10 Greatest Actor Rivalries In Movie History

Throughout movie history, there have been some iconic rivalries between actors that have kept audiences intrigued. Some of the best movies of all time featured cast members who clashed behind the scenes, but a few of these feuds were so heightened that they continued long after the cameras stopped rolling. These wild disputes happened for a range of reasons, whether that be a professional qualm, or something dramatic off-screen in their personal lives.

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While there were plenty of shocking TV feuds for viewers to invest in, there have been just as many rivalries created in the movie industry. The pressure of working on long and harrowing shoots, working with a wide range of people from different backgrounds, and producing a good performance often made actors fight with one another. There have been several fascinating rivalries between movie actors over the years, but some were more prominent than others.

10 Clint Eastwood & John Wayne

The Two Titans Of The Western Genre Never Appeared In A Movie Together

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John Wayne and Clint Eastwood’s Westerns are some of the very best titles in the genre. Out of all the Western stars to have ever graced the screen, the pair are easily the two most notable. Over the years, the two made several incredible Western movies, including the Dollars trilogy, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Searchers. However, behind closed doors, the two icons’ relationship was rather strained.

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John Wayne in the 1972 movie The Cowboys. Related This John Wayne Western Perfected His Late-Stage Career Change & Would’ve Been A Perfect Last Movie For Him

John Wayne got a great send-off in his final movie, The Shootist, but a different late-career western would’ve been an even better swansong.

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Because of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne’s feud, they never appeared on-screen together. Eastwood was keen to work with Wayne, but the latter refused, which was disappointing. Wayne wasn’t a fan of Eastwood’s take on the Western genre, and he struggled with the much younger actor’s rapid rise to fame after he starred in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Wayne passed away in 1979, which left Eastwood to continue dominating the genre. This rivalry was remembered by many long after Wayne’s death, although the feud was relatively one-sided.

9 Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sylvester Stallone

The Expendables Stars Were Once Bitter Rivals

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Although Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone appeared in The Expendables movies together, there was a time when neither would have agreed to it. Their explosive rivalry spanned for around two decades, which started at the 1977 Golden Globes. Schwarzenegger famously mocked Stallone’s Rocky for losing five out of the six awards it was nominated for, which kicked off the bitter feud between the pair. Schwarzenegger and Stallone were the action stars of their eras, but rather than bonding over this, they used their works as a way to one-up each other.

Both attacked one another and made allegations, and they even referenced their hatred for each other in their films.

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Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, the two viciously fought through the press. Both attacked one another and made allegations, and they even referenced their hatred for each other in their films. Considering how aggressive some of the comments they made were, especially Stallone’s remarks about Schwarzenegger’s family, it was a shock that they ever worked together. In the late ’90s, they rebuilt bridges, and Schwarzenegger even invited Stallone to his inauguration as Governor of California.

8 Bette Davis & Joan Crawford

Their Feud Blew Up While Filming Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?

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It isn’t clear when the rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford exactly began, but there is no doubt that it peaked while the pair were shooting Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Davis and Crawford portrayed two aging sisters, but behind the scenes of the Golden Age Hollywood movie, they were constantly at loggerheads. The initial qualm between them was because of a love triangle that involved Franchot Tone, Crawford’s fiance, but further issues cropped up during filming — both were allegedly nightmares on set.

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Interestingly, Crawford recommended Davis for the role of Jane. It is unknown whether this was an olive branch or not, but Crawford probably regretted this. Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? is one of the defining movies of Bette Davis; career, and while she was nominated for an Oscar nomination, Crawford was snubbed. It was repeatedly suggested that this feud was staged for the sake of media attention, although it was never confirmed. Davis continued to slander Crawford up until her death, including in an interview with Ryan Murphy, who used the content to help him write Feud (via EW).

7 Charlize Theron & Tom Hardy

There Was Plenty Of Fury Between The Two Actors

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Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron’s Mad Max: Fury Road feud was unexpected, and many were shocked to learn that the two actors had such a tough time working together. Hardy’s Max and Theron’s Furiosa have a strained relationship, but they ultimately team up and find common ground. However, the actors failed to do the same. Neither ever spoke in much detail about their rivalry, but it was rumored that Hardy was difficult to collaborate with, and his and Theron’s approaches to acting clashed.

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Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller addresses Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron’s feud on the film’s set, saying “there’s no excuse for it.”

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Their acting styles conflicted in several ways. Hardy’s ideas didn’t appeal to Theron, and he was supposedly argumentative about having creative control, whereas she was more formulaic. At one point, Hardy left Theron waiting for three hours on set, which infuriated the actress to the point that she shouted at him for his lack of punctuality. The two apparently fixed their relationship by the time the fourth of the Mad Max movies wrapped up, but it left behind a sour atmosphere for everyone involved.

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6 Florence Pugh & Olivia Wilde

Pugh’s Silence Contradicts Wilde’s Denial

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While there were a few different Don’t Worry Darling controversies, the most notable was the tension between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh. It was clear that something wasn’t right from Pugh’s side, as she was absent from promoting the movie on press tours and on social media. It was never confirmed exactly what happened between the two, but the lack of acknowledgment suggests that the public was correct, and there was a feud to look out for. It was rumored that Wilde and Pugh clashed massively on set and even engaged in a “screaming match” (via Vulture).

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There was also speculation that Wilde dating co-star Harry Styles, despite being married to Pugh’s friend Jason Sudeikis at the time, as well as discussions of pay, caused friction between them. While there were multiple statements from Warner Bros. and Don’t Worry Darling‘s production stating that there was no animosity between the pair, Pugh never denied the rumors, either. Although audiences never truly knew what happened on the set of Don’t Worry Darling, it was apparent that it wasn’t all smiles and laughter.

5 George Clooney & Russell Crowe

A Random & Strange Rivalry

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Even though George Clooney and Russell Crowe never worked on-screen together, the two still managed to ignite one of the most notable rivalries in the movie industry. When their feud began in 2005, George Clooney’s best movies included the likes of Ocean’s Eleven, Batman & Robin, and Syriana, whereas Russell Crowe was known for his roles in Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. In an interview with The Guardian, Crowe randomly attacked Clooney and called him a sell-out for doing commercials.

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While Crowe also said the same about Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford, his comments about Clooney stuck the most. Understandably, Clooney was furious, and so the feud began. Clooney then made fun of Crowe’s rock band in a responding statement, and Crowe fought back and called Clooney a ” Frank Sinatra wannabe ” (via The Advertiser). It then was rumored that the pair made amends. However, what was so strange about this battle was that it was completely unprompted, and before this, Crowe and Clooney didn’t really have anything to do with each other.

4 Robert De Niro & Mickey Rourke

A Bitter Feud That Never Ended

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Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke’s rivalry began on the set of Angel Heart, one of Christopher Nolan’s favorite horror movies. The official narrative was never confirmed, and both actors saw the events that sparked their feud differently. De Niro supposedly took offense at Rourke offering advice on his performance, but it was also claimed that the Taxi Driver star’s method acting caused issues, too. For years after the 1987 film wrapped up, the pair continued to fight.

Regardless of who started it, it was clear that both actors were difficult to work with. It was rather bold for Rourke to offer feedback on De Niro’s acting, but it was also quite rude for De Niro to ignore Rourke on set and label it method acting. Years later, Rourke insisted that De Niro was the reason why he wasn’t cast in The Irishman . In 2020, Mickey Rourke came for De Niro in an Instagram post, after De Niro told newspapers that his Angel Heart costar was a “liar.” Their relationship was never mended.

3 Debbie Reynolds & Elizabeth Taylor

Despite The Breakdown Of Reynolds’ Marriage, The Two Patched Things Up

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Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor are two other performers who were rivals, despite the fact they never worked together. The two great Golden Age actors were known for titles like Singin’ in the Rain and Cleopatra, but their connection was through singer and actor Eddie Fisher. When Reynolds was married to Fisher, she was ‌friends with Taylor, and she helped her grieve the death of Taylor’s third husband, Mike Todd. Fisher was also a comfort to Taylor, although possibly too much, as they ended up having an affair.

Naturally, this ruined Reynolds and Taylor’s relationship. While the affair was painful enough, Reynolds also lost an important friendship. Reynolds and Taylor had similar experiences in their careers, and they both knew how it felt to soar to superstardom so quickly at such a young age. Taylor and Fisher married, although they later divorced after Richard Burton’s affair with the actress. After a chance encounter on a cruise ship, Reynolds and Taylor made amends, remained close until the latter’s death in 2011, and even worked together in the 2001 film These Old Broads (via biography.com).

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2 Kim Cattrall & Sarah Jessica Parker

Sex And The City’s Biggest Feud Spanned The TV Show & The Movies

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Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker’s feud was repeatedly denied by the pair during filming of the Sex and the City TV show, but by the time they worked on the movies, their relationship had definitely broken down. It was rumored that Parker receiving executive producer status and a salary of $300,000 for season 2 was what caused Cattrall to distance herself, but they still managed to be professional enough to work on the Sex and the City movies together. Supposedly, by the time they began shooting the first film, they weren’t speaking.

Despite the fact they both shut down rumors of a rivalry, Cattrall later changed her tune.

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In an episode of Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, Cattrall stated she and Parker were never friends and that they had a “toxic relationship.” Parker offered her sympathy after the death of Christopher Cattrall in 2018, to which the Samantha actress claimed Parker was exploiting her family’s tragic loss. Kim Cattrall didn’t return for And Just Like That, except for a brief cameo in season 2, and it was speculated that her feud with Parker played a part in this.

1 Vin Diesel & Dwayne Johnson

Both Actors Were Fast In Becoming Furious With Each Other

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Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel’s behind-the-scenes movie feud while they were shooting The Fate of the Furious made production difficult. The pair’s rivalry began when Johnson’s Instagram post referred to some members of the Fast and Furious franchise cast as ” candy asses ,” and while he didn’t name Diesel directly, it was implied that the actor was talking about his co-star (via EW). They were both huge action stars, so it made sense that Diesel felt put out by Johnson’s prominence in the franchise, especially as Diesel was the face of it.

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It took some time for Vin Diesel and the Rock’s feud to be confirmed, but once it was, they stopped playing nicely. It was rumored that there were tensions between them on set and that they simply had different viewpoints. However, when The Fate of the Furious was released, there were no scenes that featured the two together. Over the years, Diesel and Johnson’s relationship went back and forth. Although this rivalry seemed to be more of a clash between two differing creatives, it was dramatic enough that audiences followed it closely.

Source: EW, Vulture, The Guardian, The Advertiser, biography.com

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