated each other. Hate is too strong a word. We didn’t talk for long periods of time".
Tom Hardy And Charlize Theron
During 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron had a pretty heated feud. Both under a ton of pressure, these two lead actors lashed out at one another.
Too Much Pressure
Hardy told The New York Times, “I think in hindsight, I was in over my head in many ways. The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times. What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced, partner in me. That’s something that can’t be faked. I’d like to think that now that I’m older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion".
Too Close To Home
Charlize Theron also confirmed the turbulent working relationship: “In retrospect, I didn’t have enough empathy to really, truly understand what he must have felt like to step into Mel Gibson’s shoes. That is frightening! I think because of my own fear, we were putting up walls to protect ourselves instead of saying to each other, ‘This is scary for you, and it’s scary for me, too. Let’s be nice to each other'. In a weird way, we were functioning like our characters: Everything was about survival".
Freddie Prinze Jr. And Kiefer Sutherland
While working on the show 24, Freddie Prinze Jr didn't care for Kiefer Sutherland at all—and in 2014, he made his feelings known.
Flickr, Walt Disney Television
Calling Out Unprofessionalism
Freddie Prinze Jr shockingly told ABC News, "I did 24, and it was terrible. I hated every moment of it. Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world. That’s not me talking trash. I’d say it to his face. I think everyone that’s worked with him has said that…"
Keeping The Peace
Sutherland didn't stay quiet in the face of Freddie Prince Jr's accusations. His representative had a very diplomatic response: "Kiefer worked with Freddie Prinze Jr more than five years ago, and this is the first he has heard of Freddie‘s grievances. Kiefer enjoyed working with Freddie and wishes him the best".
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Lucy Liu And Bill Murray
All of the drama surrounding Bill Murray and Lucy Liu occured on the set of The Charlie's Angels. Allegedly, Murray insulted Liu's acting—and in response, she pulled some real punches.
Down the road, Murray made some comments about these shocking reports.
Columbia Pictures, Charlie's Angels (2000)
Making Peace
In 2003, Murray insisted that all of the rumors about the feud had been blown out of porportion: "We made peace and I got to know her better from that day, and I feel very warmly for her now".
Though Liu has confirmed this reconciliation, that wasn't the end of the story.
"Inexusable"
On the Asian Enough podcast, Liu shed light on the long-time allegations. She explained that a scene had been rewritten that Murray wasn't made aware of. Murray took out his frustration on Liu, using some "inexcusable" language.
She Has No Regrets
Liu said that she stood her ground, which led to the infamous disagreement: "...I don't regret it. Because no matter how low on the totem pole you may be or wherever you came from, there’s no need to condescend or to put other people down".
Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images
Julia Roberts And Nick Nolte
Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte worked together in I Love Trouble—but Roberts walked away from the experience with a bad taste in her mouth. In 1993, Roberts told The New York Times how she really felt about Nolte.
She Didn't Hold Back
Roberts said, “From the moment I met him we sort of gave each other a hard time, and naturally we get on each other’s nerves. [While he can be] completely charming and very nice, he’s also completely disgusting. He’s going to hate me for saying this, but he seems go out of his way to repel people. He’s a kick".
Nolte's response was equally as scathing.
"She's Not A Nice Person"
Speaking about his co-star, Nolte reportedly said, “It’s not nice to call someone ‘disgusting'. But she’s not a nice person. Everyone knows that".
However, it seems like the two actors have since reconciled.
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"It Was Absurd"
In 2022, Nolte took some accountability for the tension on the set of I Love Trouble: "I mean, it was absurd what we went through. It was partly my fault and a little bit of hers. Julia got married at the beginning of that film and it was one of those things where I just approached it all wrong".
Will Smith And Janet Hubert
Janet Hubert was the original Aunt Viv in the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—but she clashed mightily with Will Smith. It wasn't until 2020 that the two actors adressed their deep-seated issues.
NBC Productions, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air(1990-1996)
He Banished Her
For a one-off reunion, Janet Hubert opened up, confessing to Smith that she felt "banished" by him. Smith finally took some accountability for his actions, but said that he often felt as though "everything was a threat to him" while filming Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
She Lost Everything
Hubert really put Smith in his place by explaining just how detrimental his behavior was to her career: "...I lost everything. Reputation. Everything. And I understand you were able to move forward, but you know those words, calling a Black woman ‘difficult’ in Hollywood, is the kiss of death".
