By Bryanne Salazar
9:30pm PDT, Jun 6, 2023
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We're taking a look back at co-stars who clashed in some way — or just couldn't get along — starting with this shocker in honor of the 25th anniversary of the debut of the hit HBO series "Sex and the City" 25 years ago on June 6, 1998…
Electric on-screen chemistry doesn't always translate to real-life friendship… Take Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall, for example! At this point, the drama between the "Sex and the City" actresses is as legendary as the HBO series that made them stars. It's not entirely clear what originally spurred the feud, which SJP has attempted to downplay in interviews over the years. Since 2004, there have been rumors that Kim was displeased Sarah Jessica made more than her for their work on "SATC"… even though SJP also executive produced the series. Meanwhile, an Us Weekly source said in 2018 that the two women have "hated each other" since they shot the second season of the beloved TV show in the late '90s… But the drama really kicked off in 2017 when Kim said she wouldn't return to the role of Samantha Jones in a third "SATC" movie. Then — amid rumors she only left the franchise because the studio refused to agree to her "outrageous demands" — Kim said that SJP "could've been nicer" to her and that she and her former co-stars have "never been friends." The following year, when Kim's brother died, SJP publicly sent her condolences, prompting Kim to snap that her former co-star's kind words were "a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now." Wrote Kim on Instagram, "You are not my friend. So I'm writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting [my] tragedy in order to restore your 'nice girl' persona." Yikes! So it was a surprise to absolutely no one that Kim passed on appearing on the first season of the "SATC" revival series "And Just Like That…" in 2021 and 2022 — and then a huge surprise when she agreed to do a cameo for the second season in 2023.
Keep reading for more stars who faced on-set tensions…
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Two beloved stars of the cult classic flick "Superbad" got off to a very rocky start. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who played Fogell aka McLovin, was 17 and new to acting when he had his third callback audition and had to read with the movie's stars, Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. "Chris was really, really amazing off the bat. And I think he was really annoying to me at that time," Jonah confessed to Vanity Fair in 2022 while being interviewed for an oral history to mark the comedy's 15th anniversary. Explained director Greg Mottola: "[Chris] played it like he was clearly the coolest guy in the room and everyone else was a nerd and a loser. He was Dean Martin instead of Jerry Lewis." Producer Judd Apatow remembered Jonah hating Chris. "In the audition, [Chris] was very caustic and attacked Jonah and did improvs insulting Jonah. Jonah said, 'I don't like that guy. I don't want him doing it.' And I said, "That's exactly why we're hiring him. It couldn't be more perfect. The fact that it bothers you is exactly what we want." Co-screenwriter and star Seth Rogen also recalled Jonah disliking Chris, adding, "Jonah immediately hated him. He was like, 'That was f****** with my rhythm. I couldn't perform with that guy." Chris, however, wasn't trying to be annoying on purpose. "I was just, like, a scrawny kid. I was super-stoked to be there," he told Vanity Fair. "I had Seth and everyone sign my script because I didn't think I was going to get the part."
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In the 2022 oral history book "Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road" by Kyle Buchanan, the cast and crew of the film detailed why female lead Charlize Theron did not like male lead Tom Hardy while making the lauded 2015 movie. One editor said, in an excerpt reported by Vanity Fair, that it was "clear that those two people hated each other. They didn't want to touch each other, they didn't want to look at each other, they wouldn't face each other if the camera wasn't actively rolling." The book details a dramatic blowup that happened after Tom, who had a reputation for not being on time, showed up to set three hours late. When he finally arrived, Charlize "starts swearing her head off at him, saying, 'Fine the f****** c*** a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he's held up this crew,' and 'How disrespectful you are!'" a camera operator recounted. "She was right. Full rant. She screams it out. … He charged up to her and went, 'What did you say to me?' He was quite aggressive. She really felt threatened, and that was the turning point." Tom's admitted he was at fault, telling the author, as reported by the Independent, "In hindsight, I was in over my head in many ways. The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times. What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced partner in me. I'd like to think that now that I'm older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion." Charlize has also owned up to her part too. "It was like two parents in the front of the car. We were either fighting or we were icing each other — I don't know which one is worse — and they had to deal with it in the back. It was horrible! We should not have done that; we should have been better. I can own up to that."
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Jessica Alba and Jensen Ackles co-starred on the James Cameron sci-fi show "Dark Angel," which aired from 2000 to 2002, but they didn't see eye to eye much. "She was horrible" to work with, Jensen said on Michael Rosenbaum's "Inside of You" podcast in early 2022, adding, "I've told this to her face." He also defended the actress and founder of The Honest Company, saying she was under immense pressure at the time. "I was the new kid on the block and I got picked on by the lead… Like the worst kind of bickering a brother and sister could do. She had it out for me. It wasn't that she didn't like me. She was like, 'Oh, here's the pretty boy the network brought in for more window dressing because that's what we need.'" Eventually, the two began to respect each other. "We bickered, we bickered like brother and sister," he said.
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"Shameless" actress Emma Kenney, who played the little sister of star Emmy Rossum's character on the hit Showtime series, revealed on the Oct. 13, 2021, episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that there was some tension on the set before Emmy exited after nine seasons. Emma, who stuck around until the series ended with season 11, said Emmy was almost like a real-life sister to her — "in good and bad ways." She explained, as reported by E! News, "I was obviously a lot younger [than her]. There were times when she would try to be a good influence and then there were times where she would be blatantly giving me bad… not the best advice." She declined to get specific, musing, "Maybe she was struggling with her own inner problems and taking it out on other people." When Emmy left the show, "It was weird at first, for sure, but the set became a little bit more of a positive place. I'm not gonna lie," Emma added. "I remember, pre her leaving, I'd go to set some days and I'd be very anxious about having a scene with her because if she had a bad day, she made it a bad day for everyone." Still, Emma shared, she has "a lot of love" for Emmy. "We haven't spoken in years, but that's okay. I hope that she finds her happiness and I heard she had a baby and that's beautiful and I'm sure she's going to be a lovely mother."
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While filming the 2000 "Charlie's Angels" movie, Bill Murray apparently took major issue with one of the three Angels: Lucy Liu. According to reports at the time, Bill and Lucy got into a heated argument after he criticized her performance, allegedly saying — while pointing to co-stars Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore and then to Lucy, "I know why you're here and you're here, but why are you here?" Lucy allegedly responded by taking a swing at him. Ultimately, Bernie Mac replaced Bill — who has a long history of rubbing his co-stars the wrong way — as the new Bosley in the 2003 sequel "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." Bill later claimed the whole ordeal was "blown out of proportion" and that he and Lucy merely had a 20-minute argument one day on set, nothing more. In 2021, however, the Emmy-nominated actress finally told her side of the story, insisting that the altercation kicked off when Bill started to inexplicably "hurl insults" at her. "Some of the language was inexcusable and unacceptable," she said. "I couldn't believe [what he was saying] could be towards me, because what do I have to do with anything majorly important at that time? I literally do the look around my shoulder thing, like, 'Who is he talking to behind me?'" She then confronted him. "I was not going to just sit there and take it. So, yes, I stood up for myself, and I don't regret it," she said.
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If you were a fan of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in the '90s, then you undoubtedly remember when Daphne Reed suddenly took over the role of Aunt Viv from Janet Hubert, who played the Banks family matriarch from 1990 to 1993. Janet later alleged that Will Smith, whom she described as an "egomaniac," got her fired after she asked for more money. She also claimed that he did "some heinous, horrible things" to her. Will, however, said it was Janet's ego that caused the issues in their working relationship, saying in 1993, "I can say straight-up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be 'The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show.'" Miraculously, the duo finally put their issues behind them in 2020 when they sat down together for HBO Max's "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion" special — and Will admitted that he wasn't "sensitive" or "perceptive" to the issues Janet was facing when they worked together.
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In the years since "Glee" ruled primetime, it's become clear that there was as much drama going on behind the scenes of the hit FOX musical-dramedy as there was on screen. In 2020, several former stars of the show accused Lea Michele of a range of abusive behavior and of fostering an extremely toxic work environment on set. But before a chorus of angry voices brought all her bad behavior to light, it was thought that only one person had an issue with Lea: Naya Rivera. In her 2016 memoir "Sorry Not Sorry," the late triple-threat — who starred as Santana Lopez and died in 2020 — wrote of her relationship with the Rachel Berry actress, "One of the 'Glee' writers once said that Lea and I were like two sides of the same battery and that about sums us up. We are both strong willed and competitive — not just with each other but with everyone — and that's not a good mixture. As the show progressed … [our] friendship started to break down, especially as Santana moved from a background character to one with bigger plot lines and more screen time. I think Rachel — erm, I mean Lea — didn't like sharing the spotlight. On top of that, she had a hard time separating work from our outside friendship, whereas it was a lot easier for me. I'm not offended when people offer feedback or criticism, and if things get heated on set, I try to keep perspective. We're all stressed, yes, but we're all working toward the same goal, so laugh it off and keep it movin'. Lea was a lot more sensitive, though, and it seemed like she blamed me for anything and everything that went wrong. … If I'd complained about anyone or anything, she'd assumed I was b******* about her. Soon, she started to ignore me, and eventually it got to the point where she didn't say a word to me for all of season 6." Naya went on to write that she and Lea "definitely weren't the best of friends." Still, she claimed that the rumors about their feud "were blown out of proportion."
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For years now, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan have publicly denied rumors claiming they couldn't stand each other while co-starring in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy … and yet the rumors have persisted. In 2017, the actress joked to Vogue, "We hate each other and we're having an affair, so everybody's right. How about that?" Jamie, meanwhile, has said he and Dakota have a "brother-sister" relationship and attributed any bad buzz surrounding them to "a little bit of hype leading up to the [first] film."
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Bombing as co-hosts at the Oscars could make anyone hate each other. In 2011, James Franco and Anne Hathaway — two of Hollywood's hottest young stars at the time — failed miserably as the emcees of the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony. Rumors soon emerged that the pair didn't get along and that Anne was livid because James mostly stood around with a goofy look on his face, forcing her to carry the show. In a 2013 interview with Howard Stern, James seemed to confirm the rumors when he said the two "made up" after hosting the Oscars though hadn't "talked in a while." In 2021, one of the ceremony's writers told The Ringer that while "Anne made herself readily available" during the rehearsal process and "committed 110 percent," it was "hard to get a hold of" James, whom he described as "a great guy" who "often looked like he had just woken up from a nap." Things between the two stars took another turn when Anne made a suggestion about a joke James was failing to lane, and he snapped back at her, "Don't tell me how to be funny." Hey, not all opposites attract!
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All wasn't golden with the "Golden Girls." The iconic gals from our favorite late-'80s show might have played best friends and roommates on TV, but in real life, Bea Arthur couldn't stand Betty White. In her memoir "My First Five Husbands… And the Ones Who Got Away," Rue McClanahan revealed there was a secret rift between the women, which Betty later confirmed herself. "Bea had a reserve. She was not that fond of me," Betty admitted in 2011, according to The Village Voice. "She found me a pain in the neck sometimes. It was my positive attitude — and that made Bea mad sometimes. Sometimes if I was happy, she'd be furious!"
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People magazine called the battle between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey "the feud of the season" — and they weren't kidding. It all started in 2012 when the music stars served as judges on "American Idol." Tensions reportedly grew between the two women when Mariah made repeated jabs at Nicki dissing her talent and right to be an "Idol" judge. Nicki finally reached her breaking point and stormed off set after threatening, "If I had a gun, I'd shoot that f****** b****." While producers initially denied an altercation between the duo took place, a video eventually leaked showing the drama unfolding as fellow judges Keith Urban and Randy Jackson attempted to defuse the situation. The next day, Nicki came for Mariah on Twitter, writing, "All I do is compliment u. That's not enuff? Ur a legend, cheer up. U don't have to run down ur resume or feel intimidated. Shady McGrady." Both women left "Idol" in May 2013 — the same month Nicki called Mariah "insecure and bitter" on Twitter.
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They were the ladies of Wisteria Lane and by all accounts seemed to be the best of friends both on-screen and off … except they actually weren't. Throughout the show's eight seasons, the stars were embroiled in a battle of wills that came down to two sides: Teri Hatcher and everyone else. According to numerous reports, Nicollette Sheridan, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria couldn't stand Teri, whom Nicollette once called "the meanest woman in the world." Apparently the ill will started over fights instigated by Teri over who had the biggest trailer and made the most money. When the show came to an end in 2012, the ladies got their revenge by getting together to give the crew a farewell gift — and everyone but Teri signed their names to it.
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In 2012, Shia Labeouf and Tom Hardy co-starred in the crime drama "Lawless" as two brothers involved in a bootlegging business during the Prohibition era. While filming, word leaked that the two men got into a heated altercation that reportedly involved a fist fight. Tom himself later said Shia knocked him out, though it wasn't totally clear if he was joking or not. Later, director John Hillcoat said "there was definitely a fight between them" that "escalated to the point where they had to both be restrained. Shia, however, said that whatever happened between him and Tom was "all love." On a 2019 episode of "Hot Ones," he attributed the dustup to playful roughhousing that went too far, saying that he and the "Mad Max: Fury Road" actor "used to wrestle all the time." The headline-making incident went down when Tom was carrying Shia over his shoulder and then somehow fell down a flight of stairs, he claimed. "For the rest of the shoot, he told everybody I knocked him out," said the "Transformers" alum.
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The 1962 feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford during "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" was so epic, it was turned into an eight-episode miniseries in 2017. It turns out the ladies were battling it out long before they were cast to co-star in the film. Rumor has it that in 1935, Joan seduced (and then married) the man Bette was in love with (Franchot Tone), which set the women on a 50-year path as bitter rivals. As two of the biggest leading ladies in Hollywood, they were known to throw shade while trying to steal each other's parts. Their contempt for one another reached its peak during filming of "Baby Jane" with Bette installing a Coca-Cola machine on set because Joan was on the board of Pepsi Cola Co. (her late husband was its CEO) and Joan lining her pockets with heavy rocks prior to a scene in which Bette had to drag her across the floor. Their rivalry came to a head the following year when Bette was nominated for an Oscar for best actress but Joan was not. Joan was said to be so upset about not getting a nod from the Academy that she did everything she could to discredit Bette, who ultimately didn't win. Joan took it extra low at the ceremony when she accepted the Oscar on behalf of the real winner that night, Ann Bancroft, who wasn't in attendance.
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Ryan Reynolds had major beef with Wesley Snipes on the set of the 2004 supernatural thriller "Blade: Trinity." Sources (including co-star Patton Oswalt) told outlets that Wesley stayed in his trailer for lengthy periods of time and refused to break character, creating a weird, hostile vibe on the set. Patton also claimed that Wesley was rude to the cast and crew. Ryan, who played a supporting character, was forced to film a majority of his scenes alone because of Wesley's antics. (The movie bombed, by the way.) At one point, Wesley reportedly tried to strangle director David Goyer, who has said he'll never work with the actor again. The good news is that Ryan went on to become a leading star in Hollywood. As for Wesley… Well, we haven't heard much from him since he went to prison for tax evasion in 2010.
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It's kind of funny to imagine two of the hottest actors of the '80s having to kiss passionately when, in real life, they couldn't stand one another. That was the case for Richard Gere and his "An Officer and a Gentleman" co-star Debra Winger. The pair reportedly argued non-stop on set, with Richard later saying he only did the movie "for money." Years later, Debra would say that making the film with him was difficult and called Richard "a brick wall."
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Did you ever wonder why Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) was suddenly and unceremoniously written off "Beverly Hills, 90210" after just four seasons? It turns out Shannen had a history of having a bad attitude on set and of clashing with castmates and crew members. One afternoon in a parking lot, Shannen and co-star Jennie Garth got into a heated argument — which was actually typical for the two — that nearly turned physical. Co-star Tori Spelling once described the dustup as "like a fistfight." But in 2019, Jennie claimed that although she "got in [Shannen's] face," the men on set "held us back" so they "never actually" exchanged blows. That was still enough for Tori to ask her dad, executive producer Aaron Spelling, to fire Shannen. These days, things are much better between the three women, who reunited on screen for 2019's "BH90210." In 2021, Jennie took some blame for the drama with Shannen, admitting that the hit teen drama "brought out a super competitive" side of her. "If I'm honest, I think [the show] kind of taught me to be threatened by other girls [and to] be threatened by other women [and] be more competitive because I wanted our co-stars approval or attention," she admitted.
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Shannen Doherty also had issues on the set of "Charmed." It's unclear what exactly went down between her and co-star Alyssa Milano, but in 2013, the "Who's the Boss?" alum claimed that Shannen and Holly Marie Combs "were best friends for like 10 years before the show started," which made the vibe on set "very much sort of like high school." Ultimately, Shannen left the hit supernatural series after just three seasons. But Alyssa didn't fare any better with Shannen's replacement: Rose McGowan. While feuding over politics in 2020, Rose tweeted that she cried every time "Charmed" was renewed for another season because Alyssa "made that set toxic…" with her "appalling behavior on the daily." She also called her a "fraud." The following year, Alyssa said that she still talks to Holly but isn't in touch with Rose "because she's been publicly very hurtful to me and my family." Yikes!
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We're certain that no one in the universe will be surprised to learn that Charlie Sheen was involved in a nasty feud with one of his co-stars back in 2012. The controversial actor has a long history of causing trouble on screen and off — and his reputation was further solidified when he reportedly got co-star Selma Blair fired from the FX sitcom "Anger Management." Multiple media outlets reported in mid-2013 that after the Emmy nominee learned the "Cruel Intentions" actress complained to producers about his habitual tardiness on set, he gave them an ultimatum: either fire her or he'd quit. He then reportedly texted her directly to brag about getting her fired… while also calling her some names that aren't fit for print.
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The on-set feud between Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling while making "The Notebook" is one of our all-time favorites because it had a (temporary) happy ending. During filming, Ryan reportedly hated Rachel so much that he asked their director, Nick Cassavetes, to replace her with another actress. "They were really not getting along one day on set. Really not," the filmmaker told VH1 in 2014, adding that the co-stars "started screaming and yelling at each other." After they "had it out" with each other, things between them improved dramatically. "The rest of the film wasn't smooth sailing, but it was smoother sailing," said the director. The pair later dated for four years.
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"The X-Files" co-stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson managed to keep things professional in spite of long-simmering tensions between them. The Emmy-nominated actor once explained that the immense popularity of the show and the sudden fame that came with it caused both himself and Gillian to become "monsters." In 2008, he explained the situation to the British newspaper Metro, saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt. It's nothing to do with the other person. We used to argue about nothing. We couldn't stand the sight of each other." Gillian, meanwhile, has admitted there were times she and David "hated each other" and would go weeks without speaking to one another. Fortunately, they never let the drama get the best of them: They've reunited several times over the years.
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Isaiah Washington got the boot from "Grey's Anatomy" in 2007 after he called T.R. Knight a homophobic slur during an altercation with another co-star, Patrick Dempsey. While arguing with Patrick, Isaiah reportedly snapped, "I'm not your little f***** like T.R." (After the incident leaked to the press, T.R., who was still in the closet at the time, was moved to publicly come out.) Isaiah ultimately copped to using the derogatory term but denied being homophobic.
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"Castle" stars Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion reportedly had such a toxic behind-the-scenes dynamic while filming the popular police procedural that the actress was known to frequently retreat to her dressing room in tears. A source told Us Weekly in 2016, "The friction was very evident. Nathan has been nasty to Stana for a long time." The duo reportedly hated each other so much, they refused to speak to one another unless they were shooting together. According to Us Weekly, things got so bad between them, they were eventually sent to couples counseling. But Stana's rep denied that report, claiming the actress "had absolutely no issues" with her co-star. The series was suddenly canceled that very same year.
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"Nobody puts Baby in a corner," but according to Patrick Swayze, that might have been exactly what "Dirty Dancing" co-star Jennifer Grey needed. In his memoir "Time of My Life," which was published shortly after his 2009 death from pancreatic cancer, Patrick revealed that working with Jennifer was a test of his patience as she would either break into fits of laughter that required them to do multiple retakes (like during their freezing-cold scene in the lake) or break down in tears at the slightest critique of her performance, stalling production. Ultimately, Patrick admitted that he forgave Jennifer for her immaturity and said she "did a truly phenomenal job" in the film.
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The longstanding feud between former "Star Trek" co-stars William Shatner and George Takei has lasted for more than five decades. While few knew of the bad blood between the duo back in the day, George came clean about everything in his 1994 memoir "To the Stars" — in which he claimed Bill was so rude, he'd pretend not to know George on set. Bill seemed to corroborate the story, admitting he "never really got to know [George]," which he attributed to his "lack of attention" due to being so busy studying lines. Then in 2008 when George married long-term partner Brad Altman, Bill took to YouTube to vent about not receiving a wedding invitation, calling George "psychotic." George said Bill was invited and the whole ordeal could've been avoided if the erstwhile Captain Kirk had only picked up the phone to call him. He also claims Bill only starts drama with him "whenever he needs a little publicity for a project." More recently, during a 2021 appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," George called Bill "a difficult person to work with" and said he "would become crazy if I took [Bill] seriously." Said the iconic actor, "I take him as long as I can, and then I check out at 5 o'clock."
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They portrayed star-crossed lovers in the 1996 romantic drama "Romeo + Juliet," but in real life, Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio didn't really click. According to long-standing rumors, Leo was a fan of playing pranks on set, which annoyed Claire to no end. The former teen heartthrob, meanwhile, found the actress to be "uptight." Allegedly, she was so irritated by his childish antics that she turned down a role in 2011's "J. Edgar" — in which Leo starred as the titular former FBI director. In 2018, however, Claire fessed up to having a major crush on her comely co-star: "That was problematic. I couldn't really have a crush on the guy I was professionally having a crush on!" she said.
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Josh Hartnett was a rising young star when he worked alongside Harrison Ford in 2003's "Hollywood Homicide." But Harrison reportedly couldn't stand Josh and allegedly called him a "little punk." (Josh reportedly hit back, calling Harrison an "old fart.") Josh later shared that things were so tense on set, he and the "Star Wars" actor would sometimes sit in a car together for a scene without saying a single word to each other for more than an hour. (Awkward!) The two even reportedly bickered during their promotional tour. Not surprisingly, the film bombed at the box office.
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During a 2014 interview with ABC News, former teen heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. revealed that his 2010 stint on the primetime drama "24" was one of the worst experiences of his career — all thanks to co-star Kiefer Sutherland. "Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world," he said, adding that he hated "every moment" of filming the series. Other co-stars including Shohreh Aghdashloo commiserated too, calling Kiefer "angry" while saying "working with him proved to be hard." Freddie also claimed that the experience made him want to quit acting.
