10 Co-Stars Feuds That Changed Movie and TV History
Getting along with co-workers isn't always easy, but interoffice squabbles among normies aren't nearly as juicy as the feuds that have gone down in Hollywood (just ask Ryan Murphy). From the fabled head-butting of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford to the bro-y beef between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, here are the 10 of the most legendary co-stars feuds of all time.
10 legendary co-star feuds
1. Lucy Liu and Bill Murray
When a Charlie’s Angels film was announced in the late ‘90s, many people wrongly assumed that any tension on set would come from the female co-stars, largely due to outdated stereotypes about women. But Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu reportedly got along incredibly well. The problem was Bill Murray.
Liu revealed on a 2021 episode of the Los Angeles Times’ “Asian Enough” podcast that Murray made “unacceptable” and “inexcusable” insults to her on set.
"I was, like, ‘Wow, he seems like he’s looking straight at me,’" she said of the incident. "I couldn’t believe that [his comments] could be towards me, because what do I have to do with anything majorly important at that time? I say, ‘I’m so sorry. Are you talking to me?’—and clearly he was, because then it started to become a one-on-one communication.”
Her response to the behavior? “I stood up for myself, and I don’t regret it. Because no matter how low on the totem pole you may be or wherever you came from, there’s no need to condescend or to put other people down.”
At the time of the film’s release, Liu was shocked by how the media framed the incident. “What came out in the press was that I was this and I was that. It was incredible to me how it was turned around, and they automatically thought that the woman was the difficult one. But I didn’t understand how it got flipped when I had nothing to do with instigating it, or creating that platform of confrontation or anxiety.”
Still, Liu said, she has "nothing against" her former co-star. "I’ve seen him since then at an SNL reunion, and he came up to me and was perfectly nice.”
Overall, Murray doesn't have a reputation for being pleasant to work with. In her memoir Dying of Politeness, Geena Davis revealed that he allegedly harassed and berated her during the making of their 1990 comedy Quick Change. And in April 2022, Searchlight Pictures suspended production on Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut over complaints of Murray’s inappropriate behavior on set.
2. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall
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Even if Kim Cattrall is reprising her iconic role as Samantha Jones for a brief cameo in the And Just Like That Season 2 finale, it would not appear her feud with Sarah Jessica Parker is water under the bridge.
Related: Kim Cattrall Had One Major Demand for Her Brief Return to the SATC Universe
Cattrall's hard feelings date back to the early days of Sex and the City, but the actress didn't start addressing her grievances in public until 2017, when she told Piers Morgan, referring to her choice not to participate in a third SATC movie, “Nobody ever picks up the phone and tries to contact you and say, ‘How you doing?’ That would have been the way to handle it. This is, it feels like, a toxic relationship. This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City, and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker. I think she could’ve been nicer. I really think she could’ve been nicer. I don’t know what her issue is.”
Tensions came to a head the following year when Cattrall’s brother died by suicide and Parker publicly extended her condolences. Cattrall took to her own platform to address her former co-star. “I don’t need your love or support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker,” she wrote. “Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona.”
Her post included a link to an article that characterized the SATC set as having a “mean girl culture.”
Parker addressed the purported feud in a 2022 interview, saying, “I’ve never uttered fighting words in my life about anybody that I’ve worked with ever. There is not a ‘fight’ going on. There has been no public dispute or spat or conversations or allegations made by me or anybody on my behalf. I wouldn’t do it. That is not the way I would have it. So I just wish that they would stop calling this a ‘catfight’ or an ‘argument’…There has been one person talking. And I’m not going to tell her not to…so that’s been kind of painful for me also.”
Related: These Are the 10 Best Sex and the City Episodes, No Questions Asked
3. Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano
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Sometimes a feud between co-stars reaches such a breaking point that one of the actors involved needs to leave the project they're working on together. Such was the case with Charmed star Shannen Doherty, whose reported feud with Alyssa Milano came to a head at the end of the show's third season in 2001, when Doherty's character was killed off the series.
At the time, Doherty told Entertainment Tonight, “There was too much drama on the set and not enough passion for the work. You know, I’m 30 years old and I don’t have time for drama in my life anymore. To me it’s sort of whatever.” She then referenced her affection for co-star Holly Marie Combs. “I’ll miss Holly a lot and that’s really the only thing I want to clear up. She is one of my best friends and I love her dearly. And there were never ever ever any problems between the two of us, and we will always be pals.”
Milano addressed the situation herself in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying, “I’m very laid-back and passive. I have my Buddha. I come in here and meditate. [Shannen’s] got a lot of energy, she’s very headstrong, she wants to get the job done … I think it’s unfortunate that she left, and that she needed to bad-mouth everyone involved and the audience. She sounds really angry. I just hope I didn’t contribute to that anger.”
In recent years, especially amid Doherty’s public battle with breast cancer, it appears the two have reached a somewhat better place in their relationship. "I would say we are cordial," Milano shared in 2021. "You know, I could take responsibility for a lot of our tension that we had. I think a lot of our struggle came from feeling that I was in competition rather than it being that sisterhood that the show was so much about. And I have some guilt about my part in that."
Unfortunately, Milano and Doherty’s Charmed replacement, Rose McGowan—who have a longstanding feud of their own—have not arrived at the same level of understanding.
4. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester
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It appears the frenemy relationship Blake Lively and Leighton Meester portrayed onscreen during the run of the original Gossip Girl series may have had shades of reality. In 2008, a source confided to New York Daily News, “Leighton Meester and Blake Lively avoid each other like the plague while castmates choose sides."
Later that same year, the publication released a blind item that many interpreted to be about the co-stars. “Which rival young actresses on the same hit show are forced to pose together at PR events, even though they hate each other? One resents the other for having knocked her off her 'star of the show' pedestal."
Harper’s Bazaar added fuel to the fire, reporting that Meester thought Lively was an “egomaniac” and that Lively was rumored to be jealous of her co-star's TV-wardrobe budget.
While both actresses have denied reports of a feud, Lively didn’t exactly help the matter when her rep shared a statement saying, “Blake and Leighton have never been best friends, and never professed to be. Blake goes to work, does her job, and goes home.”
5. Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion
It’s always surprising when two actors who have such palpable romantic chemistry onscreen turn out to feel the opposite way in real life. Such was reportedly the case between Castle stars Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion. While their characters engaged in a will-they-or-won’t-they romance onscreen, the two did not seem so keen on each other behind the scenes.
An insider told Us Weekly, "Stana and Nathan completely despise each other. They will not speak when they are off set, and this has been going on for seasons now."
Things apparently got so bad between the two that the show’s higher-ups sent them to couples counseling! When the show was canceled by ABC following Katic’s announcement she was departing the series after Season 8, many blamed the rumored feud for the show’s abrupt ending.
Related: 10 Co-Stars Who Have Dated
6. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
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While it may seem surprising given their onscreen chemistry and offscreen romance, The Notebook stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams did not get along while filming their now-classic romance.
The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes has shared a couple of anecdotes about their turbulent experience on set, including one about the time Gosling tried to get McAdams replaced—mid-scene!
“Maybe I’m not supposed to tell this story, but they were really not getting along one day on set. Really not. And Ryan came to me, and there’s 150 people standing in this big scene, and he says, ‘Nick come here.’ And he’s doing a scene with Rachel and he says, ‘Would you take her out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with me?’ I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘I can’t. I can’t do it with her. I’m just not getting anything from this.'”
The thin line between love and hate became very apparent when Gosling and McAdams started dating a year after production wrapped. They were together from 2005 to 2007.
Related: Sparks Will Fly! All About Rachel McAdams's Enviable Love Life
7. Lea Michele and the Glee cast
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The cast of Glee has seen some rough and heartbreaking times, to say the least. In addition to the trauma in many of the stars’ personal lives, it seems the set was not a healthy place to be either—and a large portion of the fault appears to land squarely on the shoulders of series star Lea Michele.
The late Naya Rivera’s father recently said that his daughter only had “trouble with” Michele when it came to the show’s cast. “There was always a fight between them. Always. Everybody knew. Everybody saw it,” George Rivera revealed in The Curse of Glee docuseries. “They hated each other but, at the same time, respected each other’s talent.”
Rivera isn’t the only former castmate Michele apparently had issues with, as several other Glee cast members have publicly called out the Funny Girl star.
In 2020, after Michele responded to George Floyd's death with a #BlackLivesMatter tweet, actress Samantha Ware tweeted back at Michele, “Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?! Cause I’ll never forget. I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would ‘s--t in my wig!’ amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood.”
In response, Michele released a lengthy apology which read in part, “While I don’t remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or color of their skin, that’s not really the point. What matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people.”
More recently, co-star Chris Colfer told Michelle Collins on her SiriusXM radio show that he did not plan to see his fellow Glee alum in Funny Girl. "I can be triggered at home," he said.
8. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joined The Fast & The Furious franchise with the fifth film, Fast Five, in 2011. By the eighth film, The Fate of the Furious, it appears some behind-the-scenes drama had boiled over.
Johnson took to Instagram to vent about his male co-stars, who of course included Vin Diesel, in an August 2016 post that read, “There’s no other franchise that gets my blood boiling more than this one. My female costars are always amazing and I love ’em. My male costars, however, are a different story. Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t. The ones that don’t are too chicken [s***] to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses.”
In April 2017, Diesel responded to the social media drama in an interview with USA Today, saying in part, “I protect the franchise. I protect everybody including Dwayne. I protected Dwayne more than he’ll ever know. And it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have to know. But he appreciates it. He knows it. Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and that’s me."
Johnson didn’t seem to take too kindly to this response as he replied in the press, “I have one big brother and it’s my half brother. And that’s it.”
It was rumored that Diesel may have been mad about Johnson (and co-star Jason Statham) getting their own spinoff movie, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, which fellow Fast franchise star Tyrese Gibson had been openly critical of himself.
Either way, the relationship between Diesel and Johnson crumbled to the point where the two didn’t film any scenes together for the eighth movie, and they were kept separate for the press tour, with Johnson confirming, “I thought that was the best thing to do. For everybody.”
In November 2021, Diesel took the feud back to social media with a public plea to Johnson to return to the franchise for its conclusion. The caption read, “My little brother Dwayne... the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes...but the time has come. Legacy awaits. I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10! I say this out of love... but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play. Hobbs can’t be played by no other. I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny.”
Johnson remained unmoved, responding in a December 2021 interview with CNN, “Vin's recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn't like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker's death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding. My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible Fast & Furious franchise with gratitude and grace. It's unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters.”
Related: Find Out the Rock's Massive Net Worth in 2023
9. Will Smith and Janet Hubert
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The debate over which Aunt Viv you prefer on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—Janet Hubert, who originated the role for the first three seasons, or Daphne Maxwell Reid, who played the role for the last three—was born out of a celebrity feud. Hubert was apparently let go from the series amid tension with its star, and future superstar, Will Smith.
In the midst of the recasting drama in 1993, Smith said in an interview, “I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show. She said once, 'I've been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.' To her, I'm the Anti-Christ."
Meanwhile, Hubert claimed she was treated poorly on set, quipping, "They told me I had to go into my dressing room in between takes because I wasn't laughing at Will's jokes."
The feud lasted for many years, with Hubert even stating in 2016, "My departure was planned for a long time... There will never be a reunion of the Fresh Prince. Will Smith and Alfonso [Ribeiro] destroyed a 20-year-career with untruths. I got slammed."
However, a reunion did eventually happen, with Smith and Hubert sitting down and hashing things out in a special that aired in November 2020. Smith owned up to his part in the feud, saying, "I can see now the level of pain and the level of struggle that it was just for you to show up every day…You know, during that time of her pregnancy, I wasn’t sensitive. I wasn’t perceptive. And now that I’ve had three kids, I’ve learned some things that I did not know at the time, and I would do some things very differently. But I can see where I made the set very difficult for Janet.”
Hubert also recently clarified what was going on in her life at the time she left the series, saying in part: “Something I would like to clarify is, during that third season when I got pregnant, there were a lot of things going on in my life, and in Will’s life as well. There was some friction because I was pregnant, [and my] home life was not good at all. I was no longer laughing, smiling, joking because there were things that were going on that nobody knew about. The cast had no idea what was going on…"
Nowadays, Hubert has said the two have a good relationship. “We text each other back and forth all the time. As a matter of fact, we have a very good relationship. I meant it with all my heart when I hugged him, because I saw that little boy, that little 21-year-old boy. Had we had an opportunity to talk back then, I think this would have never happened."
Related: The Fresh Prince and His Princess! All About Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's Marriage
10. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis
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Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? co-stars Joan Crawford and Bette Davis had a feud so epic it was depicted in the first season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Bette and Joan, in 2017. The actresses engaged in a tit-for-tat rivalry for decades. One highlight of the back-and-forth came in 1935, when Crawford married actor Franchot Tone, who Davis was in love with. “I have never forgiven her for that, and never will,” Davis stated in an interview a whopping 52 years later in 1987. Girl knew how to hold a grudge!
The two were known for throwing jabs at each other over everything, from their fashion choices to their talent (or supposed lack thereof). You can imagine the public's excitement, then, when the pair finally shared the screen in their first and only film together, 1962’s Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. Crawford reportedly convinced Davis to sign on for the film, which, as an unexpected box office success, represented a comeback of sorts for the aging actresses.
On set, the rivalry only got worse, with Davis having a Coke machine installed in her dressing room to spite Crawford, who was on the board of directors for Pepsi. Crawford even requested a body double for a scene where Davis’s Jane beats her character, Blanche, as she did not trust her co-star not to actually hurt her. Her fears would allegedly turn out to be founded when, during a close up in which a double could not be used, Davis is said to have hit her hard in the head, with some claiming the wound was severe enough to require stitches.
Crawford reportedly got her revenge however, as a scene required Davis, who had a bad back, to drag Crawford out of bed. Reports differ as to how Crawford made herself heavier, whether through the use of rocks, a weightlifter’s belt or just through making herself harder to move due to deadweight, but she did it. The actress was also said to have ruined several takes deliberately, causing Davis to have to repeatedly drag her out of the bed and aggravating the actress's existing injury.
Despite their feud for the ages, Davis did have kind(ish) words to say about Crawford following the latter’s death. “I was not Miss Crawford's biggest fan, but, wisecracks to the contrary, I did and still do respect her talent."