Discover amazing facts about some of the world's most popular songs
Chevy Chase played outlandish millionaire Pierce Hawthorne in the cult series 'Community,' but he didn't always have the best time on set. Chase reportedly walked off the set on the last day of shooting season three, without filming one of his scenes, which had been intended to close out the finale. This incident led to a bitter feud between Chase and series creator Dan Harmon. The scene was never shot and Chase left the series.
In one scene of James Cameron's 'The Abyss' (1989), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was being resuscitated, so her chest was repeatedly getting pounded. She eventually got fed up and walked away from the set.
Known for his role as George McFly, Marty McFly’s cowardly dad in 'Back to the Future' (1985), Crispin Glover claimed he lost interest in the role after the first installment. However, writers Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis claimed that the actor wanted more money and that he requested an approval of the script.
In 2014, TMZ reported that the late Naya Rivera had complained about Lea Michele to 'Glee' producers. She also warned them Michele was pissing people off, specifically when she made everyone wait to shoot a scene while she dealt with personal matters. When Michele learned about it, she left the set.
Stallone was initially hired for 'Beverly Hills Cop,' but stepped down when he clashed with director Martin Brest. The actor apparently tried to get the filmmaker to rewrite the script, which was the last straw. Eddie Murphy stepped in instead.
James Remar wasn't there for the rehearsal period of 'Aliens' (1986), and developed creative differences with director James Cameron. Remar left the project one week into filming.
Charlie Hunnam was originally cast as Christian Grey in 'Fifty Shades of Grey.' However, he had already promised his friend, Guillermo Del Toro, that he would star in 'Crimson Peak' (2015). The actor kept his word, and Jamie Dornan became Grey.
Harvey Keitel joined the cast of Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' (1999), but things didn't go as planned. Keitel flew into London to start rehearsals, but Kubrick kept delaying the start date. The actor eventually left the production in frustration.
Christian Bale was originally cast as the Apple CEO in 'Steve Jobs' (2013), directed by Danny Boyle. However, the actor eventually left the film after a phone conversation with Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve's widow, who tried to halt the film's production. The details of the conversation remain top secret.
Kim Basinger was bold in joining the cast of 'Boxing Helena' (1993), a mystery horror which centers on a surgeon who amputates a car crash survivor. At the time of production, Basinger switched agencies, and attempts were made to get director Jennifer Lynch to soften the film's subject. When that didn't happen, Basinger left, and lawsuits followed.
Gosling was originally cast as the father in 'The Lovely Bones' (2009). He put on 60 lbs (27 kg) for the role, but that didn't sit well with director Peter Jackson. The actor left, and Mark Wahlberg stepped in.
Kel O'Neill (pictured) was originally cast as the conniving Paul Sunday in the hit film 'There Will Be Blood' (2007). However, O'Neill was apparently intimidated by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is an intense method actor. Apparently, O'Neill couldn't take it and left.
Sources: (Ranker) (TheRichest) (TMZ)
See also: Healthy ways to express anger
DiCaprio was also cast in Mel Gibson's Viking film 'Berserker,' which was never released. It's believed that the actor left after Gibson made headlines, both for racist comments about police officers and threats to his then-girlfriend.
It's impossible to imagine 'Back to the Future' (1985) without Michael J. Fox. However, the original lead was Eric Stoltz. Director Robert Zemeckis wasn't into Stoltz's "comedy sensibilities," so he left the film.
DiCaprio almost appeared in 'American Psycho' (2000), however, he wasn't happy with the film's direction, handled by Mary Harron. He stepped down, and Christian Bale stepped in for the lead role instead.
Back in the '90s, John Travolta joined the cast of 'The Double,' a film directed by Roman Polanski. Travolta and Polanski clashed on a few character details, and Polanski apparently commissioned rewrites that Travolta wasn't happy with. The actor left, lawsuits followed, and the film was never finished.
The reality competition series 'The Masked Singer' prides itself on its lighthearted tone, but things got heavy back in 2022. In one episode, the masked celebrity was revealed to be Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Donald Trump's lawyer. All the judges were surprised, but actor Ken Jeong responded with stone-faced silence and crossed arms until Giuliani reprised his song. Jeong then said, "I'm done," and exited the set.
The former Bond girl and disco legend was invited to cameo in a James Bond film, but left the set. She was reportedly upset she didn't have a bigger role.
In 2019, the actress made headlines for leaving 'Luck,' an animated project produced by Skydance Animation. The reason was that they had hired filmmaker and animator John Lasseter, who has a history of alleged misconduct toward employees.
Janet Hubert famously left 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' in 1993, after a high-profile rivalry with lead star, Will Smith. In 2011, she told TMZ that she'd "never do anything with an a**hole like Will Smith."
Bill Murray refused to reprse his role as Bosley for the second installment of 'Charlie’s Angels' (2000). He walked away from the franchise due to his distaste in a co-star he refused to name.
While filming a scene for Roman Polanski's 'Chinatown' (1974), the director noticed a strand of Dunaway's hair out of place. He went over and pulled the hair from her head. Dunaway then stormed off the set. She later wrote in her biography 'Looking for Gatsby' (1997), "It was not the hair, it was the incessant cruelty that I felt, the constant sarcasm, the never-ending need to humiliate me."
Starring in 'Game of Thrones,' Diana Rigg had a reputation for being ambitious and thorough with her work. She left the set when she didn't feel people around her were as motivated or prepared.
Michelle Rodriguez almost quit 'The Fast and the Furious' (2001) due to an on-screen love triangle her character was supposed to have. Vin Diesel convinced her to stick around. She did, but then she didn't appear again until the franchise's fourth installment.
When playing Gandalf in 'The Hobbit' (2012), Ian McKellen wasn’t happy about working with a green screen set, as it meant that he had to act all by himself. This made McKellen so frustrated, he admitted to breaking down.
Rarely associated with scandals and controversy, Emma Watson reportedly left the set of the apocalyptic comedy 'This Is the End' during an improvised cannibalistic scene.
Pitt was far from happy with his role in 'Interview with the Vampire' (1994). When he read the script weeks before production started, he realized the screenplay lacked the three-dimensional quality of the novel that inspired the movie. He tried to get off the project, but changed his mind once he found out how much it would cost.
The fight in 'Rocky IV' (1985) between Carl Weathers' (pictured) Apollo Creed and Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago was brutal, both in front of and behind the camera. According to Sylvester Stallone, Weathers and Lundgren didn't get along. When the two were in the ring, Lundgren had been too aggressive with Weathers, causing him to storm off set yelling profanities. After four days of no production, Stallone finally convinced Weathers to return.
Angry celebs who have walked off sets
Some had good reasons for storming off
CELEBRITY Feuds
Working in movies and television can be both physically and mentally exhausting. Sometimes, there's even artistic tensions that can lead to actors storming off sets. The days are long, and sometimes emotions get the better of an actor. Perhaps the star was caught on a bad day, or maybe an overbearing director provoked them into storming away angrily. The actors in this gallery all had their reasons, however, some were just better than others.
Click on to meet the celebs who abandoned sets.