Breaking into Hollywood seems like a dream but not all dreams are guaranteed to make us happy. Working on films can be exhausting both physically and mentally. Actors caught on a bad day, or an overbearing director provoked them into walking away angrily. Most of them endured the stress and perfectly fulfilled their roles.
However, some actors with fragile egos and attitude issues were easily threatened by contemptuous attitudes toward their work. This might result in on-set dramas that would end up with somebody getting fired or even actors walking off from filming a blockbuster movie.
Discover which movie stars went off set for what reason from the biggest movie franchises of all time.
#1 Ian McKellen in “The Hobbit”
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
When playing Gandalf in “The Hobbit”, Ian McKellen wasn’t happy about working with a green-screen set. It meant that he had to act all by himself and that made him so distressing.
#2 Brad Pitt in “Interview with the Vampire”
Source: Warner Bros
Brad Pitt took part in filming for “Interview with the Vampire” and was far from happy with his role. He asked to get out of his contract but changed his mind once he found out how much it would cost.
#3 Diana Rigg in “Game of Thrones”
Source: HBO
Starring in "Game of Thrones" since 2013, Diana Rigg has a popular reputation for being ambitious and thorough with her work. She left the set when she didn't feel that everyone around her was as motivated or prepared.
#4 Carl Weathers in “Rocky IV”
Source: MGM/UA Entertainment Company
During a boxing scene, Carl Weathers, playing Apollo Creed, was thrown clear across the ring by Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren, who played Ivan Drago. Weathers wasn’t happy about that and stormed off the set.
Source: Universal Pictures
Believe it or not, actress Michelle Rodriguez almost quit “The Fast and the Furious” due to an on-screen love triangle she was supposed to involve. Her co-star
Vin Diesel convinced the actress to stick around. The actress did not appear again until the franchise's fourth installment.
#6 Klaus Kinski in "Aguirre, the Wrath of God"
Source: Filmverlag der Autoren
Klaus Kinski and director of "Aguirre, the Wrath of God", Werner Herzog, had a strained relationship. It got so bad when Herzog reportedly pulled a gun on the actor to stop him from walking off the set and unfortunately, one bullet blew the tip off an extra’s finger. Kinski then decided to leave the movie.
#7 Emma Watson in “This Is the End”
Source: Reddit
Although Emma Watson was rarely associated with scandals and controversy, she was in a situation where she had to leave the set. When filming for the movie “This Is the End”, the actress refused to do a cannibal scene and left the set.
#8 Faye Dunaway in "Chinatown"
Source: Paramount Pictures
Faye Dunaway was in the role of an extreme woman in the movie “Chinatown”. The director noticed during a scene that the actress had stray hair and plucked it. Faye Dunaway was enraged and reportedly stormed off set, shouting at the top of her lungs that the director had cut off all her hair.
#9 Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in “The Abyss”
Source: 20th Century Fox
In one scene of “The Abyss”, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was being resuscitated so her chest repeatedly getting pounded. She eventually got tired of this and walked away from the set.
#10 Gene Hackman in "The French Connection"
Source: 20th Century Fox
Gene Hackman has a reputation for picking fights - sometimes with the wrong people. Playing the lead actor in the film The French Connection, Hackman found something unsettling about the film and made it known to the director. After getting into a heated argument, he stormed off set but returned soon after.