Just because certain characters don’t get along on screen doesn’t mean they don’t get along when the cameras are off, though it also doesn’t mean they’re best friends. There were several heroes and villains in movies of the past that just couldn’t stand each other in real life and while not all of them bothered to show their disdain for each other in an obvious fashion there were plenty of behind the scenes moments that were anything but friendly. Whether it stemmed from personality conflicts or the mere idea that they just couldn’t find a common ground between them, some actors were destined to feud and others were bound to remain at odds for one reason or another. In a business where ego can be a huge boon as well as an issue however it’s likely that every now and then people are going to clash and they’re going to find reasons that they can’t get along. Sometimes it’s both of them that enter into the feud while at others it’s just one or the other that can’t stand their costar. Whatever the case, the movies eventually were finished and it’s likely that the actors never had to see each other again.
Here are a few villains and heroes that couldn’t stand each other off camera.
5. Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey
This is kind of a testament to the kind of on screen presence that both men have since it was tough to realize that they didn’t really like each other. Or rather, Tommy Lee Jones couldn’t stand working with Jim Carrey since it was at this time that Carrey was still known for his antics on and off the camera that drove some of his costars up the wall. Jones simply couldn’t handle Carrey and even went so far as to say so at one point, though it obviously didn’t ruin the whole effect since the two still pulled off a villainous duo that was ridiculous but needed for Batman Forever and was thankfully short-lived.
4. Bette Davis and Errol Flynn
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex is probably a movie that a lot of people won’t recall, but Errol Flynn had plenty to say about his costar, Bette Davis, as during one particular scene when Queen Elizabeth was supposed to smack him across the face she hauled off and hit him as hard as she could. Actors aren’t normally called upon to inflict any actual damage upon each other, but when Flynn tried to confront Davis about this he was rebuffed a couple of times and for the most part expected to just take it. Likely as not this would get someone kicked off of a set or would escalate things horribly in this day and age.
3. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford
Many people have heard of or remember the intense rivalry between Crawford and Davis as it’s been broadcast more than once throughout the years. The jealousy that ran deep between these two women never died down as they continued to snipe at each other until their dying days. One of the strangest examples of their ability to work together however was Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, during which it’s said that the women were actually trying to hurt each other at certain points as their animosity continued to spill over into their work. This was without a doubt one of the most notable rivalries ever in terms of a hero and villain character in the movies.
2. Val Kilmer and Jim Carrey
It’s hard to think that Kilmer didn’t know who Jim Carrey was, but it sounds as though Kilmer was kind of a nightmare on the set to start with despite what he’s said in his own defense. If he didn’t feel like acting on a certain day he’d put in a terrible performance, while it was obvious at most times that he wasn’t impressed with Carrey in any way. This makes it kind of hard to think that Jim was able to do anything without being criticized or otherwise brought down thanks to his interactions with Tommy Lee Jones as well, though thankfully it does appear that his sense of humor was just too big to really be bothered by any of it.
1. Christopher Reeve and Marlon Brando
There have been a few individuals throughout history that have expressed difficulty when working with Brando, though Reeve was at least judicious in his use of words when he described how tough it was to get along with the man. Without any respect to the deceased however it does sound as though Brando refused to learn his lines, was a bit difficult on set, and was a bit of a prima donna at times. He was a great actor, but his attitude wasn’t always that great apparently.
No one’s perfect obviously, but sometimes it’d be nice if people were able to just get along.
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