Being an actor isn’t an easy gig.
Imagine what it would be like to live in someone else’s head for months at a time.
Sure, they get paid well, but sometimes the job takes it’s toll nonetheless.
Here are 10 Famous Actors Who Broke Down On Set.
Jared Leto Now that Suicide Squad has been released for
mass consumption, the shroud of secrecy over Jared Leto’s Joker has been lifted.
Although he featured heavily in the marketing, the Joker somehow still remained a mystery.
After hearing about the unconventional gifts Leto sent to his cast mates, some people began
to wonder about the actor.
Dead animals and used condoms were some of the presents, and the recipients were less
than enthused.
Co-star Margot Robbie went on the record saying she was legitimately scared of the actor during
filming.
And when you consider the research Leto did in preparation for the character, he had no
reason to smile.
Sir Ian McKellen Sir Ian McKellen has been acting since the
1960’s, and has over one hundred credits to his name.
Beginning with theatre, McKellen has honed his craft over time and been cast in some
of Hollywood’s most legendary roles.
But most audiences will recognize him from his work as Gandalf, in the big screen adaptations
of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series.
Beginning with the main trilogy from 2001-2003, the actor reprised his role in the recent
prequel series The Hobbit.
But a lot has changed between 2001 and now.
And while the first movies were shot with as many manual effects as possible, the filmmakers
opted for more CGI the second time ‘round.
Realizing he was now performing alone on a green-screened soundstage, the actor began
to weep, seemingly longing for the days when acting was a team sport.
Lawrence Tierney and Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino’s movies aren’t for
everyone.
They’re usually violent, profanity-laden, and propped up by a series of pop culture
monologues.
Since Tarantino has been on the scene for a couple of decades now, the director has
established his style and amassed a hardcore fanbase in the process.
But back when he was the new guy, the filmmaker encountered a little too much resistance,
and ended up in a tussle with Hollywood legend Lawrence Tierney.
Apparently the actor didn’t trust that Tarantino knew what he was doing, and the altercation
escalated into a full-on beatdown.
This can of woop-ass was opened on the first week of filming, and thankfully the two men
didn’t have to work together after that.
Shelley Duvall If you wanna make an omelette, you’ve gotta
crack a few eggs, right?
Well when Stanley Kubrick was working on The Shining, he egg he cracked was one of his
leads.
The director picked on Shelley Duvall so relentlessly, that the actress had more than one breakdown
over the course of filming.
Plus, Kubrick stopped anyone who tried to intervene on her behalf.
And claimed that it was all part of the process.
While it’s hard to say how the movie would look if everything was hunky dory during filming,
there’s an argument to be made about basic human respect.
But when the final product is artistically stunning, that doesn’t seem to matter.
Christian Bale After the summer release of an all-female
Ghostbusters, the whole world is now familiar with the concept of “blind rage”.
But before we all became so enlightened, it was still shocking to see such genuine anger
stem from trivial occurrences.
When filming Terminator: Salvation in 2009, the director of photography became the target
of Christian Bale’s ire after accidentally distracting him between takes.
Bale is a serious actor with serious methods.
And any crew member who doesn’t respect that - accidentally or otherwise - is in for
a really loud, incredibly angry wake-up call.
After the D.O.P got caught in the middle of a verbal shit-storm, audio of the interaction
made it’s way to the internet.
The actor apologized for his outburst, sort of, and then moved on with his life.
And since he’s not the kind of person we want to piss off, we’re gonna move on now.
Sean Young All things considered, it’s a miracle that
a movie like Blade Runner ever got made.
Based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by Philip K. Dick, the film is an intense one.
The studio threatened to pull the movie’s budget, and actually made good on their threat.
Director Ridley Scott had to be persuaded to take on the job.
And after filming a scene where co-star Harrison Ford gets a little too violent, actress Sean
Young called for a time out.
Apparently, to ease the tension, Ford flashed his buttcheeks around set and made everyone
giggle.
Wesley Snipes When Wesley Snipes showed up to make Blade:
Trinity, his attitude wasn’t great.
And acted like a kid being forced back to school after an awesome summer break.
Snipes was snippy with director David Goyer right from the get-go.
And it didn’t take long for the two men to come to blows.
Goyer showed up with some grizzly biker-looking dudes the next day and Snipes allegedly took
to his trailer instantly.
Chain-smoking pot, and communicating exclusively through post-its, the actor went full teenager.
And pouted for the rest of the shoot.
Jessica Chastain Sometimes in order to tell a story, actors
have to put themselves in situations that make them squeamish.
The issue of using torture to gain information is complex, and the subject of great debate.
Talking about it is one thing, but having it happen right in front of you is another.
Jessica Chastain had to take a long break after filming a waterboarding scene for 2012’s
Zero Dark Thirty.
Even though it’s a highly-controlled environment in reality, movies wouldn’t be movies if
they didn’t feel real.
And for everyone on set that day, the mood was an tense one.
Martin Sheen Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong
during the filming of Apocalypse Now.
The movie was doomed from the start.
Weather delays, wild animals, and sick cast and crew all made for a horrible shoot.
It’s no wonder Martin Sheen had a complete emotional breakdown after getting wasted in
front of the camera.
The hotel room scene is 100% real.
The blood, the booze, the tears- all of it.
The actor even suffered a heart attack at another point.
His character’s turmoil feels genuine.
And unfortunately, that’s because it was.
Daisy Ridley Daisy Ridley went from being an unknown to
having a major Hollywood presence overnight.
Thus is the power of the Star Wars franchise.
The Force Awakens was a hugely successful installment, and brought both hardcore and
brand new fans together.
But on the first day of filming, Ridley wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be sticking around.
It turns out the actress was on the receiving end of criticism from director JJ Abrams,
who thought her performance was “wooden”.
In the big picture, that comment might seem inconsequential.
But if someone said that to you on your first day, in front of dozens of people, you’d
probably take it pretty hard, too.
So what do you think of our list.
Did we miss any actors who broke down while filming?
Tell us about them in the comments, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like
this one.
Thanks for watching.