25 Most Difficult Actors To Work With

Posted by , Updated on January 23, 2024

Difficult actors can be a real thorn in a director’s side. Slowing down production, inflating the budget, or causing chaos on set isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. But every now and then an actor’s ego balloons, making problems for everyone else who just want to do a good job and go home. It’s an unfortunate product of Hollywood to have these kinds of actors, but who are the absolute worst? Here are 25 Most Difficult Actors To Work With.

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25

Val Kilmer

Val_Kilmer_CannesSource: http://ew.com/

As a rising star in Hollywood in the 90’s, Val Kilmer seemed to be unstoppable, but all of that ended after he made a few too many enemies in Hollywood. Joel Schumacher called him, “childish and impossible.” Many other directors and crews didn’t want to work with him after hearing about his reputation.

24

Jennifer Lopez

j loSource: http://www.nickiswift.com

Jennifer Lopez is widely known for being a diva on set. She’s been said to be very vocal about her opinions, want to prove people wrong, and won’t admit when she’s wrong.

23

Steven Seagal

Steven_SeagalSource: http://www.cagepotato.com/

On the set of Executive Decision, Steven Seagal demanded total respect and loyalty, saying he was the boss. As a result, John Leguizamo thought the grand-standing was hilarious and burst out laughing. But then Seagal took it one step too far and kicked Leguizamo in the gut, knocking the air out of his chest.

22

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay_LohanSource: http://www.vanityfair.com

It’s no secret Lindsay Lohan is a difficult actress to work with, but on the set of The Canyons, she apparently made the set a living nightmare. She’s known for never showing up on set, being very late, making high demands, and not doing what she’s supposed to do.

21

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth_PaltrowSource: https://www.thehollywoodgossip.com

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is known for being very demanding, but not exactly for her craft. One time she demanded that an assistant dry the shower at the gym for her so she wouldn’t be in contact with someone else’s water.

20

Bruce Willis

Bruce_WillisSource: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Bruce Willis is known for his hard as nails personality, but in an interview with Kevin Smith for his film Cop Out, Smith went as far as to say Willis was “soul crushing” to work with.

19

Megan Fox

Megan_FoxSource: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Megan Fox took things too far when in an interview she compared Michael Bay to Hitler for making her work twelve hours in a day. Stephen Spielberg demanded Bay fire her after the comment.

18

Madonna

madonnaSource: http://people.com/

Even Madonna straight up admitted being hard to work with on the set of her documentary special, saying her ego can get out of control, and she wants to push people to do their best.

17

Julia Roberts

julia robertsSource: http://www.denofgeek.com

On the set of Hook, Julia Roberts played Tinkerbell, but supposedly her mood swings from depression to hysteria earned her the name “Tinkerhell.”

16

Christian Bale

Christian_BaleSource: http://www.cheatsheet.com

Christian Bale made headlines on the set of Terminator: Salvation when he went on an epic, violent rant against the director of cinematography.

15

Charlie Sheen

Charlie_SheenSource: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

Everyone remembers Charlie Sheen’s insane mental breakdown all over the news and media circus. His personal and professional life were both a wreck with him making creative demands on the wildly popular Two and a Half Men. He was eventually fired for the uncontrollable behavior.

14

Mike Myers

mike myersSource: http://www.alloy.com

Famous for hit movies like Wayne’s World and Austin Powers, Mike Myers on set was said to be a perfectionist and emotionally needy.

13

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer AnistonSource: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Jennifer Aniston for years has been known as a diva who isn’t approachable and likes to be alone. On one set, she had her trailer a mile away from the set. She would go eat lunch there every day, indicating she didn’t want to be with the other cast and crew.

12

Lea Michele

Lea_MicheleSource: http://www.celebdirtylaundry.com

During her six-episode guest appearance on Glee, Kate Hudson didn’t mince words about Lea Michele, calling her a diva and a “nightmare to work with.” Michele supposedly snapped her fingers and snapped, “Let’s go! I have plans!” during a technical delay.

11

Kanye West

kanye westSource: http://www.mirror.co.uk

Though a famous rapper, calling Kanye West an actor might be a stretch. It didn’t take much for his short stint on the set of Anchorman 2 to make him a reputation of being hard to work with. During his time on the set, he played his own music really loudly and completely annoyed the cast and crew. Even when he finished his parts and was asked to leave, he refused, sticking around anyway and getting into fights with people.

10

Teri Hatcher

teri hatcherSource: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

On the set of Desperate Housewives, Teri Hatcher was called “the meanest woman in the world.” Her co-stars at one point threatened to walk off if Teri Hatcher had a reprising role, and when the actors got a thank-you luggage gift, Hatcher wasn’t included in the thank-you note.

9

Russell Crowe

Russell_CroweSource: http://uproxx.com

On the set of Gladiator, Russell Crowe was very demanding, constantly being disappointed and wanting to do re-shoots even after Ridley Scott said the shots worked. Scott obliged Crowe most of the time. When Scott finally asked him what he thought was wrong, Crowe said, “It was S****. But I’m the greatest actor in the world and I can even make s**** sound good.”

8

Chevy Chase

chevy chaseSource: http://gawker.com

Chevy Chase has a long history of being a total jerk. He made enemies wherever he went on SNL and was eventually banned from ever appearing on the show again. Many have called him a “put down” artist, finding the thing you’re most sensitive about and relentlessly making fun of it. In his latest bit, he made enemies with Dan Harmon and the entire Community cast for pretty much being exactly like his character, Pierce Hawthorne.

7

Shia LeBeouf

Shia LaBeoufSource: http://www.cinemablend.com

Shia LeBeouf maybe takes his art a little too seriously. Considering himself a method actor, he tries to take on the role completely. However, by doing so, he angered quite a few co-stars on the set of Fury. Things got so heated, he traded a few punches with Brad Pitt.

6

Katherine Heigl

Katherine HeiglSource: http://pagesix.com

From wardrobe issues, questioning the script every single day, and not getting out of the trailer, Katherine Heigl has definitely built a reputation for being difficult on set. She damaged her career so much that she was nixed as a lead in a new pilot TV show simply because of her bad reputation.

5

January Jones

january jonesSource: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

11-year-old co-star Jared Gilmore called January Jones unapproachable on the Mad Men set, though he said everyone else was very nice. She even had an off-set tiff with funny man Zach Galifianakis when she invited him to sit down at her table and ten minutes later said, “I think you can go now.”

4

Edward Norton

ed nortonSource: http://www.looper.com

There’s no question Edward Norton is a talented actor; he’s also a little particular about how the movies he’s in should be run. This has led to several problems in his long history in Hollywood. In Red Dragon, he came on set with a script that he wrote, demanding they shoot it rather than the one originally written. He also had huge creative control problems on the set of The Incredible Hulk, doing substantial rewrites to the movie. Marvel was so livid by Norton, they booted him from re-appearing in the Avengers and gave the role of the Hulk to Mark Ruffalo instead.

3

Sharon Stone

sharon stoneSource: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

On the set of the movie Golden Boy, the director claimed Sharon Stone made demands bordering on ridiculous. He said many of the demands made it sound like Italy was a third world country. Then, when he got her on the set, she unexpectedly left. After getting a hold of her, she demanded certain people leave the set before she would return.

2

William Shatner

William_ShatnerSource: http://uproxx.com

Pretty much everyone hated William Shatner on the set of Star Trek. He’d try to steal co-stars lines, feeling like his character wasn’t coming across as intelligent enough. Nichelle Nicoles, who played Uhura, almost quit over his antics. And his feud with George Takei continues to this day.

1

Marlon Brando

Marlon_BrandoSource: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Marlon Brando was one of the hottest actors of his time, but his time on the set of Apocalypse Now has tarnished some of that legacy. When he finally came on set, he was very overweight and unprepared, not knowing any of his lines. As a result, Coppola had to keep him mostly in the dark when shooting and re-write much of his scenes.



Photos: 25. Georges Biard, Val Kilmer Cannes, CC BY-SA 3.0, 24. Firdaus Latif, Jennifer Lopez (8414252448) (cropped), CC BY-SA 2.0, 23. Gage Skidmore, Steven Seagal by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, 22. Toglenn, Lindsay Lohan (Headshot), CC BY-SA 3.0, 21. MingleMediaTVNetwork, Gwyneth Paltrow 2012, CC BY-SA 2.0, 20. photo by Alan Light, Bruce Willis 1989, CC BY 2.0, 19. Luke Ford, Megan Fox 7, CC BY-SA 2.5, 18. David Shankbone, Madonna at the premiere of I Am Because We Are, CC BY-SA 3.0, 17. David Shankbone, Julia Roberts 2011 Shankbone 3, CC BY 3.0, 16. Asim Bharwani, Christian Bale 2009, CC BY 2.0, 15. Joella Marano, Charlie Sheen 2012, CC BY-SA 2.0, 14. David Shankbone, Mike Myers David Shankbone 2010 NYC, CC BY 3.0, 13. Angela George, JenniferAnistonFeb09, CC BY 3.0, 12. Gage Skidmore, Lea Michele by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, 11. David Shankbone, Kanye West at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, CC BY 3.0, 10. hyku, Teri Hatcher- World of Color Premiere 21, CC BY-SA 2.0, 9. Eva Rinaldi, Russell Crowe, CC BY-SA 2.0, 8. David Shankbone, Chevy Chase at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, CC BY 3.0, 7. DoD News Features, Shia Labeouf 2014, CC BY 2.0, 6. Photo from www.lukeford.net, Katherine Heigl at 27 Dresses Premiere 13, CC BY-SA 2.5, 5. Photo by Peabody Awards Cropped and retouched by Danyele, Mad Men at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards – January Jones, CC BY 2.0, 4. David Shankbone, Ed Norton Shankbone Metropolitan Opera 2009, CC BY 3.0, 3. Siebbi, SharonStoneBerlinale crop, CC BY-SA 1.0
2. Jerry Avenaim, William Shatner, CC BY-SA 3.0, 1. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain)