At the end of the day, actors are only people, and not all people get along. Tensions can run especially high when having to spend hours and hours on set together, re-shooting take after take after take. From production bickers to full-on rivalries, here are several actors and actresses who starred together but actually didn’t get along behind the scenes.
6. Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep
They performed together in: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) The tension between Ted and Joanna in Robert Benton’s Kramer vs. Kramer wasn’t all acting. Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep really did hate each other while filming the 70s drama—and still do to this day. It was one of Streep’s first major movie roles, but it wasn’t exactly a great experience for her. That bit where Ted slaps Joanna in the face? Yeah, that’s real. It was supposed to be fake, but Hoffman really hit her without any warning. He also reportedly yelled at Streep when disliking a scene, and taunted her about her late husband. Hoffman is a little notorious for being a bad co-star, so Streep hasn’t been the only actress to call him out. They haven’t worked together since.
5. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
They performed together in: Romeo + Juliet (1996) The whimsical romance between the most famous couple in literature was completely fake in Baz Luhrmann’s Shakespeare adaptation. “O Romeo, O Romeo… Please, leave me alone Romeo!” Leonardo DiCaprio was a bit of a prankster back in the day, which Claire Danes—his star-crossed lover on screen—found to be very irritating. (Kate Winslet, on the other hand, found it very amusing on the set of Titanic and they’ve remained life-long friends.) Apparently, Claire Danes thought DiCaprio was highly immature when filming Romeo + Juliet. In response, he found Danes too uptight. Hate is a strong word, but a certain dislike for each other meant the two barely spoke off screen during production.
4. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall
They performed together in: Sex and the City (1998) Six years, six seasons. That’s a long time to be working in such close proximity to someone, so it’s understandable things could get a little tense at times. Despite being besties in the iconic HBO show Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall kept things on a strictly professional basis in real life. Sources claim that salary differences and on-set disagreements made the two stop speaking at one point. This made things particularly awkward for the rest of the cast and crew. Maybe not the dramatic feud gossip columns made it out to be, but it definitely got tetchy.
3. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
They performed together in: The Notebook (2004) Here we have another young budding romance that brought viewers to tears. Allie and Noah made for a perfect love story in The Notebook, but actors Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams supposedly despised each other before their famous fling in the mid-2000s. Things got off on the wrong foot during filming. Director Nick Cassavetes said the actors were often screaming at each other between takes. Gosling even wanted McAdams kicked off the project! Cassavetes made the two work things out so they could go on filming. Two years later, the actors met up in New York and started over with a clean slate. Gosling has since admitted he was wrong about McAdams and found her to be an inspirational girlfriend.
2. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey
They performed together in: Dirty Dancing (1987) Perhaps the steam coming off the dance routines in Dirty Dancing was due to rage rather than passion. Patrick Swayze found Jennifer Grey’s “silly moods” tedious when faced with multiple retakes, and became easily frustrated at her struggles with the choreography. Though they showed a promise of chemistry during the screen test, the two argued constantly on set. Director Emile Ardolino would even show them their screen test before filming to try and trigger their initial spark—to no avail. Grey did admit, however, that their fiery disagreements helped with the intensity of their characters relationship in Dirty Dancing. The 80s classic wasn’t the first time for friction between the actors. In Red Dawn, Swayze refused to break character as the guerrilla leader. He began ordering people around on set, which Grey didn’t appreciate.
1. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford
They performed together in: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were both acting legends with big personalities. Their infamous rivalry took place in both professional and personal spheres, where the two were known for their bitter feud. Davis’ first starring role in 1933 was overshadowed by Crawford’s public divorce—who then married the man Davis loved. Davis swore to never forgive Crawford in a 1987 interview… and she still hasn’t. It’s said they continued to bicker like children for the rest of their time together, including at the 1936 Academy Awards ceremony. Crawford made fun of Davis’ dress and was called out for being rude to her during the speeches. Crawford sent Davis flowers and gifts to try and make amends, but they were all sent back. Crawford received Academy Award nominations for the roles Davis turned down, and rumors began to circulate that Crawford was actually infatuated with Davis. Of course, this was never confirmed. Producers tried to get the rivals on screen together again, but they refused. Eventually, they came to co-star in Robert Aldrich’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, but on one condition: that Crawford wasn’t favored. Crawford requested a body double for one scene out of fear that Davis would hurt her for real—which she did when she hit Crawford hard on the head. It’s no surprise Crawford dropped out of their next scheduled movie together, following more Academy Award ceremony clashes. When Crawford passed away in 1977, Davis allegedly said: “Joan Crawford is dead. Good.” (There is no evidence this was ever said.) Read next: Infamous movies where production went wrong
