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Celebrities Who Clashed On-Set And Refuse To Work Together Decades Later

Photo Credit: 	
Touchstone Pictures / 
Caravan Pictures / Zayne / MovieStillsDB
Photo Credit: Touchstone Pictures / Caravan Pictures / Zayne / MovieStillsDB

It’s common knowledge that not all celebrities enjoy working with their fellow co-stars. However, there are some who dislike each other so much that they refuse to work together, even to this day. Here are five celebrity feuds that started backstage and continue to cause rifts in Hollywood.

Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte

Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte starred together in the 1994 film, I Love Trouble. It follows two competing journalists working to unravel the reason behind a train derailment. The film was initially meant to be a romantic comedy, but was changed to a suspense thriller due to bad blood between its co-stars.

Peter Brackett and Sabrina Peterson looking scared
I Love Trouble, 1994. (Photo Credit: Touchstone Pictures / 
Caravan Pictures / Zayne / MovieStillsDB)

Roberts and Nolte reportedly couldn’t stand each other, resulting in hostile behavior on set. It’s said Roberts wasn’t a fan of Nolte’s “machismo” behavior and threw several tantrums, while Nolte disapproved of his co-star’s behavior and purposely went out of his way to aggravate her.

The pair requested stand-ins when possible, but this didn’t stop their dislike for each other showing in the film’s final product. While Disney tried to deny there were any issues, the pair’s later interviews proved the rumors to be true.

In an interview with the New York Times, Roberts called Nolte “charming and nice,” but “completely disgusting,” and when speaking with David Letterman years later performed an unflattering impression of her former co-star. Nolte responded to Roberts, saying she is “not a nice person.”

William Shatner and George Takei

The feud between William Shatner and George Takei began while the pair were starring in the original Star Trek series. It’s lasted ever since and, by the looks of it, has only grown worse over time.

Cast of Star Trek: The Original Series sitting on the USS Enterprise
Star Trek: The Original Series, 1966. (Photo Credit: Desilu Productions / TarzanTriumphs / MovieStillsDB)

According to Takei, Shatner was not a team player. He said, “Canadians have a certain image of being even-tempered and friendly and all that. Well, he is a person who is that way with himself. He is very self-centered.”

Shatner has shot back, putting into question Takei’s mental health. “There’s such a sickness there, it’s painfully obvious that there’s psychosis there,” he said. “I don’t know what his original thing about me was, I have no idea… I literally don’t know him. I [didn’t] know him very well on the series. He’d come in for a day or two, as evidenced by the role he played.”

The pair have made it clear they have no intention of working together again.

Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere

Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere were meant to star together in 1974’s The Lords of Flatbush. Unfortunately, a disagreement between the pair led to Gere being fired several weeks into production and being replaced by Perry King.

Sylvester Stallone + Richard Gere
Sylvester Stallone [L] and Richard Gere [R]. (Photo Credit: 1. Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images 2. Matej Divizna / Getty Images)
In a 2006 interview with Ain’t It Cool News, Stallone revealed their beef started over a greasy chicken: “We were rehearsing at Coney Island and it was lunchtime, so we decided to take a break, and the only place that was warm was in the backseat of a Toyota. I was eating a hotdog and he climbs in with a half a chicken covered in mustard with grease nearly dripping out of the aluminum wrapper.

“I said, ‘That thing is going to drip all over the place.’ He said, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ I said, ‘If that gets on my pants you’re gonna know about it.’ He proceeds to bite into the chicken and a small, greasy river of mustard lands on my thigh. I elbowed him in the side of the head and basically pushed him out of the car.”

It’s thought Stallone started that ridiculous rumor involving Gere, a gerbil, and a visit to the ER. While Stallone denies this, his former co-star believes him to be the mastermind.

Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones

Batman Forever might not be the best film to feature the Dark Knight, but that’s not why it’s making this list. As it turns out, Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones, who played the Riddler and Harvey Dent, respectively, did not get along. The reason? Jones’ ego.

The Riddler showing Harvey Dent something
Batman Forever, 1995. (Photo Credit: Warner Bros. / MovieStillsDB)

Carrey became aware of Jones’ dislike for him after running into him at a restaurant during filming. As he told The Howard Stern Show, “The blood drained from his face in such a way that I realized that I had become the face of his pain or something. And he got up, kind of shaking, and hugged me and said, ‘I hate you. I really don’t like you.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, okay, what’s going on man?’ And he said, ‘I cannot sanction your buffoonery.'”

Director Joel Schumacher confirmed Carrey’s account in a 1996 interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying, “Jim Carrey was a gentleman, and Tommy Lee was threatened by him. I’m tired of defending overpaid, over-privileged actors. I pray I don’t work with them again.”

Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine

In 1983’s Term of Endearment, Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine played loving mother-daughter duo Emma Horton and Aurora Greenway. However, the pair’s on-screen relationship didn’t transfer off-screen.

Emma Horton and Aurora Greenway standing together
Terms of Endearment, 1983. (Photo Credit: James L. Brooks / murraymomo / MovieStillsDB)

According to reports, MacLaine quickly grew tired of Winger’s antics, which included her lifting up her skirt and ‘blowing wind’ in her face. Her substance abuse at the time also caused her to act erratically on set and clash with her co-stars.

Things came to a head at the 1984 Academy Awards. Both were nominated for Best Actress for their performances in the film. MacLaine ended up taking home the award, and to further rub it in Winger’s face, ended her speech by saying, “I deserve this, thank you!”

More from us: The Feud Between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford

The pair’s feud continues to this day, and Winger is not shy about discussing it. Over the years, she has continued to bring it up in interviews, meaning the likelihood of them working together in the future is pretty slim.

Clare Fitzgerald

Clare Fitzgerald is a Writer and Editor with eight years of experience in the online content sphere. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from King’s University College at Western University, her portfolio includes coverage of digital media, current affairs, history and true crime.

Among her accomplishments are being the Founder of the true crime blog, Stories of the Unsolved, which garners between 400,000 and 500,000 views annually, and a contributor for John Lordan’s Seriously Mysterious podcast. Prior to its hiatus, she also served as the Head of Content for UK YouTube publication, TenEighty Magazine.

In her spare time, Clare likes to play Pokemon GO and re-watch Heartland over and over (and over) again. She’ll also rave about her three Maltese dogs whenever she gets the chance.

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