Actors Who Couldn't Stand Each Other In Real Life

The general public might have a good idea of what goes down on film sets thanks to modern pop culture journalism and social media, so it's no surprise to hear that making a movie isn't all red carpets and gift baskets. Ultimately, it's a job like any other, where people need to show up to set on time and put in their hours until the higher-ups are happy. And, just like any other job, the stars don't always get along with their co-workers.

Actors may have to pretend to be lovers or best friends when, in reality, they want to get as far away from the other person as possible. Some projects can survive these bitter feuds, with both performers turning in excellent performances that leave audiences none the wiser that they hated each other's guts because all we see is exceptional chemistry on-screen. In other cases, watching the film or TV show and noticing how little time the two characters spend together is all the evidence you need to realize that something sinister had been brewing behind the scenes.

For a litany of reasons, the following pairs of actors just couldn't stand working with each other. While some buried the hatchet after the cameras stopped rolling, some of these feuds continue to rage on.

Sarah Hyland may have been disappointed with her character's fate on "Modern Family" (and many fans of the show would agree with that assessment), but one actor has shared his disappointment in his experience working with Hyland.

Jeff Dye, who's mostly known for his stand-up comedy, appeared on "The George Janko Show" podcast in February 2025 to relate his horror stories of working with Hyland in 2019's "The Wedding Year." Though Dye doesn't play a huge role in the film, he says the two still clashed on set. He described Hyland as a "pretty woman who chain-smokes and is terrible" in addition to being a "tyrant." As an example of this, Dye claims that Hyland spoke with the director after getting upset some extras working on the movie were taking snacks from the craft services table. This apparently culminated in Hyland telling Dye directly, "You're what is wrong with people."

Dye's theory for why Hyland might not have liked him specifically is that he's a quote-unquote "actual man," and "she's not used to masculine energy of any sort." Hyland has yet to speak out on Dye's criticisms, but when Dye posted the podcast clip to his Instagram, others who have worked alongside the actor on various productions came to Hyland's defense, like @joerussellproductions, who wrote, "I worked with Sarah on XOXO and she was nice."

Francis Ford Coppola's movies have a reputation for being disasters during production. While the result can either be something as magnificent as "Apocalypse Now" or a baffling mess like "Megalopolis," something went wrong between the stars of "Bram Stoker's Dracula." While Gary Oldman's Count Dracula ranks among the best depictions of the vampire in cinematic history, he also apparently rubbed his co-star, Winona Ryder, the wrong way.

Details about what happened are sparse, but according to Ryder's unauthorized biography, the actress claimed, "We hung out before the movie in rehearsals and stuff but it wasn't the same after we started shooting. I don't know why. Maybe it's his way of working, but I felt like there was a danger." It's possible this is due to Oldman engaging in method acting techniques throughout the shoot, even going so far as to sleep in a coffin at night. Ryder also discussed her co-star's demeanor as part of "The Making of Bram Stoker's Dracula" documentary, where she said, "The Gary that I know, he's a very emotional person. Maybe that comes across sometimes as being intense. But I see it more as just extremely emotional."

But making "Bram Stoker's Dracula" wasn't all bad for Ryder. It's where she met her longtime friend, Keanu Reeves, and when speaking with Vanity Fair in 2018, Ryder recalled some of the journal entries she wrote during that time as basically being "Angst, angst, angst, angst, thank God for Keanu. Thank God I'm going to see Keanu." That's probably why Ryder and Reeves later reunited for "A Scanner Darkly" and "Destination Wedding" while she hasn't done anything with Oldman since.

One reason why you don't really hear from Chevy Chase these days is that he's notoriously difficult to work with. But while it seems like everyone on "Community" has come forward with a horror story about Chase, his surly reputation didn't begin there. It goes all the way back to him being the first golden boy on "Saturday Night Live" during its first season in 1975.

Chase wasn't exactly well-liked during his tenure on "SNL," and after he left, Bill Murray came on to effectively fill his shoes. When Chase returned in 1978 to host an "SNL" episode, he got into it with Murray. The two traded barbs, ultimately leading to Murray and Chase getting into a physical fight before "SNL" went on the air that night. With that in mind, it may seem odd for Chase and Murray to share the screen together just a couple of years later in 1980's "Caddyshack," where they famously improvised their scenes. Chase would later state in the book, "Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story," that working together on the film helped them turn over some new leaves. "We got over everything," he recalled. "The tension was short-lived. I have nothing but admiration and affection for Bill. He still can be a surly character, to say the least. But ultimately, he's a good guy."

The two even posed together for a picture at the "SNL50" afterparty in 2025 to commemorate 50 years of the iconic series. Knowing that Chase can make amends with folks, maybe there's still hope for him appearing in the long-gestating "Community" movie ... but we wouldn't hold our breath.

It took a lot of hard work, an extensive amount of time in the grueling desert, and one bitter feud between co-stars to make "Mad Max: Fury Road." The book "Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road" chronicled the antagonistic dynamic between Tom Hardy, who plays the titular Max Rockatansky, and Charlize Theron, who portrays Furiosa.

The feud between the actors seemingly came down to Hardy frequently being late to set while Theron would arrive whenever she was meant to be there. One incident cited in the book discusses one day in particular, with a call time of 8:00 a.m., which Theron was right on time for. Hardy arrived three hours late, and when he finally showed up, Theron cursed him out. There were other issues that also reportedly contributed to Hardy and Theron's quarrel, with the latter even stating that she didn't "feel safe" working on the set.

Hardy owns up to his unprofessional behavior in the book. "What [Theron] needed was a better, perhaps more experienced partner in me," he admitted. "I'd like to think that now that I'm older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion." As for director George Miller, he didn't take any chances when it came to making sure Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth got along while shooting "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." When interviewed by The Telegraph, he revealed the message he gave his new actors: "You have to be obsessive about safety — physical safety, as the shoot goes on and fatigue sets in, but also psychological safety. It's not like the wild old days."

When it comes to filming a buddy cop show, one would imagine it'd be nice if the lead duo were actual friends, but that couldn't have been further from the truth on the set of "Castle." According to multiple sources, Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, who play Richard Castle and Kate Beckett, respectively, were at each other's throats throughout a good chunk of the series' run.

Shortly after ABC canceled the series, US Weekly spoke with an insider claiming Fillion and Katic hated each other, which caused problems on the show as their characters spend large portions of time together. Not only do they solve crimes as a team, but eventually, they form a romantic relationship. The insider even asserted, "It got so out of hand they made Stana and Nathan go to couples counseling together." One of the biggest unanswered questions about "Castle" is what, exactly, happened between the two, as nothing concrete has ever been cited as the source of their tension. However, a secondary source pinned the blame on Fillion, telling US Weekly, "Nathan has been nasty to Stana for a long time. Stana was a pro, just wanted to get in there and do her job."

Fans were strapped into a roller coaster of emotions when it was announced that Katic wouldn't return for Season 9 — which ultimately never happened. "Castle" ended after eight seasons, and it's somewhat surprising news of Fillion and Katic's long-running feud only surfaced as the show was in its final days.

Thanks to social media, fans can get the inside scoop on their favorite celebrities whenever the stars feel like posting online. It also opens up all sorts of extra avenues for fans to speculate wildly about stars' interactions, which is exactly what happened when Debra Messing and Megan Mullally, co-stars on "Will & Grace," unfollowed each other on Instagram. 

Fans were no doubt excited when "Will & Grace" returned in 2017 after initially ending in 2006. But the revival may have put a wedge between the two actresses, as things appear to have deteriorated during its final season in 2019 and 2020. In addition to the unfollowing, Messing posted a photo of the "Will & Grace" cast and tagged everyone — except Mullally. Seemingly firing back with her own post, Mullally said, "One of the best feelings is finally losing your attachment to somebody who isn't good for you," a post that she subsequently deleted. The feud apparently got so bad that Mullally stepped away while filming the final season, which is why her character, Karen Walker, doesn't appear in several episodes.

Neither Messing nor Mullally ever spoke publicly about the feud, what caused it, or if it even exists. Around the time of the perceived social media sparring, Eric McCormack was quick to squash rumors when speaking with US Weekly, saying, "It seems crazy. It is crazy! I think people worried about that entirely too much."

For anyone who's ever wondered why Adam (Alex Pettyfer) didn't return for the "Magic Mike" sequel, the answer comes down to the actor's feud with Channing Tatum, who plays the titular Mike. Pettyfer revealed all on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast (via The Hollywood Reporter), saying that things between them started off in a shaky place. Pettyfer admits he had a "bad boy" reputation prior to "Magic Mike," so Tatum was already wary of having him on board when director Steven Soderbergh cast him.

Pettyfer tried to keep to himself, but this only caused more problems for his reputation. "I didn't speak on the movie [set]," he admitted. "I was scared to speak ... That also gave me a bad rep because they said, 'Oh Alex thinks he's f***ing better than everybody else because he doesn't speak to anyone.' And that's not true. I was genuinely nervous and scared to be myself." Things only got worse after production wrapped when Pettyfer rented an apartment from one of Tatum's friends and owed a lot in back rent. He said that he forgot to pay following the death of a family member, but Tatum pestered him about covering the unpaid debt.

Pettyfer's career really hasn't rebounded since he landed his high-profile parts in "Magic Mike" and "I Am Number Four." He allegedly threatened his then-girlfriend, Dianna Agron, over the phone and trash-talked Hollywood at large in a disastrous interview. While he appeared in 2024's "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," it doesn't seem like there will be a Pettyfer resurgence anytime soon.

In the 2013 comedy "This Is the End," a bunch of celebrities play fictionalized versions of themselves amidst the rapture and ensuing apocalypse. For audiences, this means getting to watch the likes of Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, and James Franco get into a bunch of shenanigans for 100 minutes. While they may be exaggerated takes on the celebs, one aspect of the film that's apparently all too real is the friction between Jay Baruchel and Jonah Hill.

The two had previously worked together on "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Knocked Up," but Baruchel revealed on "The Last Laugh" podcast that the pair actually tapped into their real-world feud for "This Is the End." "Jonah and I don't get along super well, or at least didn't back then," Baruchel explained. While confronting those feelings for a film production sounds like it could've been an opportunity to work through those issues, the actor said that this didn't happen. "It was this weird thing of mining personal s***, but not for catharsis ... mining it just for comedy."

There may not have been catharsis when "This Is the End" came out, but in 2017, Baruchel spoke on "Larry King Now" and said that things had gotten somewhat better between him and Hill. "It was contentious once upon a time," he said, "but I think now we're sort of each the devil the other one knows." Despite this burying of the hatchet, with Seth Rogen stating that he won't work with James Franco ever again following the latter's sexual misconduct allegations, it's a safe bet that a potential "This Is the End" sequel is dead in the water.

On "Shameless," the Gallagher family had more than its share of ups and downs, with various members fighting and making up over the course of the show's 11 seasons. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) often had to play mediator, but she pursued another path at the end of Season 9 and didn't even return for the show's finale. The reason for this was simply due to Rossum wanting to pursue other creative outlets. But while many fans wished her the best, co-star Emma Kenney, who plays Debbie, revealed that things weren't always so cheery between the two, much like their characters' relationship on the show.

Kenney appeared on a 2021 episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, where she said that Rossum didn't always act great toward her. "There were times when [Emmy] would try to be a good influence, and then there were times where she would be blatantly giving me ... not the best advice," Kenney said. While she wished Rossum the best in her future endeavors, she admitted that it could be tough working with her. "I remember pre her leaving, I'd go to set some days, and I'd be very anxious having a scene with her because if she had a bad day, she made it a bad day for everybody."

Despite all this, Kenney admitted she still had "a lot of love for Emmy." As for Rossum, she's kept things pretty low-key since leaving "Shameless," appearing in miniseries like "Angelyne" and "The Crowded Room."

Reboots and revivals may be all the rage on streaming services these days, but Casey Wilson probably wishes "The Santa Clause" franchise had remained in the Disney Vault after having to work with Tim Allen on "The Santa Clauses." In December 2023, around the time Season 2 of the show came out on Disney+, Wilson revealed on the "B**** Sesh" podcast (via Variety) that Allen was incredibly rude to her and everyone else on the set.

Wilson relayed several incidents of Allen acting unprofessionally while filming, including yelling at a producer to tell Wilson to stop stepping on his lines and unexpectedly leaving in the middle of a scene, necessitating a stand-in. It created a hostile environment, according to Wilson, who stated that everyone "was walking on egg shells." She continued, "When he was done, he was so f***ing rude. Never made eye contact, never said anything. It was so uncomfortable."

Despite "The Santa Clauses" airing new seasons back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, there was no third season for 2024. Disney's been quiet as to whether the show will return or if it's officially been canceled, but perhaps all the bad press surrounding Allen will make them think twice about having an alleged curmudgeon play kindhearted Saint Nick.