Top 10 On-Set Movie Feuds

It’s no secret that Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel aren’t the biggest fans of one another. The two appear together in several of the “Fast and the Furious” movies, and their feud began in 2016 while filming “The Fate of the Furious.” That year, Johnson made an Instagram post where he called out his unnamed co-stars' lack of professionalism, and even mentioned his blood was boiling in some scenes. Later, Diesel posted a vid where he said he’d tell fans “everything” relating to Johnson’s post. However, they did go on to state later that they were in fact friends.

Onscreen in 2004’s “The Notebook,'' Ryan Gosling’s and Rachel McAdams’ chemistry was a sight to behold. One could never guess that behind the scenes, they were at odds. According to the film’s director, Nick Cassavetes, at one point, Gosling requested another actress be brought in to read with him off camera because he felt McAdams wasn’t giving him “anything.” Another time, the two got into a screaming match during a meeting with a producer. In a plot twist that no one saw coming, the two eventually went from enemies to lovers and dated for two years after filming.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” was one of the hottest films of 2015, and it’s no wonder, considering tempers on set were blazing hot. Co-stars Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy went head to head in what resulted in an explosive feud. One day, tired of Hardy’s tardiness, arriving to set hours after his calltime, Theron called out the “Dunkirk” actor, which he did not react well to. It got so bad that Theron later confessed that she felt “threatened” and had to request “protection.” Eventually, things settled down between the two. Hell hath no “fury” like two actors, scorned!

Klaus Kinski and Werner Herzog’s working relationship was the epitome of volatile. The hot-headed actor and the stubborn director came to many verbal blows over the five week shoot of “Aguirre, the Wrath of God.” In fact, Kinski was so angered by the noise of cast and crew playing a game of cards that he fired a gun, causing a background actor to lose the top of their finger. However, the drama didn’t end there. Herzog threatened to shoot himself and Kinski, after the actor planned to walk off the job because Herzog wouldn’t fire a crew member. Surprisingly, the two would go on to work together many more times and Herzog even made a documentary called “My Best Friend” about their complicated relationship.

Bill Murray's behavior on the action comedy flick “Charlie’s Angels” was anything but angelic! The “Lost in Translation” actor took his anger out on his co-star Lucy Liu after a rehearsal went sideways. According to Liu, Murray was upset over some rewrites and for some odd reason, directed his wrath towards her. While appearing on the podcast, “Asian Enough” in 2021, Liu stated that she defended herself against him during the heated spat, referring to his words as “inexcusable and unacceptable.” Not surprisingly, Murray did not return for the 2003 sequel, “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.”

Tensions on the set of 1974’s “Chinatown” are as legendary as the film itself. The picture’s star Faye Dunaway and director Roman Polanski went head to head on numerous occasions. After Polanski plucked a strand of hair from the starlet’s head so he could get his ideal shot, things got heated and Dunaway walked off set. Both parties claimed the other was acting out of turn, which resulted in a “he said, she said” situation. Things escalated further when Polanski refused to allow Dunaway a washroom break. Legend has it that the actress then urinated into a cup and threw it in the controversial director’s face!

This onset feud was a quadruple threat! From the get go “The Island of Dr. Moreau” was doomed. First off all, director Richard Stanley was fired via a fax after less than a week of filming and replaced by John Frankenheimer. The latter didn’t know what he was getting himself into, as this was just the beginning of things. One of the film’s leads, Val Kilmer, was going through a divorce, which resulted in him being hostile and aggressive towards his peers. On top of that, he and his co-star, Marlon Brando did not get along. Brando also acted like a total diva refusing to learn new material and to leave his trailer. In fact, a whole documentary was created about the disaster in 2014!

Director David O’Russell is no stranger to onset spats. While filming the pic “Three Kings” in the late 90s, O’Russell fostered a toxic work environment, allowing his explosive temper to reign. Eventually, star George Clooney had had enough of his antics and confronted him about the way he was treating people. Things got so heated that the two men got into a physical altercation. Unfortunately, O’Russell didn’t learn his lesson and continued to get into fights with his actors, like Lily Tomlin in “I Heart Huckabees,” and also making his performers like Amy Adams in “American Hustle” cry.

The 1980 horror flick “The Shining” is often regarded as one of the scariest films of all time, but for star Shelley Duvall, it was especially horrifying. It’s been well documented that director Stanley Kubrick was cruel to and harsh on Duvall, forcing her to do an unreasonable amount of takes which required her to to physically exert herself by screaming, running and crying. He’d also praise her co-star Jack Nicholson while never offering her any positive reinforcements, even demanding that no one show her “sympathy.” The stress of his abuse was so bad that it resulted in Duvall losing her hair and ruining her voice.

It’s the feud that shook Hollywood. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are icons of the silver screen, and their hatred toward each other is legendary. Things started long ago over petty publicity stunts, but they escalated when Crawford became engaged to Franchot Tone, who Davis was in love with. From there the two hated each other, but eventually went on to star in 1962’s horror classic “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” While filming, Davis allegedly actually hit Crawford while performing a fight sequence. Then the latter wore a weighted belt to make it difficult for the former to drag her around during a scene. Decades later, their infamous dispute was made into a series by Ryan Murphy starring Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange.

Which feud do you think was the wildest? Let us know in the comments!