Actors Who Made Unrealistic Demands On A Film Set
Some stars can be the nicest people in the world; however, some stars can be extremely dramatic- even off camera. The issue with casting a big name star, comes with the risk of entitlement. This list is full of actors who made unrealistic demands on a film set (You’ll be shocked to see what some of the demands were).
Ben Affleck Refused To Film Because Of A Hat
Gone Girl/20th Century Fox
Ben Affleck is a well-known Boston Red Sox Fan. He is such a devoted fan, that he actually stopped filming Gone Girl for four days because of a Yankees hat. The Director, David Fincher, wanted him to wear a Yankees hat during a scene, and Affleck refused to wear one. After a “legitimate fight,” that wasted four days to film- they both settled on Affleck wearing a Mets hat.
Why Cersei And Bronn Never Filmed Together?
Game of Thrones/Warner Bros.
Game of Thrones fans may know that Lena Headey and Jerome Flynn used to date. After the break up, they both listed in their contracts for the show that they don’t want to share a scene together. Headey even went as far as stating in her contracted that she didn’t even want to be in the same room as Flynn.
He Wanted To Film His Movie First
Ghostbusters/Columbia Pictures
Bill Murray wasn’t on board to be apart of the 1984 hit Ghostbusters. Instead, Murray wanted to be in The Razor’s Edge. Murray would only act in Ghostbusters if the studio paid for the creation of his version of The Razor’s Edge as a screenplay. Of course, Murray shot Ghostbusters, but The Razor’s Edge flopped.
He Banned Boston Celtics Gear On Set
The Departed/Warner Bros. Pictures
Director Martin Scorsese had a difficult time convincing Jack Nicholson to join his 2006 movie, The Departed. Scorsese even allowed Nicholson to set some strange rules on the film’s set. Some of his rules include; Nicholson changing his character from being a decent gangster to a bad guy, he portrayed Costello as promiscuously evil, adding more graphic scenes, and he banned all Boston Celtics gear from the set- since his favorite team is the L.A. Lakers.
Harrison Ford Wanted His Character To Die
The Force Awakens/Motion Pictures/Walt Disney Studios
Harrison Ford revealed in an interview on Conan that he wanted his character, Han Solo, to die in Return of the Jedi. He said, “I thought the best utility of the character would be for him to sacrifice himself to a high ideal.” Solo’s death would help him to stand out dramatically from the other main characters. George Lucas avoided this request, during the original trilogy. However, Ford’s wish was granted in The Force Awakens. This request drastically changed the new trilogy’s storyline.
Paris Had 3 Pages Of Demands
The Other Guys/Columbia Pictures
Paris Hilton was offered a minor cameo in the movie The Other Guys. Her role was eventually cut in the final version, more than likely, due to her crazy demands, such as demanding to have 5 pairs of prescription sunglasses just in case one broke. One of her demands was that she wanted to have live lobsters and Grey Goose Vodka to be available in case she got hungry. Her list of demands actually spanned three pages, even though she was only on the set for one day.
George Clooney Wanted A Private Garden
Gravity/Warner Bros. Pictures
Director Alfonso Cuarón allowed George Clooney to make a few demands while they filmed the movie Gravity. However, his demands were quite excessive. Clooney received a private landscaped garden, custom-made beach hut next to his trailer, basketball court, and a hot tub. His demands costed a cool $125,000 out of the film’s $100 million budget for his minor role.
Samuel Jackson Wanted A Purple Lightsaber
Attack of the Clones/LucasFilms/20th Century Fox
Samuel L. Jackson laid out some large demands when it came to playing a Jedi Master in the second Star Wars prequel Attack of the Clones. He said, “I wanna be able to find myself in this big ol’ scene,” Jackson recalled. “So I said to George, ‘You think maybe I can get a purple lightsaber?'” Lightsabers usually come in blue, green, and red. Jackson said, “Yeah, but I want a purple one. I’m like the second baddest Jedi in the universe next to Yoda.”
Originally, Shrek Had A Canadian Accent
Shrek/DreamWorks Pictures
Mike Myers recorded his lines for the movie Shrek, and everything seemed to have gone smoothly. However, when the crew finished all the voice acting recording, Myers realized that he wasn’t a fan of the accent he used. Myers re-recorded all of his lines, which costed the studio an extra $5 million. He originally, claimed that he used a Canadian accent, to poke fun at his Canadian heritage. He said in an interview, “The Scottish accent just felt right.”
For Men In Black 3, Will Smith Had Three Rooms
Men in Black 3/Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Releasing
With the third Men in Black movie, Will Smith agreed to return only if his demands were met. He had one trailer to get his makeup done, another marble-floored trailer to consult with his personal writers, and a $25,000/month Bond Street apartment close by. He also proposed a “must hire” list for the crew, including members of his entourage and personal bodyguards.
Steve McQueen Insisted On Having More Lines
The Towering Inferno/20th Century Fox
Steve McQueen co-starred with Paul Newman in The Towering Inferno. However, he insisted that he wanted 12 more lines in his role, even though McQueen’s character first appeared 43 minutes into the movie. By that time, Newman had already recited about half of his lines. This demand created a rivalry between the two of them. According to reports, Newman regretted his decision to co-star with McQueen.
Edward Norton Kept Rewriting The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk/Universal Pictures
Originally, Edward Norton revealed that he wouldn’t play the Hulk in The Avengers, because it would take too much time. However, his demands may be a reason why Marvel didn’t want him back. Norton only agreed to be in the Hulk, if he could fiddle with the screenplay. This demand technically sounds reasonable, but it got to the point where his co-star, Tim Roth wouldn’t even look at the script until he was in the makeup chair. Norton constantly rewrote the movie, and he even made it 20 minutes longer- because of the additions he made.
Jamie Foxx And His Demands
Miami Vice/NBC Universial Television Distribution
In filming Miami Vice, Jamie Foxx wanted a bigger paycheck than his co-star Colin Farrell. The studio obliged; however, that wasn’t the end of it. He showed up on set with his entourage, and he stated that he wanted a private jet. While Foxx was in the Dominican Republic, he left the studio and got into a gunfight with a military security guard.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Took Control of The Terminator Movie Set
Terminator 3/Warner Bros. Pictures
Before Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped onto the set of Terminator 3, he wrote a 33-page contract stating many different demands. A few of his demands included; a three-bedroom deluxe suite, a private trailer stocked with gym equipment, and a team of bodyguards to be around him when he was filming. Schwarzenegger also selected the crew, drivers, director, co-stars, chefs, hair stylists, and makeup artists.
Shannen Doherty Wanted Free Clothes
Mallrats/Gramercy Pictures
For the film Mallrats, Shannen Doherty had quite the list of demands. She wrote out a contract which stated that she could keep all the clothes after filming. Once the director, Kevin Smith agreed, Doherty insisted that her character have at least three wardrobe changes- and no less. That is decently unreasonable, considering that the plot takes place over the course of one day.
Daniel Day-Lewis Stays In Character Off The Set
My Left Foot/Palace Pictures
Daniel Day-Lewis prepared for his role as a cerebral palsy victim in My Left Foot, by spending eight weeks in Dublin learning to speak as his role model, Christy Brown, and write and paint with his left foot. He stayed in character behind the scenes as well, where he would remain in his wheelchair after takes. He would also have the crew feed him and wheel him around in his wheelchair.
Tom Cruise Wears Custom-Made Thongs
Mission Impossible 2/Paramount Pictures
Tom Cruise completes his own stunts in movies such as Mission Impossible and Edge of Tomorrow. In order for him to do his own stunts, he needs a custom-made thong made from stretchy and soft material that allows him to move without restrictions. The Costume and wardrobe team made over 50 thongs, since Cruise wears a new one every time.
Samuel L. Jackson Has To Play Golf Twice A Week
The Avengers/Motion Pictures/Walt Disney Studios
For every movie Samuel L. Jackson has been in, he inputs a clause that allows him to play golf twice a week. He told Living Golf on CNN, “Generally they either move me onto a golf course or I join a club so I can play there.” When Jackson isn’t in front of the camera, he plays golf every day.
Gary Busey Knows What Heaven Looks Like
Quigley/Destiny Worldwide Entertainment
When it came to filming the heaven scene for the film Quigley, they were already three days behind. However, Gary Busey walked onto the set and said, “I can’t play this scene.” In 1988, he had reportedly experienced a near-death experience after crashing his motorcycle. Busey changed the entire set to reflect what he saw in the afterlife. Co-star Curtis Armstrong told A/V Club Toronto. “It was ridiculous.” He continued, “He was completely nuts about the design of heaven.”
Jennifer Love-Hewitt Demanded That Her Boyfriend Play A Lead Role
The Client List/Fedora Films/Jaffe-Braunstein Entertainment
Jennifer Love-Hewitt played a lead role in the series The Client List, at the wrong time- because she was visibly pregnant. The studio staff ran in circles trying to work that into the plot. Love-Hewitt demanded that the baby’s father, Brian Hallisay, have a lead role in the series. The studio couldn’t rewrite the story to have a family managing a massage parlor. Hallisay eventually played the part, but the show was canceled shortly after.
Johnny Depp Had Someone Read Him His Lines Through An Ear Piece
Walt Disney
Johnny Depp wasn’t into learning his lines for his role in The Pirates of the Caribbean. He found memorizing his lines a waste of time, so he created his own system to reciting his lines. Depp had a sound engineer read him his lines that were connected to an earpiece, which was hidden underneath his hair. This system annoyed the rest of the cast, because they put in the work to learning their lines.
Sharon Stone Wanted Producer Credits For A Golden Boy
01 Distribution
Sharon Stone isn’t exactly the easiest actress to work with on films. She is known for making quite a lot of demands when it comes to filming. While she was filming A Golden Boy, she required a personal limousine to chauffeur her around, and she also demanded producer credits. That way she could charge all of her character’s clothing to the film studio.
Wesley Snipes Was Extremely Antisocial
New Line Cinema
While Wesley Snipes was filming the Blade trilogy, he has been known for being antisocial. He would only arrive at the studio to film the necessary close-up shots, before going back to his trailer. He wouldn’t talk to anyone, making things very hard for the director by only communicating with him through Post-It notes. The director caused some problems on set, by bringing in a lead actor that wouldn’t talk to anyone,
Robert Downey Jr. Disliked The Iron Man Suit
Paramount Pictures
The iron man suit is iconic; however, Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t a fan of wearing the suit in the Iron Man films. He became extremely tired of wearing the suit, no matter how light the team made it. His solution was to avoid the suit and not wear it in any of the scenes that he should have. Instead, the special effects team digitally added it onto him when needed. This solution was costly and it took a lot of time to do.
Eddie Murphy Will Not Reuse Anything Twice
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
There’s one reason as to why Eddie Murphy is difficult in all of his films. It’s because he refuses to reuse anything when filming a movie. This means that he will not reuse underwear, socks, toothbrushes… anything. The cost of these things adds up quickly.
Ariana Grande Has To Be Carried
When shooting music videos, Ariana Grande prefers to be carried from place to place. This means, that someone has to actually carry her around wherever she needs to go. Apparently, the shoes that she wears for her music videos make her feet sore.
Mary J. Blige Hates Germs
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix
Mary J. Blige has a long list of demands when it comes to being on set. Besides the typical requests that extremely famous people make, there’s one thing that she does takes a little too seriously. She demands that new toilet seats are installed in every dressing room that she uses.
Kanye West Likes His Dressing Room Carpet Ironed
Timothy Norris/Getty Images for Coachella
Some of Kanye West’s demands are a little too over-the-top. Whenever he is performing or making an appearance, he wants the carpet in his dressing room to be properly ironed. Yes, you read that right… He demands that the carpet in his room is ironed.
Katy Perry Is Picky About Her Driver
Lester Cohen/Getty Images for Capitol Records
Katy Perry is very picky about who drives her around. To be her driver, one has to sign a 45-page contract. She also, has an extensive screening process.
Jay-Z Has To Watch Sports While Flying
Brian Ach/Getty Images for Something in the Water
Jay-Z is a huge sports fan; he makes sure that each plane he’s on has Direct TV. This way, there isn’t a chance he will miss a game while flying.