I Love You, I Hate You!
Whether playing passionate lovers or best buddies, performers have their work cut out for them. But if they personally dislike each other, then that adds a whole new layer of challenge. Let’s look at some pairings that generated as much drama off screen as on.
Freddie Prinze Jr Vs Kiefer Sutherland
After his stint on hit TV show 24, Prinze Jr paused his acting to recover from Sutherland, whom he called “the most unprofessional dude in the world”. But it’s not trash talk, as “I’d say it to his face,” said Prinze Jr, who thinks anyone who’s worked with Sutherland feels the same way.
Twentieth Century, 24 (2001–2010)
Julia Roberts Vs Nick Nolte
It seems Roberts saw more trouble than love when she performed with I Love Trouble co-star Nolte, whom Roberts termed “completely disgusting” and “seems to go out of his way to repel people”. The two so hated each other they preferred to film their scenes with stand-ins.
Touchstone, I Love Trouble (1994)
George Takei Vs William Shatner
Takei’s beef with Shatner is so strong, that he regrets getting only four minutes to roast William Shatner for Comedy Central. Takei said he has “40 years of material” and he could’ve done the whole roast himself. He still resents Shatner for acting like a “one-man show” in Star Trek days.
Paramount, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Kiely Williams Vs Adrienne Bailon Houghton
Wiliams says if she showed up on Cheetah Girls co-star Houghton’s podcast, Houghton would have to admit, “Yes, Kiely, I did pretend to be your best friend. Now, I am not”. Houghton’s no-show at the funeral of Williams’ father was apparently the death knell of that relationship.
Walt Disney, The Cheetah Girls (2003)
Tommy Lee Jones Vs Jim Carrey
Jones attacked Carrey’s “buffoonery” while they were filming Batman Forever, and the bad blood continued after—literally. Carrey said he once saw Jones in a restaurant, and when he approached his former co-star, he could see “the blood drained from his face”.
Warner Bros., Batman Forever (1995)
Lucy Liu Vs Bill Murray
Liu did not take kindly to Charlie’s Angels co-star Murray’s “inexcusable and unacceptable” comments, so she stood up for herself as “there’s no need to condescend or to put other people down”. The heavens likely rejoiced when another actor replaced Murray for the sequel.
Columbia, Charlie's Angels (2000)
Tina Fey Vs Paris Hilton
After a Saturday Night Live episode, Fey said Hilton was a piece of something rather nasty, adding that Hilton had locked herself in her dressing room after refusing to appear in a sketch about a leaked video. Fey and Hilton did manage to perform a skit called “Nerd Chat Line”.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
Rose McGowan Vs Alyssa Milano
McGowan said co-star Milano turned the set of Charmed into something less than charming, and McGowan was still upset over a dozen years after the series ended. Milano replied that “hurt people hurt people,” and her “wellness plan” meant she’d have no further comment.
Spelling Television, Charmed (1998–2006)
Kevin Smith Vs Bruce Willis
Smith said directing Cop Out was fun—when Willis wasn’t on the set. Smith said the actor was unhappy, bitter, and mean, which resulted in a work environment that was a challenge. No word on how Willis responded to these charges.
Will Smith Vs Janet Hubert
Smith said The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air co-star wanted the show to revolve around her character, Aunt Viv. Hubert later blamed her pregnancy and an abusive husband for her behavior on set, and said Smith derailed her career by saying she was difficult to work with.
NBC, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996)
Samantha Ware Vs Lea Michele
Ware accused Glee co-star Michele of inflicting “tragic microaggressions” that undercut her confidence, a claim backed up by the show’s Alex Newell and Heather Morris. Michele apologized on Instagram after losing a sponsorship deal in the wake of the controversy.
Twentieth Century, Glee (2009–2015)
Archie Panjabi Vs Julianna Margulies
Panjabi left The Good Wife as tattlers spoke of tension with co-star Margulies, who confirmed they’d filmed their final scene together while being apart—saying Panjabi was busy with The Fall. Panjabi retorted that filming hadn’t even begun on the TV series at that point.
Scott Free Productions, The Good Wife (2009–2016)
Shirley MacLaine Vs Debra Winger
The ironic titles continue with Terms Of Endearment, for which MacLaine won the Best Actress Academy Award—and Winger did not. But it seems their contempt for each other predated awards season to the less-than-endearing way they felt about each other on set.
Paramount, Terms Of Endearment (1983)
Madison Bailey Vs Rudy Pankow
It seems Outer Banks co-stars Bailey and Pankow got along the first three seasons, but words spoken over a real-life meal caused social indigestion, so much so that the two performers, who are supposed to be romantically involved, used body doubles for a hugging scene.
Blake Lively Vs Justin Baldoni
The cast of It Ends With Us apparently didn’t really like director Baldoni, who was also a co-star. After shooting wrapped, Lively reportedly pushed for a new cut of the movie, whose editor was also working on her husband Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
Wayfarer Studios, It Ends with Us (2024)
Florence Pugh Vs Olivia Wilde
Pugh reportedly resented director and co-star Wilde for allegedly not working hard enough, so avoided the publicity tour. Wilde, in turn, said she had to play mediator between Pugh and Shia LaBeouf, before the latter was replaced by Harry Styles, whom Wilde then had an affair with.
New Line Cinema, Don't Worry Darling (2022)
Tom Hardy Vs Charlize Theron
George Miller, director of Mad Max: Fury Road, alluded to his co-stars’ feuding when he said it was inexcusable “to use great performances for other disruption,” and said Hardy and Theron were “two very different performers”. Theron reportedly even asked for an on-set mediator.
Warner Bros., Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Casey Wilson Vs Tim Allen
Wilson, who appeared in the series opener of The Santa Clauses, said Allen walked to a producer “four feet from me” and told him to tell her “to stop stepping on my lines”. She said everyone walked on egg shells, and it was her “worst experience with a co-star ever”.
Walt Disney, The Santa Clauses (2022–2023)
Ryan Gosling Vs Rachel McAdams
Gosling and McAdams charmed audiences worldwide with their amazing chemistry, but the real-life romance didn’t start until The Notebook was finished. There were some tough times during filming, with Gosling at one point asking McAdams to be taken off the set.
New Line Cinema, The Notebook (2004)
Jamie Foxx Vs LL Cool J
It’s hard to keep a feud secret when you’ve got to call the cops. The two actors got into a physical altercation while they were filming a stadium scene for Any Given Sunday, which definitely takes method acting a bit too far. The two hotheads claim they’re over it by now.
Warner Bros., Any Given Sunday (1999)
Tyrese Gibson Vs James Franco
Speaking of all-too-real fights, Gibson says he never wants to work with Franco after boxing flick Annapolis. Franco’s method acting apparently also involved using real punches during rehearsals. Franco said he wasn’t trying to be “mean,” but “maybe I was too into that role”.
Kim Cattrall Vs Sarah Jessica Parker
There was no love lost between Sex And The City co-stars Cattrall and Parker. Cattrall reportedly resented Parker’s higher salary—and the two would only speak to each other when the cameras were rolling. Cattrall’s cameo in the reboot had Parker nowhere to be seen.
HBO, Sex and the City (1998–2004)
Channing Tatum Vs Alex Pettyfer
Magic Mike star Tatum, already rubbed the wrong way by co-star Pettyfer’s alleged attitude, roundly turned on him for not paying rent to a landlord who happened to be Tatum’s friend. Pettyfer says his cousin’s death put him in a “real negative headspace” and he forgot to pay.
Extension 765, Magic Mike (2012)
Leonardo DiCaprio Vs Claire Danes
The movie was called Romeo + Juliet, but there were a lot of negatives. DiCaprio loved himself a good prank, while Danes was not so keen. She took to avoiding her allegedly immature co-star, and DiCaprio reportedly decided Danes was just plain uptight. This just wasn’t going to end well.
Twentieth Century, Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Nina Dobrev Vs Paul Wesley
Passionate hate looked a lot like passionate love on The Vampire Diaries, says Dobrev, who adds she “respected” her co-star, but “didn’t like” Wesley at first. Fortunately, they only “despised” each other for five months, and then feelings became rather more warm-blooded.
Outerbanks Entertainment, The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)
Charlie Sheen Vs Selma Blair
Again, the gods of irony looked kindly upon Hollywood gossip, as the two stars of Anger Management apparently had trouble with the very concept. Blair, it seems, felt Sheen could be a lot more disciplined, which stoked Sheen’s anger. He demanded her ouster, so her character was written out of the show.
Mohawk Productions, Anger Management (2012–2014)
Nathan Fillion Vs Stana Katic
Sources spoke of lots of Castle intrigue and bad blood between the co-stars. They’d refuse to speak except on set, to the point where the showrunners ordered Fillion and Katic to get some couples counseling. Apparently it didn’t help, as Katic decided to leave the series.
Beacon Pictures, Castle (2009-2016)
Jerome Flynn Vs Lena Headey
Bronn and Cersei, played by Flynn and Headey, surely would’ve bumped into each other well before Game Of Thrones wrapped up, but post-breakup bitterness meant the performers weren’t going to reconcile behind the camera, so there’d be no Westeros rendezvous in front.
HBO, Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
Bette Davis Vs Joan Crawford
Davis had eyes on a gentleman named Franchot Tonat, and Crawford had the audacity to go and marry him. Davis wasn’t inclined to forgive, so the set of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? was rife with tension, as the divas kept going at each other.
The Associates & Aldrich Company, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Mariah Carey Vs Nicki Minaj
These two singers were far from harmonious when they judged American Idol contestants. Carey apparently didn’t think highly of Minaj’s singing ability, and would let her know one little quip after another. Inevitably, the staccato barbs produced a crescendo reaction from Minaj.
FremantleMedia, American Idol (2002-)
America Ferrera Vs Lindsay Lohan
Ferrera and Lohan weren’t in step on the set of Ugly Betty, with one source claiming Ferrera resented Lohan for soaking up the limelight, with counterclaims about Lohan’s bad attitude on set and a disruptive entourage. In any event, her six guest appearances were cut back to four.
Silent H Productions, Ugly Betty (2006–2010)
Patrick Swayze Vs Jennifer Grey
Though they had to be in step on screen, these Dirty Dancing stars weren’t so lovestruck when the cameras weren’t rolling. Swayze admitted to “a few moments of friction” and found her “silly moods”, laughing fits, and sensitivity to criticism tough to sidestep.
Vestron Pictures, Dirty Dancing (1987)
David Duchovny Vs Gillian Anderson
X-Files co-star Duchovny admitted that "familiarity breeds contempt,” with pointless arguing meaning “we couldn’t stand the sight of each other”. Anderson marveled at how they could act so many emotions in front of the camera, then refuse to speak to each other for weeks on end.
Twentieth Century, The X-Files (1993-2018)
Shonda Rhimes Vs Katherine Heigl
Grey’s Anatomy star Heigl left the medical show after criticizing its 17-hour workdays, and creator and producer Shonda Rhimes said in turn she doesn’t put up with “nasty people”. Heigl said she was “naive” when she not only got on her soapbox, but took out a megaphone too.
Shondaland, Grey's Anatomy (2005-)
Angelina Jolie Vs Johnny Depp
The two superstars were headed in different directions in their movie The Tourist. Jolie was annoyed that Depp neither buffed up his physique nor wanted to cut his hair, and Depp found Jolie to be self-absorbed. After a while, Depp would just retreat to his trailer until needed.
Reese Witherspoon Vs Vince Vaughn
On the set of Four Christmases, Witherspoon reportedly tried teaching Vaughn what good actors should do: rehearse lines and do their blocking. Vaughn, meanwhile, tried convincing Witherspoon that improvisation was a wonderful thing—unlike, it seems, their time together.
New Line Cinema, Four Christmases (2008)
Bea Arthur Vs Betty White
According to White, her Golden Girls co-star Arthur wasn’t just acting when she threw sarcastic barbs in the direction of chronically cheery Rose. “She was not that fond of me,” White said, apparently due to her “positive attitude,” which could set off Arthur in real life.
Touchstone, The Golden Girls (1985–1992)
Sylvester Stallone Vs Richard Gere
Stallone spilled the beans when he revealed co-star Gere got the boot from The Lords of Flatbush for dropping mustard on Stallone’s pants in the back of a Toyota. Not that poor lunch manners directly caused the recasting. The fistfight that followed turned out to be the final straw.
Ebbets Field, The Lords of Flatbush (1974)
Breaking The Fourth Wail
As long as actors are still human beings (we await further technological development with trepidation), there’s bound to be some conflict and division. The question remains: Will there be more drama in front of the camera or behind? Stay tuned!
