Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the actors and directors that couldn’t look past their creative differences.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the actors and directors
00:07that couldn't look past their creative differences.
00:20Despite creating a film about a team of superheroes, the energy on this set was anything but harmonious.
00:25The 2015 rendition of the Fantastic Four has been heavily criticised, but the issues extend
00:30beyond what was shown on screen.
00:32Behind the scenes, director Josh Trank clashed with the cast and studio heads throughout
00:37the entire process.
00:38Sue Storm's actress, Kay Mara, revealed her own experiences and regrets during filming,
00:43lamenting how she wished she would've stood up for herself.
00:57As if one star being upset wasn't enough, another, Miles Teller, reportedly became so
01:01upset that he and Trank nearly fought physically.
01:04While the actor has opted to keep exactly what happened under wraps, it's clear that
01:08the tension has never truly been resolved.
01:26The impact the first Jaws film had on cinema can't be understated, but the same, unfortunately,
01:30can't be said for the sequels.
01:32One of the most wary about returning was the lead himself, Roy Scheider, who was so against
01:36the idea that he pleaded insanity in an attempt to break his contract.
01:44Although he tried to do his best once filming began, he still constantly argued with Suwok
01:48about how he felt time was being wasted on what he deemed to be unimportant scenes.
02:00When they attempted to meet and discuss their differences, it devolved into a full-on fight
02:05between the two.
02:06While Suwok eventually apologised to Scheider, it was clear it was done for the picture's
02:10benefit, rather than the actor's.
02:23Most people have had at least one boss who made them want to quit.
02:26Sean Connery lived out that universal fantasy following the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
02:31He and the director, Stephen Norrington, argued endlessly during the making of it.
02:41Things became so strained that when Connery was asked about the latter's whereabouts
02:45at the movie's premiere party, he joked that he'd been institutionalised.
02:49It was later revealed that Norrington was apparently uncomfortable with large crews
02:53and studio supervision, making filming a nightmare.
02:56The process was so frustrating that it caused Connery to suddenly retire just shy of his
03:0050th year of working.
03:06It also ended up being Norrington's final project, although it's unclear if that choice
03:09was as voluntary as Connery's.
03:24When Dancer in the Dark first premiered, it was clear that things were tense between Bjork
03:27and the filmmaker, Lars von Trier.
03:30At the time, it was explained away, as the two clashing creatively on the singer's
03:33acting method.
03:34However, in 2017, a new detail was uncovered that changed everything.
03:46She accused a Danish director, later revealed to be von Trier, of sexually harassing her.
03:50When he denied the claims, she simply became more specific, detailing how he would touch
03:54her and make highly inappropriate comments.
03:57She also mentioned how she would be subject to his anger if she spoke up.
04:00The additional knowledge has completely recontextualised the movie, including Bjork's previous comments
04:05about the process draining her emotionally.
04:22Some films are a production nightmare before even coming out.
04:25Before Harry Styles was cast in Don't Worry Darling, his role was slated to go to Shia
04:29LaBeouf instead.
04:30It was eventually reported that he'd been fired for poor behaviour, but the shock from
04:34that news quickly morphed into confusion when he denied that ever happening.
04:48He even supported himself by leaking a video of Wilde asking him to stay, and blaming the
04:52recasting on Florence Pugh being uncomfortable with him.
04:56This ended up leading to rumours that their relationship on set was strained as well,
05:00even getting into a verbal sparring match at one point.
05:02While both parties have denied that event, the drama ended up stealing the spotlight
05:06from the actual feature film.
05:24Some feuds are so deep that even asking one of the parties about it comes with a risk.
05:28Although Faye Dunaway's performance in Chinatown was heavily praised, that didn't stop her
05:33and Roman Polanski from having a strained relationship.
05:36While he claimed she was the crazy one between the two of them, it was clear the animosity
05:39was felt on both sides.
05:44Countless rumours have circulated, from accusations that he plucked out her hair to get the perfect
05:48shot, to a story about Dunaway throwing urine in his face.
05:54She's never confirmed this event, and when one interviewer dared to ask, she ended their
05:59conversation immediately.
06:00It seems this is one behind-the-scenes secret we may never get to know.
06:21Even great movies can be the source of constant fighting between two creatives.
06:24Burt Reynolds reportedly not only disliked the content of Boogie Night, but the director,
06:29Paul Thomas Anderson, himself.
06:31He later revealed he'd grown tired of the then-upstart's cocky attitude.
06:44There have also been rumblings of on-set arguments and desires to fight one another, although
06:48now they're talked about in a much more comedic sense.
06:51Even though they clashed frequently during filming, that didn't stop Anderson from
06:54inviting him to work on his next project with him, which Reynolds ended up declining.
06:59Although the actor came around to liking Boogie Night before his death in 2018, it's unclear
07:03if he did the same for The Man Who Made It.
07:14There can be such a thing as being too compliant.
07:17During moviemaking, the director's word is usually law.
07:202001's The Score proved that wasn't always the case.
07:24Marlon Brando seemed to have it out for Frank Oz.
07:26He derided him for his previous work with Jim Henson, and oftentimes refused to film
07:30with him altogether, leading to a two-day period where Oz waited outside.
07:39Brando even bizarrely insisted on filming some scenes in his underwear.
07:43The degrading behaviour was made even sadder when Oz blamed himself and his non-confrontational
07:47attitude for the way he'd been treated.
07:50While it was commendable to put the production first, we can't help but wonder if the constant
07:54abuse was worth the result.
08:03Although some feuds between actors and directors seem to last decades, others are resolved
08:08more quickly.
08:09Harrison Ford has been open about his feelings on Blade Runner, explaining how it wasn't
08:13his favourite due to spats with Ridley Scott over having to record a voice-over narration.
08:27Ford was angry, as he'd been told up until the last minute that there would be none,
08:32and has revealed just how daunting the process was.
08:35Scott corroborated this in 2006, confirming that Ford was the most insufferable person
08:40he'd worked with at the time.
08:42While the two have made it clear they respect one another as artists now, they haven't
08:46worked together on a feature film since, which is most likely for the best.
09:05Changes to the cast and crew can be inevitable.
09:07When John Frankenheimer took over the island of Doctor Moreau, he was initially excited,
09:11as he'd been vying for a chance to work with a Hollywood legend like Marlon Brando.
09:15However, another actor ended up becoming a thorn in his side.
09:21Val Kilmer had issues with the previous director, Richard Stanley, and things didn't fare
09:26better with Frankenheimer either.
09:28He hated the filmmaker's old-school style and rewrites, leading to him bluntly telling
09:32Kilmer he didn't like him.
09:38He later proved his point by reportedly having him thrown off set following his character's
09:42death.
09:43While Kilmer apparently apologised to Stanley for his behaviour, he has yet to do the same
09:47for Frankenheimer.
10:01Legendary actor Gene Hackman and indie icon Wes Anderson went head-to-head on the set
10:05of this 2001 film.
10:06With Hackman only years away from an unofficial retirement, while Anderson's creative star
10:11was rising considerably among young filmmakers in Hollywood.
10:17At the 2011 New York Film Festival, co-stars of the Royal Tenenbaums recalled that Hackman
10:25apparently told the director to, quote, pull up his pants and act like a man, all while
10:29being visibly grumpy and verbally combative towards others.
10:35Anderson and crew went on to applaud Hackman for his performance in the film, however,
10:38giving the actor credit as one of the picture's main focal points.
10:50The combination of Alfred Hitchcock's formative directing style and the screen presence of
10:54a then-unknown Tippi Hedren served as a recipe for success in the classic 1963 film, The
10:59Birds.
11:00Beyond the scenes, however, Hedren had reportedly been the subject of unwanted romantic advances
11:05from Hitchcock, while also being subjected to the gruelling physical strain of shooting
11:10an attack sequence with real birds.
11:18In a 2012 interview with the New York Times, Hedren recalled that Hitchcock wouldn't
11:22let the actress out of her contract with him, thus impeding her career, although she went
11:27on to say that she felt fortunate to have worked with the man in hindsight.
11:45The controversy behind this 2007 comedy by director Judd Apatow stemmed from a 2008 Vanity
11:51Fair interview where actress Katherine Heigl referred to Knocked Off as a little sexist,
11:56while simultaneously lamenting how her character was portrayed compared to her male co-stars.
12:05Apatow and actor Seth Rogen shot back during a 2009 appearance on The Howard Stern Show,
12:10with Apatow stating that he still hadn't, at that time, received an apology from Heigl,
12:15while Rogen also let loose with his own negative appraisal of the actress.
12:19During a 2016 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the radio host discussed the incident
12:23with Heigl, pushing the actress to act on her desire to write an apology.
12:43This wasn't just a feud between cast and crew, this was a piece in the downfall of
12:47one of the most powerful men in pop culture.
12:49Joss Whedon had been revered for his work with the Marvel franchise, making him the
12:53seemingly perfect choice to head DC's The Justice League after it was suddenly left
12:57without a director.
13:00And it seemed every single cast member had an issue with him, with Ray Fisher flat out
13:04calling him abusive and daring Whedon to sue in retaliation.
13:08Gal Gadot corroborated his claims and added that she had to go to his supervisors to handle
13:13the situation.
13:14Although he denied all the allegations, and even implied Gadot's were based on a language
13:18barrier, his reputation has yet to recover.
13:39The creative relationship between actor Bill Murray and actor-director Harold Ramis stretches
13:43all the way back to their comedy days in the 1970s, while also including such classic 80s
13:48films as Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Stripes.
13:54It was the 1993 comedy classic, Groundhog Day, which would serve as a point of separation
13:58for the duo, however, as creative differences regarding the script, as well as Murray's
14:02erotic behaviour and tardiness, led to a 21-year period during which the two former friends
14:07stopped speaking to one another.
14:14It wasn't until Murray visited Ramis prior to his death in 2014 that the two finally
14:19made their peace.
14:32Actor George Clooney apparently didn't take too kindly to the reported abuse David O.
14:36Russell was doling out to his crew on the set of Three Kings, and took the director
14:41to task on his behaviour.
14:47The result was a physical skirmish between the two men, with Clooney stating, at the
14:51time, that he wouldn't work with Russell again, although time did ease the tension
14:55between them.
14:56This wouldn't be the last incident between Russell and an actor, however, as footage
14:59surfaced of the director and actress Lily Tomlin engaged in a vicious war of words on
15:04the set of the 2004 film, I Heart Huckabees.
15:20Klaus Kinski has long been known as difficult to work with on set, yet no director's experience
15:25with the complicated thespian quite rivals that of Werner Herzog.
15:35The director's creative relationship with Kinski may have been fruitful, but it was
15:39also violent and traumatic, with 1972's Aguirre the Wrath of God almost resulting
15:44in the deaths of both men.
15:58Herzog relates that he even pulled a gun on Kinski at one point, threatening to kill them
16:02both, should the actor make good on his threat to leave the picture.
16:06The director would even release a full-length documentary about his battles with Kinski
16:11in 1999, titled My Best Fiend, which expanded on the pair's complex, explosive relationship.
16:32Tony Kaye had earned a name for himself shooting television commercials in his native Britain
16:36before his 1998 feature film debut, American History X.
16:40Behind the scenes, stories of that film, however, reveal a production that was mired by creative
16:45differences in editing, scripting and even the casting of Edward Norton as the lead.
16:54Kaye himself was banned from the editing room after not delivering cuts to the satisfaction
16:58of New Line Cinema, and the director even attempted to use a pseudonym in order to avoid
17:03receiving credit for the final picture.
17:05This attempt was blocked, however, on the grounds that Kaye continued to malign his
17:09experience with Norton and American History X in the press.
17:24The 2007 collaboration between actress Megan Fox and director Michael Bay on the first
17:29Transformers film was a worldwide financial success, but their relationship soured in
17:332009.
17:34After Fox was interviewed by Britain's Wonderland magazine, Fox compared Bay's directing style
17:47to infamous dictators Napoleon and Adolf Hitler, while Bay himself commented in GQ magazine
17:52that the actress appeared disinterested and unwilling to work on the set of the film's
17:572009 sequel, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.
18:03It wasn't until 2014, on the set of Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where the two
18:08finally ended their feud.
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18:30Sally Kubrick has earned a reputation among fans for his well-documented attention to
18:46detail and perfectionism.
18:47But another aspect of the director's career that's earned its own infamous reputation
18:51is his on-set relationship with actress Shelley Duvall on the 1980 horror classic, The Shining.
19:04Duvall recounts her experience on The Shining in the book, The Complete Kubrick, as being
19:08the most difficult role she's ever had to play, thanks in part to Kubrick's seemingly
19:12endless requests for more takes, as well as his orders to the crew not to sympathise
19:16with her.
19:25Duvall further contextualised her experience on The Shining to Roger Ebert as quote, almost
19:30unbearable, but from other points of view, really very nice, I suppose.
19:44So which contentious actor-director duo do you think has made the best work together?
19:48Let us know in the comments below.