There are people in Hollywood who seem to be bigger than life, and not all of them are loving. Beneath the flashing and luxurious events, some of these superstars have such repugnant characters that even their fellow actors, directors, and crew cannot stand the thought of working with them. They could act in any manner from diva antics to small fires to just being hostile, and these celebrities went on to demonstrate that fame doesn’t always mean that you become a better person. To begin with, here are ten of Hollywood’s rude actors, who were initially surprising with their conduct but later became notorious for their behavior.
10. Lea Michele
The Glee graduate had impressed viewers with her Broadway vocals, but her backstage image was quite different. Co-stars had accused her of generating a toxic work culture, with Samantha Ware saying she suffered from “traumatic microaggressions” and Heather Morris substantiating the complaints. Michele later made a public apology, but by then her reputation was already damaged.
9. Edward Norton
Norton is usually applauded for his dramatic ability, but off-screen, he gained notoriety for being a control freak. Having played the Hulk in 2008, Marvel promptly replaced him with Mark Ruffalo, describing him as lacking a “collaborative spirit.” Speculation that he rewrote scripts and clashed with directors cemented his image as a difficult collaborator.
8. Julia Roberts
Though often called “America’s Sweetheart,” Roberts wasn’t always so sweet on set. While filming Hook, her behavior earned her the nickname “Tinkerhell” from Steven Spielberg. The director later admitted it was simply a bad time for them to work together, but the label stuck as a reminder that even beloved stars can be tough to handle.
7. Bill Murray
For all his comedic genius, Bill Murray has a storied history of feuds. He famously battled Harold Ramis, engaged in tense on-set fights with Lucy Liu, and stormed off the set against Richard Dreyfuss, calling him “an Irish drunken bully” after What About Bob?. Murray’s charm has taken him far, but his temper has left a long legacy of blowback.
6. Bruce Willis
In his later career, Willis gained a reputation for being demanding on set. Directors portrayed him as moody and frustrated, needing reduced scripts and extensive body-double work. Much of this was subsequently attributed to his struggle with aphasia, which ultimately brought his retirement about. Although many collaborators showed sadness rather than anger, it still left behind reports of difficult shoots.
5. Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase’s irascible reputation is nearly as well-known as his humor. Ex-SNL cast members complained that he was abusive, slapping them and making racist remarks. Donald Glover on Community said that Chase would insult him with slurs during rehearsals. Even years after leaving, Pete Davidson simply referred to Chase as “a really bad, racist dude.”
4. Thomas Gibson
Famous for his work on Criminal Minds, Gibson’s on-set tantrums were his undoing. After he kicked a writer after arguing with him, he was let go from the show. This was not the first time—previously, he had pushed an assistant director and even went so far as to take anger management courses. Ultimately, it cost him his landmark character.
3. Christian Bale
Bale’s tirade on the set of Terminator Salvation is known as one of the most ranted-about Hollywood stories. The audio he blew up at a cinematographer went viral and made him a character of an unpredictable one. Nevertheless, Bale admitted that he was totally off and apologised publicly, but still, the event is the first to come to mind when talking about on-set breakdowns.
2. Teri Hatcher
The Desperate Housewives ensemble was a difficult team, and Teri Hatcher was often considered the troublemaker. Offenders supposedly excluded her from group presents and used the term “the meanest woman in the world” to describe her. Even a standard Vanity Fair shoot turned out to be a fight over who would get the spotlight, thus confirming her diva nature.
1. Chris Noth
At number one is Chris Noth, aka Mr. Big. On-set reports had already depicted his conduct as “disgusting” with unwanted touching and obscene comments. His career came crashing down when numerous allegations of assault were made public, resulting in his being dropped by his agent and eliminated from The Equalizer. For Noth, decades of bad behavior had finally caught up.
Hollywood tends to forgive its favorites, and some manage to restore their reputations after a while. However, for these ten, their legacy is not only about the work that appeared on screen—it’s about the challenging, and sometimes poisonous, conduct that trailed behind them off-screen.