Some people might think that actors have it easy, without realizing that every time you
see them playing dead, taking a dive, fending off live birds or their co-stars, it means
they actually had to do it over and over, for days on end.
That kind of stress can lead to tears, fights, and sometimes, the actor threatening to abandon
the movie completely.
Here are Screen Rant’s 10 Movie Scenes That Almost Made Actors Quit.
12 Rounds John Cena may look like someone who’s not
afraid of anything, just don’t expect him to take you rock climbing.
The pro wrestler turned action star admits that he has a fear of heights, and while making
2009’s 12 Rounds he had to shoot a scene where he repels down the side of a building
and then dangles from the rope in mid-air.
On a DVD extra, Cena said the stunt made him so uneasy that he almost quit movie entirely.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens On her first day of shooting The Force Awakens,
actress Daisy Ridley almost had a panic attack in the middle of the desert when director
JJ Abrams gave her a note she would never forget.
Describing her performance as the billion-dollar franchise's new heroine as “wooden,” the
young actress, who was already terrified of having Star Wars on her shoulders, almost
walked away from Rey right then and there.
Luckily for everyone, she decided against it.
The Abyss For the scene in which Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's
character is given CPR, the actress had no choice but to be pushed, pressed, screamed
at and even slapped by her co-star Ed Harris, all while lying on a cold, wet metal floor.
So you can't blame her for walking off the set when she found out a camera had broken
in the middle of the take, meaning they needed to re-shoot it.
She eventually returned, giving Cameron enough footage to stretch the scene out to a full
five minutes.
One of the longest scenes of its kind, and just another extreme case of the blockbuster
director driving his cast to the breaking point.
Rocky IV
Things got a little too real on the set of Rocky IV when Dolph Lundgren threw Carl Weathers
across the ring.
Weathers stormed off and refused to return to set.
Production on the film halted for four days until Sylvester Stallone was able to convince
Weathers into returning so could Drago finish putting the future events of Creed in motion.
The French Connection Director William Friedkin made it well known
that Gene Hackman wasn't his first choice for the hard-nosed star in critical hit The
French Connection.
Hackman was having second thoughts himself when he had to wear a Santa costume and tackle
someone - 27 times.
Hackman threatened to leave the film, and even admitted he almost quit a handful of
times... while accepting his Oscar for Best Actor.
The Birds Alfred Hitchcock isn't remembered for treating
his actors well.
And according to actress Tippi Hedren, filming the final attack scene was the worst week
of her life.
The original plan was to use mechanical birds, but instead had real birds flung at her by
prop men, while others were actually attached with string.
On the fifth day of shooting, she collapsed in tears and a doctor ordered Hitchcock to
give her a week’s rest.
The Shining
As Wendy in The Shining, Shelley Duvall had what Jack Nicholson has referred to as the
toughest job he’s ever seen an actor have.
She spent most of the film suffering from exhaustion and dehydrated from the amount
of crying she had to do.
She even began to lose her hair.
The scene where she tries to protect herself from Jack with a baseball bat still holds
a spot in the Guinness World Records for the most takes.
They had to shoot it 127 times.
Wayne’s World Now that the Bohemian Rhapsody scene in Wayne’s
World has become one of the most well known sing along moments outside of musicals, it’s
impossible to imagine Wayne and Garth banging their heads to any other song.
Mike Myers felt so strongly about using Queen’s rock anthem that when the studio pushed for
a cheaper song by Guns and Roses, Myers was ready to walk.
Since you can’t have Wayne’s World without Wayne, the song stayed and Bohemian Rhapsody
became a number one hit 17 years after its initial release.
Chinatown Faye Dunaway famously clashed with director
Roman Polanski on the set of Chinatown.
When the director refused to give the actress a bathroom break while shooting the scene
where Jack Nicholson surprises her in her car,she questioned her involvement altogether.
In the end, it got so bad that Dunaway had to relieve herself into a coffee cup, which
she then threw in Polanski’s face.
The Fast and The Furious The initial script for the first Fast and
Furious included a love triangle between Dom, Letty, and Brian.
Despite having already signed on to play the character, Michelle Rodriguez fought tooth
and nail to have to this plot element removed,since it made no sense to cheat on the alpha male
Dom with pretty boy Brian.
She was willing to quit and suffer the consequences when the filmmakers decided to pump the brakes
on the love triangle, choosing Dom's little sister, Mia, instead.
It's hard to picture what some of these movies would have been had the stars walked away,
but what are your favorite stories of actors pushed to the breaking point?
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