Discover amazing facts about some of the world's most popular songs
Welsh actor Christian Bale is another actor with a reputation for taking perfectionism to extremes. He famously ranted at a colleague on the set of 'Terminator Salvation.'
Eugene Allan, otherwise known as Gene Hackman, is apparently a rather intimidating character who is not afraid to hurl insults at the likes of Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach.
Rumor has it that Cybill Shepherd behaved so badly on set of her '90s sitcom 'Cybill' that the writers later wrote an episode of CSI in which a character based on the actress was killed.
Sources suggest that Evan Rachel Wood exhibited bully-like behavior on the set of HBO miniseries 'Mildred Pierce,' in which she starred alongside Kate Winslet.
The star of 'Two and a Half Men', Charlie Sheen, is known for being disrespectful to coworkers while on set. When he was fired from the famous series, he took to social media to blast its creator.
The 'Desperate Housewives' actress Teri Hatcher is another one known for being a diva. Apparently her co-star Nicollette Sheridan described her as "the meanest woman in the world."
Cornelius "Chevy" Chase is notoriously difficult to work with. He became the first and only cast member ever to be fired from 'Saturday Night Live' after slapping Cheri Oteri during rehersal.
'Mean Girls' actress Lindsay Lohan has a reputation for causing trouble off set, and she is apparently much the same on set. Her co-star on 'Canyons' said she was a "child lashing out."
'The Incredible Hulk' actor Edward Norton is reportedly very difficult for directors to work with. Sources even suggest he snuck into the edit room to re-cut 'American History X.'
Marlon Brando's career spanned an impressive 60 years, but he reportedly became more and more difficult over time. There are reports of his turning up drunk to film 'Apocalypse Now.'
International man of mystery, Mike Myers is another perfectionist with a reputation for making life especially difficult for all those around him.
While working on the 1987 'Wall Street' Sean Young was apparently so unreliable and difficult that director and co-writer Oliver Stone came very close to firing her.
Rumors are that 'Pretty Woman' actress Julia Roberts is not so sweet on set as she seems in her films. She was allegedly nicknamed "Tinkerhell" on the set of 'Hook.'
The eldest Baldwin brother, Alec, has a reputation for being a loose cannon. In 2013 he was fired by MSNBC after reports that he shouted homophobic slurs at a videographer.
The two-time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman apparently has a reputation for being such a perfectionist that he demands creative control and is difficult to work with.
Sources suggest that Shia LaBeouf's commitment to method acting makes him very difficult to deal with. He allegedly upset Brad Pitt on the set of 'Fury.'
In 2011, January Jones's child co-star Jared Gilmore let slip to the Daily Mail that he thought she was "unapproachable," at least more so than the others on set.
Megan Fox was fired from the 'Transformers' movies after butting heads with the director, Michael Bay. She reportedly likened him to Hitler, causing Spielberg to fire her.
Another on-set diva is the 'Glee' actress, Lea Michele. Apparently she is so bad that her co-star Kate Hudson one called her a "nightmare." Not such high praise!
Mischa Barton is one of the numerous 'The O.C.' stars criticized by co-star Tate Donovan for having a bad attitude. Donovan reportedly called Barton the "biggest diva on set."
Kiwi actor Russell Crowe is rumored to have a big ego and a short temper. He allegedly criticized the script of 'Gladiator,' but said that he could make it work because he was so great.
According to Tim Meadows, with whom Steven Seagal worked on 'Saturday Night Live,' Seagal was overly critical of the cast and writing staff, as well as difficult to please when it came to jokes.
Rumor has it Sharon Stone is so difficult to work with that no one wants to try. Her level of diva has been described by the Avati Brothers as "bordering on ridiculousness."
The once prolific actor Val Kilmer has a reputation for being uncooperative and generally difficult. His poor relationship with 'Batman' director Joel Schumacher is infamous.
In 2013, George Takei took a dig at his 'Star Trek' co-star William Shatner on live television. Takei described Shatner as, "very self-possessed" and "self-involved."
Sources: (IMDb) (Ranker)
Shannon Doherty has a pretty bad history when it comes to getting fired. She was allegedly fired from both 'Beverly Hills, 90210' and 'Charmed' for having a generally bad attitude.
The 'Sliding Doors' star Gwyneth Paltrow is known for having a frosty demeanour. She was reportedly very cold towards Scarlett Johansson on the set of 'Iron Man 2.'
Although she's more of a singer than an actress, Beyoncé's reputation is so poor she can't be ignored. During the 2013 Super Bowl her list of demands was reported to be ridiculous.
Under immense pressure due to filming 'Mission: Impossible 7' in a pandemic, the actor tore into his staff members for not respecting Covid-19 regulations. That was unprofessional as it was, but The Sun reports Cruise went on another raging rant after the first audio was leaked, and now at least five staffers have quit, according to TMZ.
In a 2021 interview with the Washington Post, the 'Grey's Anatomy' star discussed how the industry turned on her. The actress claimed her reputation was an exaggerated response to her simply speaking her truth. "What is your definition of difficult? Somebody with an opinion that you don’t like? Now, I’m 42, and that [expletive] pisses me off.”
'White Men Can't Jump' actor Wesley Snipes is an alleged diva. Patton Oswalt, who worked with him on 'Blade Trinity' spoke in interview about Snipes's tendency to smoke marijuana all day.
Author, journalist, and 'Grey's Anatomy' expert Lynette Rice shared her insider perspective on Dempsey's exit from 'Grey's Anatomy.' Having interviewed him during that time, she noted that he seemed like he was simply "done" with the show, and just wanted to go and drive his collection of rare and valuable cars. Rice also discovered that he became "miserable" to work with on set towards the end because he just didn't want to be there. Rice commented on how it was Heigl who left the show with a reputation for being difficult to work with, despite the fact that Dempsey may have been who everyone was walking on eggshells for. She believes that this displays the sexism and double-standards women have to deal with in Hollywood.
Back in 2007, she made headlines for calling Judd Apatow's comedy 'Knocked Up' "a little sexist," and the following year she took herself out of Emmy consideration because she didn’t feel that she was “given the material” to warrant a nod that season. Then, in 2009, she complained about the 17-hour days on 'Grey’s Anatomy,' which were said to be partially her own scheduling design, and her reputation took a tumble. “At the time, I was just quickly told to shut the [expletive] up. The more I said I was sorry, the more they wanted it,” she said. “I knew that whatever they felt I had done that was so awful, they would overlook it if I made them money—but then my films started to make not quite as much money.”
All 'Grey's Anatomy' fans remember the comments Katherine Heigl made about the show's alleged working conditions back in 2009 on David Letterman's late-night show. She had told the host, "Our first day back was Wednesday. It was—I'm going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them—a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and mean." Those comments sent her career spiraling and permanently labeled her as "difficult."
But amidst the protest by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), new light was shed on the conditions for more than 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers in theater, television, and film productions, highlighting first and foremost the long, unhealthy working hours.
In an Instagram post on September 24, 2021, Heigl applauded them and revisited her old comments "about the absurdity of the working hours crews and actors were being forced into by production." She explained that she was publicly shamed back then for seeming "ungrateful or precious," and forced to step away from her career, but that even though she still struggles with her insecurity, she remains steadfast in her comments from a decade ago. "So I speak up today and say with zero hesitation or regret…14, 16, 17, 18 hour work days are NOT safe," she wrote. "They are NOT healthy. They can not and should NO longer be tolerated."
That wasn't the first time Bill Murray's professional conduct has been called into question. Actress Lucy Liu opened up about her experience working with Murray on the 2000 film 'Charlie's Angels.' Liu claimed that he "hurled insults" at her on set and that his behavior was “inexcusable and unacceptable.”
In April 2022 it was reported that Bill Murray was the reason why Aziz Ansari's upcoming film 'Being Mortal' has been suspended indefinitely, due to a complaint of "inappropriate behavior." A source told Page Six that Murray was allegedly "hands-on touchy" with the women on set, and that "while his conduct is not illegal, some women felt uncomfortable and he crossed a line." The actor has addressed the incident.
“I had a difference of opinion with a woman I’m working with. I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way,” the actor CNBC’s Becky Quick on April 29. “I’ve been doing not much else but thinking about it for the last week or two … you know, the world’s different than it was when I was a little kid,” he added. “What I always thought was funny as a little kid isn’t necessarily the same as what’s funny now. Things change and the time’s changed. So, it’s important for me to figure it out.”
While the identity of the woman he offended remains unknown, Murray did say they're "trying to make peace with each other," and added, “If we can’t really get along and trust each other there’s no point in going further, working together or making the movie as well."
While he expressed his desire to just get back to work, Murray also admitted that the incident has “been quite an education” for him. “I think it’s a sad dog that can’t learn anymore,” he said. “I don’t want to be that sad dog and I have no intention of it.”
T.J. Miller, who starred as bartender Weasel in the first two 'Deadpool' movies, had some tea to spill about co-star Ryan Reynolds. On an episode of 'The Adam Carolla Show' Miller said Reynolds was “horrifically mean to me” while in character as the R-rated superhero. “But to me. As if I’m Weasel,” Miller said. “He was like, ‘You know what’s great about you, Weasel? You’re not the star, but you do just enough exposition that it’s funny, and then we can leave and get back to the real movie."
Miller chalked it up to his ego but added, "Would I work with him again? No. I would not work with him again. I sorta wish him well because he’s so good at ‘Deadpool,’ and I think it’s weird that he hates me.” The actor went on to call Reynolds an “insecure dude,” and though he praised his comedic skills he surmised, "I think after he got super, super famous from the first ‘Deadpool,’ then things kinda changed."
“I just think he doesn’t like me, and I thought it was weird how he expressed that,” Miller concluded, stressing he wishes no “ill will” against Reynolds despite not wanting to work with him again. Not that Miller would have necessarily been invited back anyway, as Variety notes he was accused of assault in 2017, arrested in 2018 for allegedly making a fake bomb threat on an Amtrak train (prosecutors eventually dismissed the case), and accused in 2018 of bullying his 'Silicon Valley' co-star Alice Wetterlund on set, though he denied the allegations.
When Leonardo DiCaprio had struck fame young, he understandably let it get to his head. James Cameron recounted the story of the actor's audition in a career retrospective video interview for GQ magazine and recalled how DiCaprio originally refused to read for the part of Jack opposite Kate Winslet during a screen test. Winslet was already locked in as Rose, but when DiCaprio returned after an initial meeting, “He didn’t know he was going to test. He thought it was another meeting to meet Kate," Cameron explained. "So I said, ‘Okay, we’ll just go in the next room, and we’ll run some lines and I’ll video it.’ And he said, ‘You mean, I’m reading?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Oh, I don’t read.’ I shook his hand and said, ‘Thanks for coming by.'”
Cameron said he was ready to turn DiCaprio away, but the actor came back and said, “Wait, wait, wait. If I don’t read, I don’t get the part? Just like that?” Cameron replied, “Oh, yeah. Come on. This is a giant movie that is going to take two years of my life, and you’ll be gone doing five other things while I’m doing post-production. So, I’m not going to [expletive] it up by making the wrong decision in casting. So, you’re going to read, or you’re not going to get the part.'”
“So he comes in, and he’s like every ounce of his entire being is just so negative—right up until I said, ‘Action.’ Then he turned into Jack,” Cameron marveled. “Kate just lit up, and they played the scene. Dark clouds had opened up, and a ray of sun came down and lit up Jack. I’m like, ‘All right. He’s the guy.'”
Hugh Grant has been very candid about his outburst on set of his latest film 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.' "I lost my temper with a woman in my eye line on day one," the actor told Total Film magazine, per Yahoo! "I assumed she was some executive from the studio who should have known better. Then it turns out that she's an extremely nice local woman who was the chaperone of the young girl. Terrible. A lot of groveling...." Grant added, "I did a Christian Bale," comparing himself to the 2009 moment when Bale shouted at the 'Terminator Salvation' director of photography after he accidentally entered the actor's sight line while filming. But Grant's outburst is not an anomaly. After former 'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart called Grant one of the worst guests, Grant said on 'Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen' in 2015, per Vanity Fair: "He wasn't entirely wrong. I did have a tantrum backstage. About once a year, I have a really mega-tantrum, and sadly he witnessed one. So he's absolutely right." At least Grant has made peace with his own nature...
A former employee Jay Brody, who worked as part of the security team on the set of Meyers' 2008 movie 'The Love Guru,' is now a radio DJ in Vancouver. Brody tweeted that he was fired simply for looking the actor in the eye. After the tweet went viral, Brody uploaded a video to provide a full explanation. He claimed that he was warned not to look at Meyers if he didn't want to get fired. Brody apparently made this fatal mistake on the very first day while guarding Meyers' trailer. "I just see a man approaching in a long wig, a fake beard, and I’m like, I think that’s Mike Myers. I look down to not look at him because I don’t want to get fired, but I realized I can’t just let anyone into the trailer, so I look up, I catch his eye for a second, I give him a nod to let him know I’m cool, and I look away, and within an hour I get a phone call letting me know that I’m fired and I have to get off set because I broke this weird rule.” A representative for Meyers says that the actor "knows nothing about this. Not aware of anyone being hired or fired.”
When it comes to celebrities, they are so often put on a pedestal that it's easy to forget they have faults. We like to imagine them as superhumans who have risen above the rest of us thanks to their special gift.
But the reality is that no one is perfect, not even celebrities. In fact, being famous may even bring out character traits in stars that are much less than desirable.
Check out this gallery to see which celebrities have a reputation for being very difficult to work with.
Actors with reputations for being difficult to work with
Hollywood stars you wouldn't want on your team
CELEBRITY Hollywood
When it comes to celebrities, they are so often put on a pedestal that it's easy to forget they have faults. We like to imagine them as superhumans who have risen above the rest of us thanks to their special gift.
But the reality is that no one is perfect, not even celebrities. In fact, being famous may even bring out character traits in stars that are much less than desirable.
Check out this gallery to see which celebrities have a reputation for being very difficult to work with.