The biggest feuds between film directors and stars

Creating movie magic on the big screen often requires a lot of blood, sweat and tears behind the scenes to pull all the threads together.

While the ideal end result of a film is a conversation that comes to life seamlessly (which also makes the people involved a lot of money), things can sometimes get a little messy between the makers.

From major arguments to lawsuits to wars of words, keep scrolling to delve into some of the most infamous feuds between film directors and stars – and discover how their relationships became less than harmonious.

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively

Rumors about the director/actor were circulating Justin Baldoni and actress Blake Lively didn’t get along during the promotional tour for It ends with uswhich was released in August 2024.

The animosity between the two was confirmed when Lively, 37, sued Baldoni, 40, for sexual harassment in December 2024, accusing the director of trying to damage her reputation through a smear campaign – an allegation that was denied by her lawyers Baldoni vehemently rejected it.

Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh

In case of release in 2022 Don’t worry, darling, Many viewers were more interested in the drama behind the scenes than in the film itself. The film was directed Olivia Wilde and played the main role Florence Pugh – and there was a lot of speculation about it Tension between the couple.

In advance Don’t worry, darlingAfter its release, Pugh did limited publicity for the film, avoiding being photographed next to Wilde and skipping or arriving late to press events. Although neither of them confirmed the truth behind their relationship, there were rumors that Pugh might have been unhappy with Wilde’s relationship partner Harry Styles.

Megan Fox and Michael Bay

While you transformer days, Megan Fox rocked the boat with director Michael Bay when she publicly compared him to “Hitler” – which ultimately led to her being fired from the franchise and replaced by Rosie Huntington Whiteley.

“He’s like Napoleon and wants to create this crazy, infamous reputation as a madman. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is,” said Fox, 38 Wonderland Magazine in 2009. “So he’s a nightmare to work for, but when you take him off set and he’s not in directing mode, I really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward.”

While he eventually cut her from his films, Bay recounted GQ Magazine in 2011 that he wasn’t particularly offended.

“I didn’t get hurt because I know it’s just Megan. Megan is happy to get an answer,” said Bay, 59. “She’s kind of doing it wrong. I’m sorry, Megan. I’m sorry I made you work 12 hours. I’m sorry for forcing you to show up on time. Films aren’t always warm and fuzzy.”

Jake Gyllenhaal and David Fincher

Jake Gyllenhaal And David Fincher didn’t mince words when it came to talking about their experiences working together on the 2007 film Zodiac.

“Fincher paints with people,” Gyllenhaal, 44, said of the director in 2007, complaining, “It’s hard to be a color.”

Fincher later had his own take on working with Gyllenhaal — and didn’t hold back.

“Jake found himself in the unenviable position of being very young and having a lot of people vying for his attention while working for someone who wouldn’t give you a day off,” said Fincher, 62 The New York Times in 2020. “I think Jake’s philosophy was shaped by – look, he had done a lot of films as a kid, but I don’t think he was ever asked to focus on little things, and I think that “He was too.” very distracted.”

Katherine Heigl and Judd Apatow

Another infamous case of a movie star going head-to-head with his director was: Katherine Heigl came from 2007, unlike the film in which she played the lead role Impregnated.

His director Judd Apatow was anything but impressed when she struck Impregnated during an interview with Vanity Fair in 2008.

“It portrays the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight,” said Heigl, 46. “It portrays the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. The characters were exaggerated, and some days I found it difficult. I play such a bitch; Why is she such a killjoy? Why do you portray women like that? 98 percent of the time it was a fantastic experience, but I had a hard time loving the film.”

Apatow, for his part, told the radio host Howard Stern In 2009, he stated that he expected an apology from Heigl following the derogatory remarks, but never received one.

“(You’d think) at some point I’ll get a call saying, ‘Sorry, I was tired…’ and then the call never comes again,” Apatow, 57, said.