Talented but unbearable: why many in Hollywood refuse to work with them
They are established stars, but when the camera is turned off they don't know how to handle their egos and they become the teammate that nobody wants to have.
Bad character, whims, excess of intensity or control, there are many reasons that make an actor an unbearable filming partner. Being a Hollywood star can be very stressful, and not everyone is capable of handling the situation in the best ways. The egos and manias of some talented movie stars are so irritable that they end up making them insufferable to colleagues and production teams. In all eras there were actors or actresses with a bad reputation and with whom everyone hates to work, or at least that is what the gossips say in Los Angeles, the cradle of entertainment. Some of them have the ego through the roof and want all the prominence, others directly do not know how to lead a team project. Bill Murray, for example, can't handle her temper and heavy ironies, while Gwyneth Paltrow can't stand not having all the attention on her on a set and Edward Norton is so demanding that no director wants to direct it. However, Christian Bale and Shia LaBeouf lead the list of the most difficult to deal with because of their indomitable character.
Christian bale
Christian Bale is on the Hollywood blacklist, within which are the names of the most problematic actors and with whom, therefore, no one wants to work. He is one of the best of his generation, with an indisputable talent, but the actor has serious problems controlling anger and level of demand from him which makes it difficult for him to make friends on the set. It is impossible to forget the fit of rage that he had during the filming of "Terminator Salvation". The Welshman had a violent behavior against the director of photography, Shane Hurlbut, for accidentally interrupting the recording of a scene. A member of the team leaked the audio to the press and Bale was exposed. At that time, there were many who predicted the end of the actor's career, even he himself acknowledged that he was afraid that the public would reject him. Fortunately that never happened; he has not stopped working and in his house he already has two Oscars.
Apparently, he is also one of those interpreters who does not abandon his character when the red light goes out. In fact, Aitana Sánchez Gijón, who starred in the film “El Maquinista” with the actor, affirmed that her colleague practically did not speak to anyone. But that is not all. He also has a reputation for being a bad companion. Natalie Portman herself was the victim and witness of his lack of solidarity. During the filming of Terrence Malick's “The Knight of Cups” (2015), Bale forced the crew and his co-stars to repeat the scenes over and over again until he was completely satisfied, which was rarely the case due to in his constant search for perfection.
Katherine Heigl
The former doctor Izzie Stevens in "Gray's Anatomy" has also become famous for her bad ways in the workplace and she is one of the least loved by her colleagues. Katherine Heigl revealed her "diva" behavior when she withdrew from the race for an Emmy on the grounds that her character had lost presence in the ABC television drama, provoking the fury of the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, and never again. She appeared on the set of the show that launched her to fame. Then he boycotted the promotion of "Slightly Pregnant" criticizing the machismo of the film and ended up fighting with Seth Rogen, his partner in the film, and with the director, Judd Apatow. But what made it impossible - they say - were his constant demands: suites in the best hotels and clauses in their contracts that gave her the right to rewrite the script or approve the rest of the cast. And so the interpreter was gradually burying her own career. With the public in her pocket thanks to popular romantic comedies Like “27 Dresses” and “The Crude Truth,” Heigl could have become quite the star. She seemed destined to inherit the title of America's bride formerly held by Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan. However, her bad habit of bad-mouthing About all the projects she had participated in, they earned her a reputation for being ungrateful and complicated. In recent years she tried unsuccessfully to return to television and has already added two canceled series to her resume: "Matters of State" and "Reasonable Doubt".
Bill murray
Hollywood has been ensuring for years that the passage of time has managed to soften Bill Murray's strong temper. However, when asked about the actor, he insists that his character remains the same and that the only thing that has changed is that he has become more selective in choosing who to spend time with on set.
"I have that reputation because of people who I did not like to work with or did not know how to work with me or directly how to work in general," the interpreter defended himself in an interview with The Guardian newspaper in 2018. The 69-year-old actor did not It takes away the dream that certain filmmakers do not want him in their projects because of his reputation as a grumpy one and for having starred in certain encounters with colleagues: "Some believe that they hire you and have the right to behave like dictators."
Murray earned his reputation for being difficult for countless episodes of more than awkwardness with co-workers or members of film crews. There's a reason he didn't reprise his role in the sequel to Charlie's Angels. The movie was bad, yes, but it was Lucy Liu who asked for it after a strong discussion with the comedian. According to her, the actor spent it questioning the acting skills of Drew Barrimore and Cameron DÃaz while the Asian actress made life impossible because she did not believe that she was equal to the rest of the cast. "You, what are you doing here, if you don't know how to act?", He told her looking at her face. In the filming of the comedy What about Bob? Richard Dreyfuss had the idea of modifying some dialogues and he consulted his partner who, without a word, yelled at him and then threw a glass ashtray at him. On another occasion, he threw the film's producer, Laura Ziskin, into a lake during an argument. In Love Spell (1993) he argued daily with the director, the late Harold Ramis, because Murray wanted to give the film an existential message and Ramis preferred to bet on comedy.
"I know that sometimes I get grumpy," acknowledged the actor. “Especially on the first day of filming, when I have to get used to the idea of who are the 15 useless people who are on the loose on the set and only think about taking the pill and resting on their laurels. Without doing anything else. I have to get rid of them as soon as possible ”.
Edward Norton
The three-time Oscar nominee is known in the industry for taking ownership of the projects he works on. Everything must go through him first, they say. In "American History X" he edited his scenes and performed on the set of "The Red Dragon" with his text rewritten of it. After giving life to Hulk in Louis Leterrier's film in 2008, everything seemed to indicate that the actor would recover his character in "The Avengers" (2012) but finally he was left out, according to Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, they preferred to look for a actor who showed a “collaborative spirit.” Screenwriter Zack Penn leaked to the press that the interpreter had an “unusual” way of working: he changed scenes at the time of filming them or did long preparation exercises. However, despite his In efforts to improve the story and its characters, the film was one of Norton's great failures on the big screen. The experience on the set, with continuous push and pull on the part of the actor to change dialogue and tone of the film, caused that was replaced by Mark Ruffalo. Later, the director also said that he felt cheated because Marvel changed everything they had promised him. He wanted a dark movie in the style of Christopher's Batman trilogy He and Nolan thought the studio wanted the same thing. But it was not the first time that the actor crossed certain limits. For giving his opinion all the time in the script reading of "A Matter of Honor" Nick Nolte ended up leaving the project. "He interrupted and did not stop indicating to the other actors how we should interpret our characters."
Gwyneth paltrow
"I would rather die than give my children an envelope soup" or "I am who I am, I can not pretend to be someone who earns $ 25,000 a year" are some of the difficult statements of the actress to digest. In 2013, Star Magazine crowned Gwyneth Paltrow - a 1999 Oscar winner for "Shakespeare in love" - as the most hated famous person in Hollywood. Apparently in the industry it is no secret that she is pretentious and with bad manners on the film set. In addition to adding her unusual clauses to her contracts, her fight with Scarlett Johansson on the set of “Iron Man 2” was the most talked about. She got a bad rap in the studio because she "wasn't nice to anyone and also made people uncomfortable." The gossip then said that Paltrow could not bear not being the female lead on the set. An anonymous who worked on the set said that the actress, in a fit of jealousy, refused to speak with her partner. Johansson settled the controversy by denying her problems, arguing that they had never had a very close relationship. Paltrow later stated that she adored Scarlett. Whether it was true or not, the actress did not participate in the promotion of the film.
Mike myers
After sweeping the box office with the second installment of Austin Powers, which elevated Mike Myers to superstar status, he believed himself more or less the master of the industry. Result: everything turned against him. In an unexpected move, Universal Studios sued the man who had made them tons of money. Weeks before the beginning of the filming of the third installment of the film, Myers decided to withdraw from the project. Angeles. For his part, the multifaceted artist declared himself "surprised and dismayed" and indicated that his intention was to make the film but asked to delay the project to make a script revision. Some attribute it to the comedian's perfectionist eagerness, but it ended in a dirty rags war. Proponents argue that Myers' passion for the job and skills as a screenwriter and actor redeem him from all charges. Even "Wayne's World" director Penelope Spheeris, who had pitched battles with Myers, told him about it. wishes the best: "I forgive and adore him. He is so talented that sometimes you just have to put up with that bullshit." On the first day of filming, in 1991, Myers had a nervous breakdown and because he didn't want Dana Carvey to have a lot of participation in the movie. Two weeks before filming began, Carvey threatened to withdraw from the project. The studio held him back by offering to add scenes for his character. Spheeris said that Myers had a two-hour discussion on the phone with the producer because on the entire set there was not a gram of margarine for his toast and he had to settle for lard. “My daughter wanted to work in the movies, so I offered her to Mike as a slave. But she didn't reach him either, ”Spheeris said. He was also accused of stealing ideas from his former Saturday Night Live mates. When Carvey saw the movie he was shocked. The villainous Doctor Evil was a perfect copy of his backstage SNL impersonation of Lorne Michaels, with everyone else celebrating and mimicking in turn. When a reporter asked Myers about his reputation as a tough guy on the sets, he laughed in his face. "I'm the Marlon Brando of comedy," he said.
Shia labeouf
Controversial and whimsical, that's Shia LaBeouf. He has a short career but his many eccentricities have made him one of the most "special" actors in cinema. In "Hearts of Steel", the actor went several weeks without showering because of getting into the role. David Ayer, director, and Brad Pitt himself, warned him about his inappropriate behavior, but he did not care. Finally, the producers put him in a different hotel than the rest of the team. In "Lawless" he also caused problems, Mia Wasikowska ended with a nervous breakdown and Tom Hardy ended up getting punched. And to honor his reputation as a controversial artist, the actor attacked one of the most important filmmakers: "I don't like the movies I made with Spielberg," he said in an interview with Variety. "It's more of a damn company than a director," he assured. "You are there and you realize that you are not meeting the Spielberg of your dreams."
