Being a movie star isn’t all red carpets and award shows. It requires a great deal of hard work and for these actors, sometimes the stress of filming traumatic or dangerous scenes almost caused them to throw in the towel.
While some actors insist on doing their own stunts, it can be incredibly dangerous despite all the training they’ve endured. Broken bones, concussions, and herniated disks are just some of the injuries these celebs have sustained, while others were brought to their breaking point by multiple takes, overzealous directors, and last-minute changes to the prop department and casting. Whether they walked off the set for a few hours or a few weeks or seriously considered abandoning the profession altogether, these uncomfortable filming experiences were almost the end for these stars.
20 Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
It was the first day of filming for British actress Daisy Ridley and she had big shoes to fill with the reboot of the Star Wars franchise. Director J.J. Abrams called Ridley “wooden”, a remark that made the actress cry, hyperventilate, and almost walk off the set of the film altogether!
19 Dave Franco, Neighbors
More of an instance of excruciating awkwardness than wanting to ditch the film outright, Dave Franco was not thrilled about filming a certain scene with actress Halston Sage in Neighbors. The scene allowed for Franco’s self-described “pale, flat” behind to be on full display and a pose to flex his muscles that looked like he was about to punch Sage in the face!
18 Brad Pitt, Interview With The Vampire
Telling Entertainment Weekly that filming the 1994 film was a “miserable experience” that required six months of working in the dark and wearing thick yellow contact lenses, Brad Pitt almost quit the adaptation of the Anne Rice novel. It was only after a personal call to David Geffen – in which he was informed that Geffen would lose $40 million – that Pitt decided to stay.
17 Daniel Franzese, Bully
In a series of Twitter posts, Mean Girls actor Daniel Franzese said that on-set bulling from costar Bijou Phillips caused him to walk off the set of the 2001 movie Bully. Franzese claimed that Phillips berated him for his size and orientation, despite the fact that he was closeted at the time. The two have since publicly reconciled.
16 Jim Carrey, How The Grinch Stole Christmas
To make the Christmas movie, Jim Carrey had to get zen – or else go crazy. Eight and a half hours in hair and makeup required the help of a former CIA specialist brought on to help the actor withstand literal torture, which is what it felt like. On the very first day, Carrey told director Ron Howard that he couldn’t do the film due to his discomfort.
15 Winona Ryder, Alien: Resurrection
With a phobia of drowning since an incident that occurred when she was 12, Winona Ryder had to face her fear while filming Alien: Resurrection. Thanks to scuba training, the actress was able to film the scene – but she almost ended up drowning thanks to complications that happened on the set! Needless to say she won’t be trying that again!
14 Faye Dunaway, Chinatown
While the scene itself wasn’t difficult, the director was. On the set of Chinatown, director Roman Polanski was so demanding of his lead actress Faye Dunaway that he wouldn’t allow her to go to the bathroom! Instead, Dunaway had to relieve herself in a cup – which she then threw in Polanski’s face in a fit of rage!
13 Robert Pattinson, Little Ashes
Prior to playing Edward Cullen in Twilight, Robert Pattinson was a new actor portraying Salvador Dali in Little Ashes. While one scene was controversial, it was another that made the actor almost quit the game for good: Calling it “the worst”, a gay scene for the young actor almost proved too much for him to continue acting!
12 Jessica Alba, Fantastic Four: The Rise Of The Silver Surfer
Crying prettily is a challenge, even for an actress as gorgeous as Jessica Alba – but demands for her to look better while crying during filming Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer almost made her walk off the set. Director Tim Story demanded she “cry pretty”, which made Alba question her decision to act in the first place!
11 Dylan O’Brien, Maze Runner: The Death Cure
While filming Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Dylan O’Brien had an accident on set that led to several bone fractures, lacerations, and a concussion, which delayed production long enough that the 2016-shot movie wasn’t released until 2018. The incident caused O’Brien to question continuing acting, which he ultimately decided to do, finishing the film.
10 Jim Carrey, Kick-Ass 2
In the wake of mass shootings, Jim Carrey had second thoughts about his role in Kick-Ass 2 as a mobster-turned-superhero. Carrey almost quit the film until the writers rewrote his character, making him a born-again Christian who didn’t use guns. Nevertheless, Carrey withdrew his support from the movie and refused to promote it due to its graphic violence.
9 Jaimie Alexander, Thor: The Dark World
The Dark World, indeed! Jaimie Alexander almost became paralyzed while filming a high-altitude stunt, which had her fall down some stairs in the rain. Alexander suffered a herniated disk, a dislocated shoulder, and chipped eleven vertebrae. The injuries almost cost her the role, but physical therapy allowed her to finish her remaining scenes.
8 Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, The Abyss
Like a couple directors behind these films, James Cameron is famous for being a perfectionist – much to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio’s chagrin. While filming The Abyss, Mastrantonio was show being given CPR after almost drowning, slapped, and screamed at repeatedly. It was so traumatic that the actress walked off the set, screaming at Cameron, “We are not animals!”
7 Ed Harris, The Abyss
Mastrantonio’s Abyss co-star Ed Harris likewise almost ditched the film when director James Cameron insisted on retakes of filming a scene that had the actor almost drown! In a rage at the circumstances, Harris allegedly punched Cameron and walked off the set until he agreed to wrap things up (much like Mastrantonio, who had to be convinced to come back to set).
6 John Cena, 12 Rounds
WWE star and actor John Cena is a big dude, but that doesn’t mean he’s not afraid of some things. In this case: heights. While filming 2009’s 12 Rounds, Cena was required to rappel down a skyscraper and dangle from a rope in mid-air. In the DVD extras, Cena revealed the scene triggered his anxiety and almost had him walk away from the movie altogether.
5 Charlize Theron, Aeon Flux
While Aeon Flux wasn’t the major success the studio had hoped, it almost ended actress Charlize Theron’s career for good. Speaking to news.com.au, Theron said that falling and hurting her neck was “an unfortunate accident”, but that she was “a centimeter away from being completely paralyzed for the rest of [her] life”! Production was halted for several weeks to give her time to recover.
4 Uma Thurman, Kill Bill: Volume 1
According to the New York Times, Uma Thurman was encouraged by director Quentin Tarantino to do a stunt on the set of Kill Bill: Volume 1. The car-driving scene caused the actress to crash into palm trees, an instance that Thurman called “negligent to the point of criminality”, demanding footage of the crash be released.
3 Tippi Hedren, The Birds
If the 1963 Hitchcock film looks realistic, it’s because it was! According to actress Tippi Hedren’s biography, the prop birds weren’t working, so real ones had to be brought in. Birds were tied to Hedren and one pecked dangerously close to her eye, which caused Hedren to sob, “I’m done!” and walk off the set. She was given a week off on doctor’s recommendation.
2 Salma Hayek, Frida
Prior to the public reveal of producer Harvey Weinstein’s behaviour, actress Salma Hayek was made to feel very uncomfortable while filming Frida. After repeatedly saying “no” to Weinstein’s advances, Hayek felt traumatized while filming a nude scene in front of him, and required a tranquilizer to make it through. In a 2017 op-ed for the New York Times, Hayek detailed how the scene was almost her breaking point.
1 Shelley Duvall, The Shining
Like Polanski and Cameron, director Stanley Kubrick is a famed perfectionist and his insistence on numerous takes while filming The Shining led Shelley Duvall to a nervous breakdown. The infamous “bat scene” was shot 127 times and the whole ordeal had Duvall’s hair falling out in clumps. She admitted to Roger Ebert that filming was almost “unbearable” and she considered quitting several times.
Sources: Nicki Swift, Yahoo, Scribol, IB Times, CBR, Looper, The Delite