Behind-the-Scenes Feuds: Hollywood's Most Famous On-Set Clashes (16 photos)
Hollywood isn't just about movie magic. It's also about spending months cooped up with someone you wouldn't necessarily choose to be around. While some co-stars hit it off instantly, others end up waging all-out war on set. Some nearly came to blows, others gave each other the silent treatment, and a few suffered through every take just to never see their co-star again. Here are 15 famous star pairs who shared the screen despite mutual hatred—where feuds escalated to thrown dumbbells and flying ashtrays. 
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams: The On-Set Drama of 'The Notebook'
The 2004 romantic drama
The Notebook
told a sweeping love story and pulled in $115 million worldwide. Behind the scenes, however, making the movie was anything but romantic. 
On screen, they wept for each other; off screen, they screamed at each other.
Director Nick Cassavetes recalled that mid-shoot, in front of a crew of 150 people, Gosling pulled him aside and quietly asked him to remove McAdams from the set. Gosling wanted another actress brought in just to read lines off-camera with him. Flabbergasted, Cassavetes wasn't sure what to do.
The director put Gosling, McAdams, and a producer into a room together, stepped out, and shut the door. Shouting immediately erupted from inside. Cassavetes admitted that clear-the-air moment made working together a little smoother. Surprisingly, in 2005—after the film premiered—Gosling and McAdams actually started dating and stayed together for two years.
Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel: Testosterone Warfare in 'Fast & Furious'
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Vin Diesel first faced off on screen in 2011's
Fast Five
, quickly becoming the heavyweights of the entire franchise. Off screen, however, the rift between the two actors rivaled the rivalry between their characters. 
On-screen allies. Behind the scenes, sticking strictly to separate trailers.
In 2016, while filming
The Fate of the Furious
in Atlanta, Johnson posted a cryptic social media message calling out an unnamed male co-star for being unprofessional. Fans took only a few hours to deduce he was talking about Diesel. Johnson later clarified that they simply had fundamental differences in their work ethic.
As a result, the eighth movie was shot so the two would never actually share set time. Diesel refrained from commenting publicly, merely hinting that the media was blowing things out of proportion. In the end, Johnson ended up stepping away from the main franchise altogether.
Sharon Stone and William Baldwin: Cold Silence on the Set of 'Sliver'
The 1993 thriller
Sliver
was shot in New York. While Stone and Baldwin played characters involved in an intense, passionate affair, the co-stars could barely stand to speak to each other in real life. 
Rumors of on-set clashes hit the tabloids long before the film hit theaters.
According to Baldwin, the tension was so thick that Stone gave him the silent treatment for months. He also claimed producer Robert Evans suggested they sleep together in real life to manufacture chemistry—a story Stone herself has corroborated from her perspective.
Eventually, Baldwin asked to rewrite one of the love scenes just to avoid having to kiss Stone. The movie flopped at the box office, and the two never worked together again.
Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere: Chicken in a Car and Getting Fired
This feud is one of Hollywood's most legendary anecdotes. Back in 1974, both actors were working on a low-budget indie film called
The Lords of Flatbush
. Neither was a household name yet—
Rocky
was still two years away. 
Gere was fired, and his role was recast with Perry King.
In his memoirs, Stallone wrote that tension had been brewing since day one. During rehearsals, Gere kept grabbing him too aggressively, driving him up the wall. The boiling point came in a car during a lunch break: Stallone was eating a hot dog when Gere climbed in with half a fried chicken slathered in mustard. A blob of grease landed on Stallone's pants, prompting Stallone to elbow Gere in the head and shove him right out of the car.
Directors Martin Davidson and Stephen Verona had to make a choice, and they stuck with Stallone. Gere was replaced by actor Perry King. According to Stallone, Gere still holds a grudge to this day and even blames him for spreading infamous urban legends about him.
Bill Murray and Lucy Liu: The 'Charlie's Angels' Rehearsal Clash
The set of the original
Charlie’s Angels
(2000) was memorable for more than just action choreography. While Murray was off set, the lead actresses reworked a scene. When he returned, he flatly refused to accept the changes. 
Murray played the lovable Bosley on screen, but behind the scenes, it was a different story.
According to Lucy Liu, Murray began hurling insults at the cast. At first, she thought he wasn't targeting her, but she soon realized his jabs were directed right at her. Liu stood her ground and fired back. Witnesses recall the specifics differently, but everyone agrees the confrontation was fiery.
Murray never publicly shared his side of the story. Years later, Liu explained to the
Los Angeles Times
that she simply refused to let anyone belittle her.
Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte: Mutual Contempt On and Off Screen
The 1994 rom-com
I Love Trouble
was meant to be a lighthearted flick about competing journalists falling in love. But Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte made no secret of their true feelings for each other—which were anything but romantic. 
The press tour proved even more painful for them than the shoot itself.
Roberts publicly dubbed Nolte the worst actor she'd ever worked with. Nolte clapped back, declaring that she wasn't exactly a picnic to deal with either. Ultimately, both acknowledged that working together was pure misery. The movie tanked at the box office, grossing just $30 million against a $45 million budget.
Fun fact: in several scenes, the director had to shoot the two actors separately and edit them together because they adamantly refused to stand in the same room.
Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore: Flying Dumbbells on the Set of 'Red Planet'
The sci-fi movie
Red Planet
(2000) was filmed partly on a soundstage in Sydney and partly in the grueling desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan. Extreme working conditions only exacerbated the volatile feud between its two stars. 
The co-stars share almost no real screen time in the final cut—body doubles filled in for them.
The trigger was surprisingly petty: Kilmer found out producers had shipped Sizemore’s personal exercise equipment directly to the set at great expense, which he felt was absurdly wasteful. Sizemore snapped and threw a heavy dumbbell at Kilmer. The row quickly spiraled out of control, drawing in studio executives and sparking threats of restraining orders.
For scenes where their characters had to stand together, the crew resorted to body doubles and editing tricks.
Red Planet
was a colossal flop, making just $17 million against an $80 million budget.
Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss: The Long Summer of 'Jaws'
In the summer of 1974, Steven Spielberg was shooting
Jaws
on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The shoot dragged on as the mechanical shark repeatedly malfunctioned. Stranded for hours on end, the cast and crew were at their wits' end. 
Filming 'Jaws' stretched across the entire summer of 1974—a broken shark and frayed nerves all around.
Robert Shaw, the rugged British actor playing the shark hunter Quint, held little respect for his young American co-star. Dreyfuss drove Shaw crazy with his chatter and demeanor on set, and Shaw made zero effort to hide his disdain.
Years later, Dreyfuss claimed rumors of mutual hatred were blown out of proportion: while they had one terrible day, he genuinely respected Shaw. Shaw’s son, Ian Shaw, described their relationship as "complicated." Regardless,
Jaws
went on to become cinema's very first blockbuster, raking in $471 million.
Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey: A Pre-Shoot Encounter
Batman Forever
(1995) was Joel Schumacher’s first entry in the Batman franchise. Jim Carrey played The Riddler while Tommy Lee Jones played Two-Face. Allies on paper, they were anything but in real life. 
Two Batman villains who shared zero camaraderie off screen.
Carrey recalled bumping into Jones at a restaurant right before they were scheduled to shoot together. Jones glared at him so intensely it was clear he was furious to see him. Jones then bluntly told Carrey he couldn't stand him and "could not sanction" his brand of buffoonery.
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey: Old Grudges on 'Dirty Dancing'
Dirty Dancing
(1987) became an iconic hit, turning a $6 million budget into $214 million at the box office. But long before cameras rolled, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey had a history—and neither was thrilled to reunite.
Back in 1984, they co-starred in the dystopian action flick
Red Dawn
, where their personalities clashed instantly. Three years later, they found themselves forced to work together again. 
Swayze apologized for past friction, clearing the air between them.
Choreographer Kenny Ortega recalled Swayze getting visibly frustrated whenever Grey broke into giggles during intense dance rehearsals—a genuine laugh that actually made it into the final film. Eventually, Swayze apologized for his hot temper, turning their working dynamic around. Grey later noted they built a deep professional trust during dance practice. Swayze passed away in 2009 from pancreatic cancer at just 57 years old.
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford: A 30-Year Rivalry
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford didn't merely dislike each other; they engaged in a decades-long war over roles, studio contracts, and fans. When director Robert Aldrich asked them to co-star in the 1962 psychological thriller
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
, both signed on—neither willing to back down to her rival.
The movie was a smash hit, but the real horror unfolded off camera. Legend has it Davis intentionally hit Crawford hard during a fight scene. In retaliation, Crawford put heavy weights in her pockets before a scene where Davis had to drag her across the floor. 
Two Hollywood legends with thirty years of mutual hatred behind them.
Davis didn't filter her animosity even in public. When Crawford died in 1977, Davis famously quipped that one should never speak ill of the dead, so she would say nothing at all. In 2017, their legendary conflict was dramatized in the miniseries
Feud: Bette and Joan
, starring Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange.
Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer: Trailer Sieges on 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'
The 1996 adaptation of H.G. Wells’
The Island of Dr. Moreau
was plagued from start to finish: a director fired mid-shoot, rewritten scripts, and total scheduling chaos. Brando and Kilmer spent most of their time holed up in their respective trailers. 
The film went down as one of the biggest flops in both actors' careers.
Crew members recalled the two actors actively avoiding each other. Brando famously took potshots at Kilmer's massive paycheck, while director John Frankenheimer openly blasted Kilmer’s work ethic—though Kilmer later disputed many of those accounts.
Ultimately,
The Island of Dr. Moreau
made back only $27 million of its $40 million budget, cementing its place in movie history as a legendary production nightmare.
Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss: Thrown Ashtrays and Mind Games
The 1991 comedy
What About Bob?
follows a neurotic patient who drives his pompous therapist insane. With Murray as Bob and Dreyfuss as Dr. Marvin, the casting was hit-the-nail-on-the-head accurate given what was happening off camera. 
Murray pushed his co-star's buttons both on camera and off.
Dreyfuss described the shoot as pure torture, while Murray admitted he deliberately provoked his co-star simply because he enjoyed it. Dreyfuss later claimed that an intoxicated Murray screamed in his face and even hurled a glass ashtray at his head.
Murray never confirmed or denied the incident. Despite the chaos, the film was a smash hit, pulling in $63 million against a $12 million budget.
Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy: A Mediator in the Desert
Mad Max: Fury Road
(2015) was filmed in the scorching deserts of Namibia. Months of blistering heat and brutal physical stunts made for an inherently tense shoot, but the primary source of conflict was the two leads, whose acting styles clashed completely.
Theron arrived strictly on time and memorized every line. Hardy would show up hours late and relied heavily on instinct. Theron later admitted she felt threatened during certain scenes with him and insisted on having a producer present on set for protection. 
'Fury Road' won six Oscars, but making it was pure agony for both stars.
The hostility grew so intense that the studio dispatched producer Denise Di Novi to Namibia to mediate between them. Theron later confirmed the conflict reached a boiling point.
In Kyle Buchanan’s 2022 oral history book
Blood, Sweat & Chrome
, both actors opened up about the grueling shoot. Hardy eventually admitted he was in over his head and publicly apologized for his behavior.
Freddie Prinze Jr. and Kiefer Sutherland: A TV Nightmare
In 2010, Freddie Prinze Jr. joined the eighth season of
24
as agent Cole Ortiz alongside Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer. According to Prinze, it was the worst experience of his acting career.
Prinze publicly confessed he hated every single moment on set, calling Sutherland completely unprofessional. He even stated that the experience almost made him quit acting altogether—and he did, in fact, step back from Hollywood for several years afterward. 
Prinze took a multi-year break from acting after '24.'
Sutherland's reps denied all allegations, claiming Sutherland enjoyed working with Prinze and was blindsided by the comments years later. Exactly who was telling the truth remains a mystery.
Hollywood is a small town with tight trailers: sooner or later, everyone ends up sharing a set. The only question is whether your nervous system survives the experience.
Do you have a favorite movie from this list? Did learning what happened behind the scenes change how you view it?
