Although we love Hollywood's entertainment and glamour, things can get ugly when the cameras stop rolling. The act of casting a hothead or two celebrities who hate each other could potentially become a recipe for disaster. Dealing with people you aren't very fond of for months, or even years, at a time for filming doesn't seem fun. There are times when actors simply don't mesh well together.
In other cases, the power struggle is between a director and an actor. Occasionally, it seems as if things will inevitably get out of hand, as tensions continually rise before inevitably exploding in to an all-out brawl. Unfortunately, we don't always get to witness the juicy action behind the scenes.
You may be surprised to learn how quickly things escalated and turned physical on these sets. There are examples of messy girl fights, petty shoving, explosive punching matches, and even a conflict involving a hammer. It wouldn't be realistic to expect everyone to get along in the workplace, especially actors, who can have notoriously big egos and personalities.
Here are the 15 Shocking Fights That Happened Behind The Scenes On Sets.
15. Tom Sizemore vs. Val Kilmer (Red Planet)
The 2000 sci-fi thriller Red Planet was directed by Anthony Hoffman. Tom Sizemore and Val Kilmer starred in the film together despite having a reputation for feuding in the past.
Staff and other cast members could clearly see the two men were ticking time bombs on set. One day Sizemore requested for his elliptical machine to be shipped to the filming location, which irritated Kilmer. He then started to complain about his co-star's special treatment and brought up their salary differences.
The two men were allegedly advised by the director not to hit each other in the face. After the brawl that everyone saw coming finally happened, Sizemore punched Kilmer in the chest instead. They're reportedly friends now, but both actors have no plans of flying to space together again anytime soon.
14. Richard Gere vs. Sylvester Stallone (The Lord's of Flatbush)
In 1974, Richard Gere and Sylvester Stallone were filming The Lord's of Flatbush. The drama was about a street gang of leather jacket wearing teenagers from the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Apparently, the two never hit it off and their egos clashed daily.
Tension on set started to boil and soon spiraled out of control. Rehearsal fight scenes got a little too serious,and Stallone claims he even had to tell Gere to "lighten up" at one point.
A physical altercation was triggered one day after Gere spilled mustard on his co-star. This was the icing on the cake that triggered Stallone to elbow him in the head, which led to an aggressive shoving match. The director, Martin Davidson, was forced to make a choice and soon after Gere was replaced by Perry King.
13. Shia Labeouf vs. Tom Hardy (Lawless)
Things got heated behind the scenes of Lawless back in 2012 between Shia Labeouf and Tom Hardy. Director John Hillcoat took part in an AMA on Reddit for his film Triple 9, where he was asked about what happened.
Hillcoat responded, "There was definitely a fight between them. It escalated to the point where they had to both be restrained. But I was very pleased to hear it didn't go that way because I would hate to see the outcome."
There was an obvious size discrepancy, but that didn't stop Labeouf from swinging. Hardy sarcastically claimed that he got knocked out by the former Even Stevens actor. Shia told MTV News, "There was a lot of aggression in me and a lot of aggression on Hardy's side. We were playing brothers. There was a constant finger-in-the-ear teasing thing going on for a while." Labeouf claims the scuffle was not moonshine related.
12. Bill Murray vs. Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels)
Charlie's Angels was filmed in 2000 and featured Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Bill Murray. Originally, Murray played the character of John Bosley before things took a turn and he would end up being replaced in the sequel. On this particular day, he was no angel.
While filming, Murray flat out told Liu that she can't act. She abruptly attacked Murray for his comment, allegedly hitting him with a windmill of punches. The two had to be broken up physically, which led to production being shutdown for a day.
According to the Ghostbusters actor, the incident was just a brief little spat. The late Bernie Mac appears in the Full
Throttle sequel. Although Murray has since downplayed what occurred, he claims there's no hard feelings towards her now.
11. George Clooney vs. David O. Russell (Three Kings)
The time and effort that are put into filming a major motion picture can be stressful. The war flick Three Kings debuted in 1999, starring George Clooney as Sergeant Major Archie Gates. He was splitting time between shooting ER and Three Kings, which caused scheduling conflicts and pay cuts.
Inevitably, tempers started to flare between Clooney and director David O. Russell behind the scenes. Producer Charles Roven tells The Hollywood Reporter that George was fed up with Russell's attitude after witnessing the director yelling at some extras.
Clooney then approached the director, some words were exchanged, and a fight broke out. Roven says he was able to break it up and production was able to continue. Three Kings ended up being very successful despite the nasty brawl between the two.
10. Tom Cruise vs. Rob Lowe (The Outsiders)
The Outsiders is a novel written by S.E. Francis in the 1960s. It was eventually brought to theaters in 1983. Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe were both young actors at the time, well on their way to becoming mega stars.
The coming-of-age drama involved street gangs fighting for respect. Apparently, there was also some tussling going on behind the scenes. During the rehearsal for a staged brawl, Lowe hit Cruise in the face a little bit too hard. Cruise was obviously agitated and retaliated with a real punch that sparked a fight.
The two actors were pulled apart and given some time to shake things off. For those of you who may have forgotten, The Outsiders was directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola.
9. Thomas Gibson vs. Writer (Criminal Minds)
Thomas Gibson played the infamous Agent Hotchner on the hit show Criminal Minds. His demeanor appears to be calm and collected, but apparently Gibson had an explosive temper. His actions on set became problematic over time, which ultimately led to him being written off of the show.
Reports of an ugly behind-the-scenes feud erupted over creative differences of Hotchner's character. Things escalated rather quickly one day when Gibson got angry and kicked a writer/producer during a heated argument. The actor had a previous altercation with an assistant director that landed him in anger management classes.
His second physical encounter was the last straw and Gibson was fired. The actor has since apologized and acknowledged that his actions have possibly ruined his career.
8. Tony Bellew vs. Corner Coach (Creed)
The latest Rocky flick, Creed, premiered in 2015. British boxer Tony Bellew played the role of Pretty Ricky Conlan in the film, alongside leading actor Michael B. Jordan. Additionally, Sylvester Stallone returned to play his classic role of Rocky Balboa.
There were reports of an explosive altercation that witnesses claim happened on set. Bellew was shooting a fight scene and allegedly turned and attacked his corner coach. It's unclear as to what exactly happened between the two. Stallone was amongst those who reportedly broke up the fight.
Bellew has since denied having ever been in a fight while working on Creed. Bellew has also discussed how honored he was to get to know Sly and bring Pretty Ricky's character to life.
7. Shannen Doherty vs. Jennie Garth (Beverley Hills 90210)
Shannen Doherty allegedly had a reputation for being difficult to work with during her early acting days. Beverly Hills 90210 was a popular drama series in the '90s that starred Shannen and other actresses like Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling. At the time, all three of them were teenage girls who spent the majority of their lives on set. Unsurprisingly, one day their personalities clashed.
Garth tells Eonline "There were times when we loved each other and there were times when we wanted to claw each other's eyes out." On one occasion a messy catfight occurred between Garth and Doherty behind the scenes, which cast members had to break up.
This wasn't the only issue on set, as Doherty constantly showed up late to work, fought with cast members, and got into a bunch of legal trouble. Eventually, Doherty was fired from the show.
6. Lea Michele vs. Naya Rivera (Glee)
Lea Michele and Naya Rivera had many on screen fights as Rachel and Santana while working on the musical television series, Glee. Their feud allegedly transitioned to real life one day during filming.
Reports of a catfight involving the two actors started to spread, after a comment that Naya allegedly made about Michele. Naya claimed that Michele was being a diva and she was holding up production. There were other reports that claimed it was the other way around.
Rivera, who was once engaged to Big Sean, was recently arrested for domestic battery charges against her husband, Ryan Dorsey. She was released and seen in public shortly after. Apparently, the Glee alum has a feisty temper behind the scenes.
5. Eric Braeden vs. Michael Muhney (The Young and the Restless)
In 1991, there were reports of an on set rumble between The Young and the Restless actors Eric Braeden and Michael Muhney. For years, Muhney believed his veteran co-star wanted him fired. There were also alleged arguments over script lines that Braeden accused the actor of not taking seriously.
Hunter King, who plays Summer Newman Abbott on the show, accused Muhney of groping her inappropriately on set. Braeden admitted during several interviews that he and Muhney would often have shouting matches when the cameras were off.
Allegedly, The Young and the Restless creator, William J. Bell, had to tell both men to relax on numerous occasions or they would be fired. Following the accusations of harassment, Muhney was let go.
4. Bette Davis vs. Joan Crawford (What Happened to Baby Jane)
Better Davis and Joan Crawford reportedly had an ongoing feud that lasted for decades. Their rivalry was legendary. However, there seemed to be people who assumed that casting them together could possibly put an end to the tension.
In the 1962 film, What Happened to Baby Jane, Davis and Crawford were cast as a pair of feuding sisters. While on set, reports of verbal and physical altercations behind the scenes slowed down production. Their animosity existed from feuds in both their personal and professional lives.
Davis claims the best time she ever had with Joan was when she pushed her down some stairs. The authentic fight scenes and performances made the film a box office hit. During a 1987 interview with Bryant Gumbel, Davis claims her co-star sabotaged her Oscar nomination out of jealousy.
3. LL Cool J vs. Jamie Foxx (Any Given Sunday)
LL Cool J and Jamie Foxx got into a heated quarrel during the filming of Any Given Sunday. The pair played teammates in the 1999 football drama that also starred notable actors like Al Pacino and Dennis Quaid. Cool J and Foxx quickly became opponents after the Mama Says Knock You Out" rapper took a fight scene too far.
Initially, the actors were supposed to perform a shoving match, but punches were thrown almost instantly after Foxx felt things getting serious. The pair fought until they were separated, but their feud continued long after filming.
LL Cool J threw shots at Foxx in a song from his album G.O.A.T., claiming Foxx wasn't funnier than comedian Chris Rock. Foxx then clapped back during a stand up show, roasting Cool J. The beef that brewed between the former co-stars has since been squashed.
2. Isaiah Washington vs. Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy)
Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington squared off on the set of Grey's Anatomy back in 2006. Reportedly, Washington grabbed Patrick by the throat after an argument broke out over cast members showing up late for work.
In the heat of the argument, Washington used a homophobic slur towards his co-star, T.R. Knight. Washington reignited the controversy after he repeated the slur backstage at the Golden Globes in January 2007. Knight did later admit that he was gay and he received a ton of support from his fans.
Access Hollywood released a statement from Washington's representative, saying "Differences are inevitable. They were aired, resolved, and everyone has moved on." He has since apologized publicly for his actions.
1. Rip Torn vs. Norman Mailer (Maidstone)
Maidstone was written and directed by Norman Mailer in the late 1960s. Mailer also starred in the film alongside Rip Torn and Isabelle Dufresne. A vicious behind-the-scene brawl was captured on camera between Mailer and Torn and used in the final cut of the film.
Torn struck his co-star in the head with a hammer, during a planned scene that obviously had gone wrong. Mailer then attacked Torn with punches and even pulled a Mike Tyson and bit his ear. The two men rolled around in the grass like wild animals, choking each other until they were broken up. Mailer walked away with blood dripping from his head.
Torn is best known for his roles as Patches O'Houlihan and Zed, from the films Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Men in Black.
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Do you know of anymore fights that happened behind the scenes? Let us know in the comments!