The Most Intense Celebrity Fights On Set

More: Vicki Gunvalson Is ‘Complete Nightmare’ On-Set Amid Demotion Talk

And the realities of the film and television business can make on-set encounters even more volatile. And when multiple larger-than-life egos are forced to compromise, things can get hairy quickly. Sometimes, the action-packed fighting doesn’t stop when the director yells “cut!”

More: Is He Ok? Tom Sizemore Exhibiting Bizarre Behavior On-Set Of New Film

Fights while filming often grab headlines. Occasionally they’ll lead to serious consequences, like getting fired. But other times, everyone just moves on. Here are 10 film set fights that were just as spicy as anything happening on screen.

Did Sylvester Stallone elbow Richard Gere in the head while filming The Lords of Flatbush?

Yes. Things were tense between Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere on the set of The Lords of Flatbush, a film about New York City street gangs in the 1950s that was filmed in 1972. Both actors were just starting their careers, and as Stallone put it in an interview with Ain’t It Cool News, Gere’s ego might have gotten the better of him. Stallone felt that Gere would strut around the set in his leather jacket like “the baddest knight at the round table.” Once, while improvising a fight scene during rehearsal, Gere apparently got too carried away and Stallone had to tell him to lighten up.

But things really came to a head on a cold day of filming at Coney Island. Both actors took refuge in the back seat of a Toyota to stay warm, and brought their lunches with them. We’ll let Sly take it from here,

“I was eating a hotdog and he climbs in with a half a chicken covered in mustard with grease nearly dripping out of the aluminum wrapper. I said, 'That thing is going to drip all over the place.' He said, 'Don't worry about it.' I said, 'If it gets on my pants you're gonna know about it.' He proceeds to bite into the chicken and a small, greasy river of mustard lands on my thigh. I elbowed him in the side of the head and basically pushed him out of the car.”

As a result of the dust-up, director Martin Davidson had to choose between Stallone and Gere. He chose Stallone and replaced Gere with Perry King. The incident wouldn’t affect either actor’s careers, and both would go on to enjoy great success. But according to Stallone, they never made up.

Did a fight scene between Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise get a little too real?

Yes. Actors compete against each other for roles on a daily basis, but when one actor loses out to another actor for a coveted role, and then gets cast in a different role on that same film, things are going to be uncomfortable on set. That’s what happened when Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe filmed The Outsiders back in 1983.

In the coming-of-age drama about 1950s greaser gangs directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Lowe was cast as Sodapop Curtis, a role Cruise thought he would get. One day, when the two were practicing for a fight scene, Lowe accidentally struck Cruise for real, and it led to a full-on fight.

“We all beat the living s--t out of one another,” Lowe said. “We really did. I got one clean shot on Tom, and Tom is such a competitive lunatic - which is what I love about him - but the next thing you know he's ready to kill me!”

Another contributing factor may have been Coppola’s decision to separate his actors on set according to the gangs their characters belonged to, a method acting technique that was meant to increase tension on set. This reportedly led to other fights between cast members like Matt Dillon and Diane Lane, and several actors were actually injured as a result.

However it started, Lowe looks back on his experience filming The Outsiders as a pivotal moment in his career. While Cruise has managed to maintain his movie star status ever since, Lowe’s career hit ran into trouble shortly after. Lowe’s superstar status led to way too much partying and bad decisions, like the incident in 1988 when he was videotaped having sex with two women, one was just 16-years-old. It would take many years for Lowe’s career to recover.

Did Lily Tomlin and David O. Russell feud on the set of I Heart Huckabees?

Yes. For an uplifting movie about people overcoming their existential crises, the set of 2004’s I Heart Huckabees was reportedly a tough working environment. On at least two separate occasions, star Lily Tomlin and director David O. Russell disagreed so vehemently with each other that it escalated into a full-on shouting match. Eventually, videos of the incidents made their way online.

In one video, Tomlin can be heard shouting, “Leave me the f--k alone! Do you know what the f--k is going on, period? F--k you!” In another video, Russell can be heard shouting, “I didn't work on this thing for three f--king years to have some f--king c--t yell at me in front of the crew!” among many other expletives.

While we still don’t know exactly what led to the fights, Tomlin has since said that Russell was under a huge amount of pressure during filming.

In the years since the incidents, Tomlin and Russell have reportedly made up, and both speak fondly of each other. When asked if she would work with Russell again, Tomlin said, “Of course I would! I adore him, I love him. He’s brilliant.” Russell has also said that he and Tomlin “love each other” and “would work together tomorrow,” although that hasn’t happened yet.

While Tomlin’s reputation hasn’t suffered for the shouting match, for Russell, it’s just another story adding to the director’s reputation for abusive behavior on set. Back in 1999, Russell reportedly got into a fistfight with George Clooney on the set of Three Kings, and Clooney vowed never to work with him again. In 2016, it was reported that Russell was so verbally abusive towards Amy Adams on the set of American Hustle that she cried every day.

Did LL Cool J knock out Jamie Foxx on the set of Any Given Sunday?

Kind of. There was definitely a feud, but we don’t know if Jamie Foxx was actually unconscious. When filming the 1999 football drama, both actors were relatively new to the movie business. According to LL Cool J, even though the movie was specifically about football, Foxx apparently thought that LL played their action scenes a bit too rough.

In a 2017 interview with Drink Champs, LL said that after one take, Foxx asked him to ease up, but he refused. During the next take, LL again roughed Foxx up and Foxx allegedly responded by punching him in the face. Then, LL calmly asked him why he would do such a thing, and Foxx warned him not to touch him again. Finally, LL straight-up knocked Foxx out. “My left hand grabbed the face mask and, as I was pulling his helmet off, my right hand was punching his chin,” LL said. “This was like ‘POW!’ And then he was laying there and I thought he was faking because he was asleep!”

At that point, crew members intervened and broke up the fight, and one of them even gouged LL in the eye while doing so. Later, Foxx reportedly filed a police report against LL, but the two have since patched things up.

Did Shia LaBeouf knock out Tom Hardy on the set of Lawless?

Nope. While various sources reported that Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy fought on the set of the 2012 Prohibition thriller, and the director even said as much in a Reddit AMA, that’s not what really happened.

LaBeouf told the full story in a 2019 interview with Hot Ones, while eating some ultra-spicy chicken wings. On set, LaBeouf and Hardy enjoyed roughhousing, wrestling and pranking each other, but it was always playful.

One night, LaBeouf’s then-girlfriend was visiting the set, and Hardy burst into the room while both were naked. The Honey Boy star said, “My girlfriend covered up and she ran into the kitchen,” LaBeouf said. “He picked me up and I didn’t have nothing on so now I’m naked on his shoulder. We’re in the hallway, we’re wrestling around.” Hardy got too carried away and fell down a flight of stairs. And for the rest of the shoot, Hardy jokingly told everyone that LaBeouf had knocked him out.

LaBeouf described the whole thing as a “cutie wrestling match,” and the two have remained friends.

Did Chevy Chase & Bill Murray have a fistfight during an SNL rehearsal?

Well, we can’t really call it a “fistfight,” but it was definitely a fight. Chevy Chase was an original Saturday Night Live cast member and one of the first breakout stars the show ever produced. After Chase won two Emmys for his SNL work in 1976, he shocked everyone by leaving the show to star in his own primetime specials and in movies.

Meanwhile, Bill Murray appeared on the show during its first season and was promoted to a full-time cast member during the second. He would go on to achieve an equally iconic status, but at the time, according to Murray, he and everyone else felt Chase had betrayed them.

So when Chase became the first former cast member to host the show during season three, the environment was primed for a throw-down. During a rehearsal, Murray kicked things off by mentioning Chase’s well-known marital troubles, telling him to "Go f--k your wife, she needs it." Chase responded that Murray’s face “looked like something Neil Armstrong would land on.”

Murray himself doesn’t describe what happened next as a fistfight. “It was really a Hollywood fight, a ‘Don’t touch my face!’ kind of thing,” he said. “Chevy is a big man, I’m not a small guy, and we were separated by my brother Brian Doyle-Murray, who comes up to my chest.”

Murray also said that the moment was more significant as a statement than an actual fight. “It was an Oedipal thing, a rupture. Because we all felt mad he had left us, and somehow I was the anointed avenging angel, who had to speak for everyone. But Chevy and I are friends now. It’s all fine.”

While Chase has a well-deserved reputation for being difficult to work with, things between him and Murray cooled off and the two became friends.

Did Tom Sizemore punch Val Kilmer on the set of Red Planet?

Definitely. Val Kilmer’s behavior on the set of Red Planet had Tom Sizemore seeing … red.

The feud between Kilmer and Sizemore — on the set of the 2000 sci-fi thriller Red Planet — was the result of a classic ego clash. Before filming, the actors had been on-again, off-again friends, but Sizemore resented that Kilmer received preferential treatment — like when the production paid to ship Kilmer’s elliptical machine all the way to Australia so he could use it on set.

During one confrontation, Kilmer attempted to put Sizemore in his place by bringing up their salaries. "I'm making ten million on this; you're only making two,” Kilmer shouted. Sizemore responded by throwing a 50 lb weight at Kilmer, but it missed.

Since the two actors were scheduled to film a fight scene together, it seemed inevitable that it would lead to actual violence. One of the film’s producers reportedly asked them both not to hit each other in the face. Sure enough, on the day of the fight, Sizemore punched Kilmer in the chest, knocking him down.

The fight didn’t appear to lead to any serious consequences for either actor, and they’re both reportedly friends.

Did Lucy Liu attack Bill Murray on the set of Charlie’s Angels?

Disputed. While some sources have reported that Lucy Liu threw punches at Bill Murray while filming the 2000 action comedy Charlie’s Angels, others say it was blown out of proportion. But it’s clear that something happened between them.

According to some accounts, the whole thing started when Bill Murray allegedly brazenly insulted Liu’s talent. Pointing to stars Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Liu, Murray reportedly said, “I get why you’re here, and you’ve got talent … but what in the hell are you doing here. You can’t act!” Since that’s about the worst thing you can say to an actor, Liu reportedly attacked him, and they had to be physically separated.

But Murray says this isn’t accurate. According to Murray, the disagreement began when Liu interpreted one of his comments as an insult. "We began rehearsing this scene and I said, 'Lucy, how can you want to say these lines? These are so crazy,” Murray said. By Murray’s report, Liu took this personally and the two had a 20-minute verbal argument that never got physical.

Murray claims that he and Liu have patched things up. On the other hand, Liu was a bit more neutral. “There’s nothing to talk about,” she said. “Bill Murray’s incredibly talented, and I think that he has a very creative life. It’s okay for people to have opinions. It’s a discussion. Everyone has an opinion about something. Maybe you don’t agree, but it doesn’t mean that it was anything more than that.”

Murray ended up not returning as Bosley for the Charlie’s Angels sequel. Although it was reported that this was due to his disagreement with Liu, Murray claims it was due to a disagreement with a different cast member altogether, but he didn’t specify who.

Did Bette Davis kick Joan Crawford in the head while filming What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Reports differ. While Bette Davis and Joan Crawford had one of the longest-running feuds in Hollywood history, reports differ as to whether they actually physically fought in 1962, but the stories are bonkers either way.

The rivalry between the two leading ladies started many years earlier. In 1933, Davis secured her first above-the-title role in the film Ex-Lady. But on the day the news of her success was supposed to cement her star status, Crawford announced she was divorcing her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The story dominated the tabloids, and Ex-Lady tanked.

Two years later, while Davis was filming Dangerous, she fell in love with costar Franchot Tone. Unfortunately for Davis, Tone ended up marrying Crawford. These two incidents would fuel a decades-long rivalry that included ruthless competition for roles and awards, trash-talking each other in the trades, petty slights and allegedly, outright physical violence.

Things came to a head when Davis and Crawford were both cast in 1962’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Crawford was on the board of directors for Pepsi, so to kick things off, Davis had a Coke machine installed in her dressing room out of spite. One scene required Davis’ characters to beat Crawford’s. Crawford reportedly didn’t trust Davis not to harm her, so she requested a body double. But in one shot that required Crawford, Davis allegedly kicked Crawford so hard in the head she needed stitches. For her part, Davis claimed she “barely touched her.”

But Crawford found an inventive way to get Davis back. In another scene, Davis had to drag Crawford out of a bed. Davis had been experiencing back problems, so Crawford decided to make herself as heavy as possible. According to differing reports, Crawford either used a weightlifting belt, filled her pockets with rocks or just made herself deadweight. She also ruined several takes on purpose, forcing Davis to repeat the scene over and over again and leaving her in agony.

It’s no wonder that the longstanding rivalry between these two icons was chosen as the first season for FX’s 2017 show, Feud.

Did Isaiah Washington try to choke Patrick Dempsey on the set of Grey’s Anatomy?

Yes. While Grey’s Anatomy has featured plenty of onscreen confrontations between its doctors over the years, back in 2006, the most explosive drama was behind-the-scenes. But tension was brewing well before then.

It started before the show went on-air, when Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington were vying for the same role of Dr. Shepherd, a.k.a. Dr. McDreamy, which ultimately went to Dempsey — Washington confirmed in a later interview with Billy Bush. One day while filming the show’s first season, Washington and Dempsey got into an argument over Dempsey’s habit of showing up late for work.

The argument escalated into a fight, and Washington allegedly grabbed Dempsey by the throat. Washington also allegedly used a homophobic slur saying, “I’m not your little f--ker like T.R.” This was a reference to cast member T.R. Knight, who is gay but hadn’t come out yet. Initially, reports about the fight didn’t name Knight specifically, but eventually word got out that his name was mentioned, and Knight was forced to confirm rumors about his personal life.

For his part, Washington admitted to using the slur but denied directing it at Knight. Instead, Washington claimed he was using it to mean “someone who is being weak,” which is how he perceived Dempsey’s treatment of him. He later expressed regret for using the word at all and attended counseling.

But it was all too little, too late, and Washington was fired from the show in 2007. He would later return with a guest appearance in 2014.

Did Rip Torn hit Norman Mailer with a hammer while filming Maidstone?

Yes, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. And honestly, everything about this story is unusual. First, it took place on the set of Maidstone, a 1970 experimental film that was written, produced, directed by and starred controversial novelist Norman Mailer. In the film, Mailer plays a version of himself, who’s also a film director of a softcore erotic movie and running for president simultaneously.

The late Rip Torn had a reputation for violent confrontations over the years, and Mailer cast him as his character’s volatile brother. Towards the end of the film, Mailer and Torn were supposed to film an improvised fight scene, but somewhere things got real.

Torn, who also worked as an associate director on the film, says he didn’t sleep for five days leading up to the day they filmed the scene. During the scene, Torn and Mailer, both shirtless, square off in a field. At one point, Torn hit Mailer on the head with a hammer. Mailer responded by biting Torn on the ear.

It’s still not entirely clear if the fight happened spontaneously or if Mailer wanted Torn to actually hit him for the sake of realism. However, Torn did say that Mailer was angry at him for several years afterward.

We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.