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Actors Who Despised Their On-Screen Partners

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Nazarii Verbitskiy

Entertainment - October 22nd 2026, 00:00 GMT+2

1. The Fate of the Furious (2017): Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel

Apparently, the family discount doesn’t cover group therapy. Dwayne Johnson said he agreed to return for *The Fate of the Furious* on the condition that he and Vin Diesel shared no scenes. Their disagreement concerned how they approached filmmaking and treated collaborators, according to Johnson, whose public criticism made the tension impossible to ignore. Even a private meeting in his trailer established their differences rather than resolving them. | © Universal Pictures

2. Magic Mike (2012): Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer

Unpaid rent makes an unexpectedly mundane villain in the *Magic Mike* story. Alex Pettyfer said his relationship with Channing Tatum deteriorated after he owed money to Tatum’s friend, whose apartment he had rented. His withdrawn behavior on set had already been mistaken for arrogance, he explained. Refreshingly, Pettyfer’s account included some self-awareness: he accepted much of the blame and described Tatum as an important influence on his eventual growing up. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte I Love Trouble cropped processed by imagy — 3. I Love Trouble (1994): Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte

“Completely disgusting” is a bold review of your romantic leading man. Julia Roberts used those words about Nick Nolte while making *I Love Trouble*, although she also acknowledged his charm. Their assignment was to turn rival reporters into convincing lovers; getting on each other’s nerves came considerably more naturally. Nolte eventually described their feud as absurd and accepted some responsibility, giving this particular romantic comedy its most overdue character development. | © Touchstone Pictures

4. Angel Heart (1987): Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke

Mickey Rourke’s admiration for Robert De Niro did not survive their working relationship intact. According to Rourke, De Niro wanted distance between them while making *Angel Heart*, a choice he took personally. Decades later, he accused De Niro of blocking his involvement in *The Irishman*. That allegation was firmly denied, with De Niro’s representative saying Rourke had never been considered. The resentment is documented; the alleged casting sabotage decidedly isn’t. | © Tri-Star Pictures

Batman Forever Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey — 5. Batman Forever (1995): Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones

Picture approaching a colleague at dinner and receiving a formal rejection of your entire personality. Jim Carrey recalled exactly that during *Batman Forever*: Tommy Lee Jones allegedly greeted him with an admission of hatred before declaring, “I cannot sanction your buffoonery.” Carrey’s version makes their villainous partnership particularly entertaining to revisit. Two-Face apparently had serious objections to the Riddler’s excesses, despite participating in a movie where restraint was hardly the dress code. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford what ever happened to baby jane cropped processed by imagy — 6. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962): Bette Davis and Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford didn’t need an Oscar nomination to steal Bette Davis’s big night. After Davis earned a Best Actress nomination for *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?*, Crawford arranged to accept for absent nominee Anne Bancroft if she won. Bancroft did, leaving Crawford holding the trophy Davis wanted. Plenty of lurid stories surround these screen sisters, but this particular maneuver needs no embellishment: the awards footage supplies a remarkably efficient punchline. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

Terms of Endearment 1983 shirley maclaine 1 — 7. Terms of Endearment (1983): Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine

For director James L. Brooks, managing Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine felt uncomfortably like watching his parents fight. Their work on *Terms of Endearment* produced an extraordinary mother-daughter relationship, but their approaches clashed: MacLaine recalled struggling with Winger’s insistence on being addressed as her character. Both then competed for Best Actress, with MacLaine winning. Brooks remembered Winger graciously posing with an imaginary Oscar afterward—a better ending than the backstage tension might suggest. | © Paramount Pictures

8. Charlie’s Angels (2000): Bill Murray and Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu wasn’t prepared to let seniority excuse an insult. Recalling a *Charlie’s Angels* rehearsal, she said Bill Murray began directing unacceptable remarks at her after a scene had been reworked in his absence. She challenged him, and remained unapologetic about defending herself. The less frequently repeated detail? Liu also said she held nothing against Murray and that a later encounter was friendly. Standing your ground doesn’t automatically require maintaining a lifetime feud. | © Columbia Pictures

9. Annapolis (2006): James Franco and Tyrese Gibson

Boxing choreography depends on both performers remembering that the fight is pretend. Tyrese Gibson claimed James Franco repeatedly hit him for real during *Annapolis*, including in practice, despite requests to ease up. Franco disputed deliberately hitting him but acknowledged becoming too absorbed in his performance and accepted responsibility for their difficulties. Gibson’s subsequent reluctance to work together again is understandable: an acting partner should probably require less defensive training than an actual opponent. | © Touchstone Pictures

10. Any Given Sunday (1999): Jamie Foxx and LL Cool J

Al Pacino signed up to play a football coach and briefly found himself breaking up an actual fight. During *Any Given Sunday*, a scripted confrontation between Jamie Foxx and LL Cool J escalated into real blows, according to cast and crew accounts. Cinematographer Salvatore Totino recalled Foxx objecting to being hit before the situation deteriorated further. Oliver Stone subsequently wanted to know whether the cameras had caught it. Priorities, apparently, remained firmly cinematic. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

11. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979): Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep

The trouble with praising “authentic” screen conflict is that someone may have paid for it off-camera. Meryl Streep said Dustin Hoffman slapped her during a take of *Kramer vs. Kramer*, later describing the action as overstepping. Her distinction was clear: actors need freedom within a scene, but that freedom has limits. A celebrated performance doesn’t settle the question of how it was obtained, especially when a colleague’s physical boundaries become expendable. | © Columbia Pictures

Tom Hardy for Mad Max Fury Road — 12. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron

Three hours waiting in the War Rig would test anyone’s enthusiasm for teamwork. A camera operator recalled Charlize Theron confronting Tom Hardy after his late arrival on *Mad Max: Fury Road*, followed by an exchange that left her feeling threatened. Theron said she wanted protection; Hardy later acknowledged she needed a better partner. Their characters eventually learn cooperation, but treating the actors’ distress as a secret filmmaking ingredient gives an ugly situation far too flattering a review. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air — 13. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990): Will Smith and Janet Hubert

Replacing Aunt Viv took one casting decision; repairing the relationship behind it took nearly three decades. Janet Hubert blamed Will Smith’s treatment of her for lasting professional damage after her departure from *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*. At their reunion, she clarified that she had rejected an unfavorable contract, rather than been fired. Smith acknowledged making the set difficult for her, and their reconciliation finally gave the story something beyond another joke about the recasting. | © NBC Productions

Star Trek 1966 William Shatner and George Takei — 14. Star Trek (1966): William Shatner and George Takei

Even a wedding invitation became disputed territory between William Shatner and George Takei. Shatner publicly complained about being excluded; Takei insisted an invitation had been sent and received no reply. Their disagreements stretched back to working on *Star Trek*, which Takei described as difficult because of Shatner. For a series so invested in communication across civilizations, its cast supplied a wonderfully petty counterexample: two former colleagues unable to agree on the status of an RSVP. | © Paramount Television

15. The Notebook (2004): Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams

Before they became a real-life couple, Ryan Gosling reportedly wanted Rachel McAdams replaced—at least as his off-camera scene partner. *The Notebook* director Nick Cassavetes recalled Gosling asking for another actress to read with him during a difficult scene. A heated private argument helped the pair clear the air, and filming became more manageable afterward. Their later romance gives the story an irresistible twist, although requesting a substitute remains an unconventional opening move. | © New Line Cinema

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Selling a great romance takes some serious acting when you can barely stand your scene partner. Behind the kisses and longing glances, some actors were nursing grudges, clashing over working habits, or counting the minutes until filming wrapped. These actors hated working with their on-screen partners, even when the chemistry suggested otherwise. Keep that in mind the next time you wish your favorite movie couple had dated in real life.

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Selling a great romance takes some serious acting when you can barely stand your scene partner. Behind the kisses and longing glances, some actors were nursing grudges, clashing over working habits, or counting the minutes until filming wrapped. These actors hated working with their on-screen partners, even when the chemistry suggested otherwise. Keep that in mind the next time you wish your favorite movie couple had dated in real life.