Quiet On The Set: Temper Tantrums Stars Hope You Forget
Apr. 6 2020, Published 6:19 p.m. ET
Everybody has a bad day at work now and then. Sometimes people get stressed and sometimes can't handle it. But most people don't work in front of cameras and microphones that will save their bad day for all to see. You've seen celebrities have public meltdowns before. Well, these are the celebs who have brought their baggage into the office.
Whether it's Joaquin Phoenix and Jared Leto's method acting going too far or Chevy Chase's shocking use of the N-word, these are the meltdowns that happened live on set, for all to see.
MORE: CHEVY CHASE SHOWS OFF 110LB WEIGHT LOSS AFTER SECRET STOMACH SURGERY
Dig deep to see some of the most embarrassing temper tantrums that these stars have had at their workplace.
1. Joaquin Phoenix
Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix received high praise for his work on the Academy Award nominated film Joker. However, that praise was tempered with stories of Phoenix’s bizarre on set behavior. Video emerged of the actor cursing at the cinematographer for “constantly whispering” during filming, at one point even telling him to “shut the f--k up.” The actor’s reps later said the footage was staged for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. But there is still director Todd Phillips sharing that Phoenix would walk off set in the middle of filming often enough that one member of the crew's job was keeping continuity between shots.
2. Russell Crowe
Aussie actor Russell Crowe has made headlines for his temper several times. Crowe has thrown a telephone across the lobby at a concierge in ritzy New York Hotel and been accused of violence by Azealia Banks. But these were in the actor’s downtime. His major tantrum happened while filming the Oscar winning Gladiator. Crowe allegedly threatened to kill Branko Lustig, a veteran producer and holocaust survivor, “with his bare hands”.
3. Chevy Chase
Funnyman Chevy Chase has quite an extensive history of bad backstage behavior. Even when Chase first burst into the nation spotlight as the smirking smart alec on Saturday Night Live, there was tension. Chase was involved in a backstage fistfight with Bill Murray. But Chase didn’t have the same star power when he was a star on NBC’s Community. While there, the star left a profanity filled rant on show creator Dan Harmon’s voicemail, detailing his displeasure with the show. The final straw was saying the N-word while filming Community.
4. David O. Russell
Director David O Russell is responsible for some memorable movies, such as Three Kings, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. But the director is also responsible for some of the most infamous on set temper tantrums caught on tape. Russell was filmed yelling and throwing things at comedy legend Lily Tomlin during the filming of I Heart Huckabees. Later, while filming American Hustle, the director was reportedly being so hard on Amy Adams that Christian Bale “got in his face” to make him stop.
5. Christian Bale
Oscar winning actor Christian Bale momentarily lost his temper on the set of Terminator Salvation when the director of photography entered Bale’s field of vision during a scene. Bale unleashed a rant for the ages which included, “What the (expletive) is it with you?” followed by, “You got any (expletive) idea about, hey, it's (expletive) distracting having somebody walking up behind Bruce in the middle of the (expletive) scene?” Bale has since profusely apologized.
6. Lindsay Lohan
Actress Lindsay Lohen has had her share of ups and downs. One particular rough moment was in August of 2013 when she guest hosted Chelsea Lately. Lohan had just had a meltdown on the set of her latest film, Paul Schrader’s The Canyons. The actress had hurled expletives at her costar, adult film actor James Deen and now on the set of Chelsea Lately, Lohan demanded Deen appear in the audience to support her.
7. Jared Leto
Actor and musician Jared Leto has made himself known as a method actor. That label went to the extreme when Leto landed the role of the Joker in the movie Suicide Squad. Leto reportedly punished himself to prepare for the role watching footage of brutal crimes online, but then he took it a step further and involved his costars by sending them “gifts” such as used condoms, a dead pig and a live rat. Leto was not asked to return to reprise the role.
8. Bill O’Reilly
Newsman Bill O'Reilly is a lightning rod of political debate. But before he became a political pundit, he was the host of Inside Edition. It was on an episode of this show that O'Reilly became so angry with his staff that while on live TV he exclaimed "F--k it! We'll do it live!"
9. Wesley Snipes
Actor Wesley Snipes has faced trouble with the law before thanks to his taxes, but he’s also face trouble with his reputation due to his on set behavior. While shooting Blade Trinity, Snipes reportedly remained in character all day but spent most of his time in his trailer smoking weed. Snipes later told director David Goyer, “I think you need to quit. You’re detrimental to this movie.” And apparently Goyer’s response was, “Why don’t you quit? We’ve got all your close-ups and we could shoot the rest with your stand-in.” This led to the actor communicating with the director exclusively through Post-it notes.