Being an A-list celebrity can definitely put pressure on even the coolest stars. Our favorite famous faces are regularly in the spotlight — having to keep up appearances, conduct countless interviews, and make sure they seem totally approachable and down-to-earth. And when the pressure goes to a high level, no wonder some actors wind up having major meltdowns on the job. While incidents like these could happen anywhere, the ones included here all took place on set, and surprised people to see some of these explosions in person.
One of the most famous is Christian Bale losing it on the set of "Terminator: Salvation". Christian Bale launched into an expletive-filled tirade at the director of photography Shane Hurlbut. “Am I gonna walk around and rip your f***ing lights down in the middle of the scene…?” he screamed. “Then why the f*** are you walking right through? Ah da da da da, like this in the background. What the f**k is it with you? What don’t you f***ing understand?” And this incident was recorded on tape, causing a stir in public opinion for a long time even after Bale made a lengthy apology.
Of course, Christian Bale isn't the only Hollywood household name to have a total meltdown on set. From Oscar-winning directors to your favorite stars, here are 20 times when Hollywood luminaries came dangerously close to losing it.
#1 Christian Bale - Terminator Salvation
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Christian Bale threw an obscene rage at director of photography Shane Hurlbut on the set of "Terminator Salvation". The cinematographer was subjected to this abuse after entering Bale's line of sight while he was filming a scene with co-star Bryce Dallas Howard. Hurlbut and the film's director McG tried to reassure Bale but were unsuccessful and his outburst lasted more than four minutes. The tense actor concluded his tirade by saying that he and Hurlbut "f***ing done professionally." The whole incident was recorded and quickly became famous. Later, Bale apologized and stated that he and Hurlbut had worked out their differences and said that he and Hurlbut had resolved their differences and can now work together without further conflict.
#2 Johnny Depp - City of Lies
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In recent years, the life of Johnny Depp has been somewhat turbulent. One particularly unpleasant incident is said to have occurred during the filming of the 2018 fact-based thriller "City of Lies," in which actor Johnny Depp played the real-life LAPD officer tasked with looking into the death of rapper Notorious B.I.G. Greg "Rocky" Brooks, the movie's location manager, informed Depp that one night's street-based filming would go late, and Depp wasn't happy about it. In response to this news, Brooks asserts that Depp “repeatedly hit” and verbally abused him and then wrongfully fired him from his position. Brooks filed a lawsuit against Depp and the production companies behind "City of Lies".
#3 Tom Hardy – The Reckoning
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At the time that Hardy hadn’t made his name, he came to blows with the film’s leading man Paul Bettany, during the filming of one of his first movies, 2002’s "The Reckoning." We don't know exactly what transpired between the younger Hardy and the more experienced Bettany, but we do know it got physical. Years later, Hardy was reminded about the event in an interview by fellow actor Vincent Cassel, who jokingly asked him, “would you advise someone who’s shooting their first movie, to take a swing at the lead actor because he’s saying bad things about you?” Hardy responded, “I didn’t hit [Bettany], I slapped him. I didn’t want to leave a mark on his face.”
#4 Lindsay Lohan - The Canyons
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After rising to fame through
Disney movies, Lohan quickly lost favor in Hollywood due to her well-documented problems with substances and her general diva-ish attitude. There were expectations that Paul Schrader's gritty thriller "The Canyons" from 2013 would help her make a return. But, after production began, it became apparent that the actress hadn't changed since she skipped the first day of shooting and was immediately dismissed. The director eventually hired her again after she cried outside his trailer. Because Lohan constantly forgot her lines and locked herself in her trailer for hours, things didn't get any better throughout the production. It all might have paid off if the film had been met with commercial or critical success – but it wasn’t.
#5 Dennis Hopper - Super Mario Bros
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The 1993 film "Super Mario Bros" may have the distinction of being the first video game adaptation, but none of those involved saw it as a career high point. Because producers and directors were often at odds, scripts were rewritten daily, much to the disdain of the cast. In particular, veteran movie star Dennis Hopper, who played the evil King Koopa in the movie, made sure that his anger did not go unnoticed. Just before they were supposed to start filming, Hopper was given a completely revised scenario, and by all accounts, he lost it. The actor is reported to have roared, “You rewrote my lines! You call this writing? This is s**t! It’s s**t! And the fact you’d do it without asking me?” It took Hopper three and a half hours to calm down sufficiently to agree to shoot the modified sequence after the actor had such a temper tantrum that the crew had to break early for lunch.
#6 Ian McKellen - The Hobbit trilogy
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Ian McKellen is known for his impeccable professionalism. Even so, But, he is just human. And he was driven to the brink of insanity when recreating his "Lord of the Rings" role as Gandalf for the Hobbit trilogy. Because the three movies were mostly focused on special effects, he had to shoot most of his sequences by himself against a green screen, making him depressed for the stage and screen legend. McKellen recalled, “so distressing and off-putting and difficult that I thought ‘I don’t want to make this film if this is what I’m going to have to do’…” McKellen said, “I got absolutely miserable and had a little cry to myself. I didn’t realize that the microphone I was wearing was open so everybody could hear me muttering to myself about how I wanted to go home.”
#7 LL Cool J - Any Given Sunday
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After rising to fame in the 80s as a rapper, LL Cool J enjoyed a fairly successful film career for a time. However, it’s possible that while he was in the spotlight in Hollywood, the rapper-turned-actor may have offended some people. He fought with
Jamie Foxx on the set of Oliver Stone’s 1999 sports drama "Any Given Sunday". The two actors, who portray members of competing football teams in the movie, may have become a bit too emotionally immersed in the fight between their characters. According to rumors, LL punched Foxx in the face while filming a football scene, which Foxx unsurprisingly didn't take kindly to. Just as tensions between the two appeared to be calming down, LL walked away and proceeded to elbow Foxx in the head.
#8 Marilyn Monroe - Something’s Got to Give
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If you wonder why you can't remember Marilyn Monroe's Something's Got to Give, don't worry, you don't have a memory problem. That’s because the film was never finished, as studio 20th Century Fox abandoned the 1962 production completely because the lead actress was acting erratically on set. At the time, the famously troubled Monroe was going through a difficult time personally as well as dealing with the hectic celebrity lifestyle. Monroe was frequently late to set or absent without leave. The cast and crew of the movie proceeded to film without their frequently missing star. In June 1962, Monroe was sacked from the film after reporting absent for the nth time, and the shooting quickly came to an end. Monroe died just over two months later.
#9 George Clooney - Three Kings
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Though George Clooney wasn't involved in any sort of trouble, on the set of the 1999 film "Three Kings", he had a conflict with director David O. Russell, a filmmaker notorious for his on-set volatility. However, it remains questionable whether Clooney really emerges from this particular story with the look of a bad guy. It was reported that Russell violently threw one of the film’s extras to the ground after an altercation, with Clooney recalling that “we were trying to get a shot and then he went berserk. He went nuts on an extra.” Outraged by this, Clooney proceeded to physically attack Russell himself, which resulted in a full-on brawl between the actor and the director. The actor later ended their relationship by saying “will I work with David ever again? Absolutely not, never.”
#10 Bill Murray - What About Bob?
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This is not the first time Bill Murray has been mentioned on this list. Murray is said to have clashed bitterly with co-star Richard Dreyfuss while filming the 1991 comedy "What About Bob?" After a protracted silence on the subject, Dreyfuss admitted in 2019 that “I didn’t talk about it for years… Bill just got drunk at dinner. He was an Irish drunken bully, is what he was.” According to Dreyfuss, Murray “put his face next to me, nose-to-nose. And he screamed at the top of his lungs, ‘Everyone hates you! You are tolerated!’ There was no time to react because he leaned back and he took a modern glass-blown ashtray. He threw it at my face from [only a couple of feet away]. And it weighed about three-quarters of a pound. And he missed me.”
#11 Tom Cruise - Mission Impossible 7
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In 2005, Tom Cruise garnered media attention for his exuberant behavior during an appearance on the "Oprah Winfrey" show. It turned out that Cruise jumped onto Oprah's sofa and gushed about how much he adored
Katie Holmes, despite the fact that his visit was intended to promote Steven Spielberg’s "War of the Worlds". But this isn't the only time Cruise let his emotions overwhelm him. Recently, Cruise made headlines because there was a melee on the set of "Mission Impossible 7" when a recording of his outburst went viral. After seeing two crew members standing too closely together, Cruise reprimanded his coworkers for their lackadaisical adherence to COVID-19 regulations. In a leaked audio clip, the actor was clearly heard shouting: “If I see you do it again, you’re f***ing gone. And if anyone in this crew does it, that’s it — and you too and you too. And you, don’t you ever f***ing do it again.”
#12 Will Smith - Men in Black 3
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Smith co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones in one of his first major films, "Men in Black" in 1997. By 2012, Smith established himself as one of Hollywood's most bankable and successful stars. Therefore, it's no surprise that Smith had a rather diva-esque request when filming "Men in Black 3", in line with his position as one of Hollywood’s leading lights. It is said that Smith insisted on having “a double-decker $2 million trailer” on set. This was in spite of the fact that filming was happening just a few blocks away from his New York apartment. Despite objections from the neighborhood, Smith persisted in remaining in this absurd trailer.
#13 Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
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It's perhaps not surprising that a role as emotionally demanding as the Joker can have an adverse effect on any actor playing this enigmatic role. Heath Ledger, who played the role in 2008's "The Dark Knight", can attest to this. To prepare for the role, Ledger sequestered himself in a hotel room and slept for only two hours every night for a full month. Throughout this time spent locked up alone, he kept a diary (written in character), which enabled him to fully embody the Joker's psyche.“I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath – someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts” he said in a 2007 interview.
#14 Al Pacino - The Godfather II and Dog Day Afternoon
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Al Pacino is one of the most successful actors of the 20th century. Without a doubt, Pacino is a brilliant actor who is unusually devoted to his craft—maybe even too passionate at times. Pacino once collapsed from exhaustion while on the set of "Dog Day Afternoon", as he’d just finished working on "The Godfather II".
#15 Joaquin Phoenix - The Joker
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In the 2019 movie "The Joker", Joaquin Phoenix excelled as the title character, but it appears like the production wasn't exactly smooth sailing. In October 2019, Phoenix was put in a difficult position after a video of him yelling at a staff worker was shown on "Jimmy Kimmel Live". In the clip, Phoenix can be heard talking about a cameraman, saying, “The constant whispering, just shut the f**k up, dude.” Joaquin went on to say: “I know you started the f***ing Cher thing, Larry … making fun of me. Like I’m a f***ing diva. It’s not even an insult. Cher, really? Singer, actor, dancer, fashion icon – how’s that a f***ing insult?” Phoenix said on the show that he was “embarrassed” by his behavior.
#16 Gene Kelly - Singin’ In The Rain
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“Singin’ In The Rain” is undoubtedly one of the most beloved musicals from the 20th century. But the production was a bumpy ride with a lot of grudges behind the scenes. Co-director Gene Kelly's demands for perfection were largely to blame for the tension on set. He frequently insults Debbie Reynolds for her inability to dance as perfectly as he would like. After having to endure another outburst from Kelly, Frédéric Astaire once saw Reynolds sobbing uncontrollably behind a piano. Fortunately, Kelly later apologized to Reynolds and admitted that he had been a nightmare to deal with.
#17 Shelley Duvall - The Shining
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To make the unhinged portrayal of Wendy in "The Shining" convincing, Shelley Duvall suffered pressure from the unconventional director Stanley Kubrick. The actress and director reportedly bickered and fought constantly over disagreements concerning the script and her acting style. In addition, Duvall allegedly had to perform 127 takes of the scene when she smashes Jack with a baseball bat and Kubrick had her cry nonstop for hours on end. Duvall was so stressed and overwhelmed by Kubrick's intense directing style that her hair began to fall out. In a 1980 interview, Duvall called it “almost unbearable.”
#18 Nicolas Cage - Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
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Everyone who has watched "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" will be able to attest to Nicolas Cage's obvious dedication to his role. But were you aware of the lengths Cage went to in order to pull off his zealous, bordering on crazy, performance? Cage's energetic performance was made possible by his use of the rigorous "Nouveau Shamanic" method acting approach. To really capture the essence of Ghost Rider, Cage donned black and white face paint and sewed Ancient Egyptian symbols into his costumes. “It occurred to me, because I was doing a character as far out of our reference point as the spirit of vengeance, I could use these (Shaman) techniques,” he revealed. “I wouldn’t say a word to my co-stars or crew or directors. I saw the fear in their eyes […] I believed I was the Ghost Rider,” he said.
#19 Shia LaBeouf - Lawless
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When Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf co-starred in the 2012 movie "Lawless," it caught attention at that time. Rumor has it that the two actors were constantly at odds throughout filming, and got into a fight at least once - and many have speculated that LaBeouf once knocked Hardy down. However, Hardy and LaBeouf have both denied claims of mutual hatred, insisting instead that they were just rough with one other. LaBeouf explained in 2019, “this one week, my girlfriend was in town and [Hardy] runs into the room… he picked me up and I didn’t have nothing on so now I’m naked on his shoulder. We’re in the hallway, we’re wrestling around.” This ended up near a stairwell, which Hardy accidentally fell down – and then, LaBeouf says, “for the rest of the shoot, he told everybody I knocked him out.”
#20 Jared Leto - Suicide Squad
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Jared Leto is another actor who took things a bit far with his approach to getting into the mind of the Joker. Actress Viola Davis (played by Amanda Waller) revealed “He did some bad things, Jared Leto did,” she revealed. “He gave some really horrific gifts. He had a henchman who would come into the rehearsal room, and the henchman came in with a dead pig and plopped it on the table, and then he walked out.” Leto also gifted co-star Will Smith used contraceptives and a sex toy. “I did a lot of things to create a dynamic, to create an element of surprise, of spontaneity, and to really break down any kind of walls that may be there,” Leto told.