17 Times Celebrities Have Been Accused of Getting Intimately Involved with Their Costars
Photos of steamy encounters frequently leak, and they can destabilize marriages.
Celebrity romances can turn messy fast, especially when a co-star gets pulled into the middle of a marriage or breakup. A few photos, a few rumors, and suddenly a private moment becomes a public headline.
This list looks at 17 celebrities who were accused of getting intimately involved with their costars, from on-set chemistry to full-blown gossip-fueled scandals. Some of the stories faded quickly, while others followed the people involved for years.
Justin Timberlake and Alisha Wainwright were one of the most talked-about examples, and they set the tone for the rest of the list. Read on.
1. Justin Timberlake
In 2019, Justin Timberlake and Alisha Wainwright were filming in New Orleans when photos and videos leaked of them getting cozy. One of the videos showed them holding hands, but anonymous sources claimed that it was nothing.
Splash News2. Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott
When they met on the set of the Mind Over Murder movie, both were already in different marriages. Soon enough, they struck up a relationship, as Tori later admitted that she and Dean had sex the first night they met.
Splash News3. LeAnn Rimes & Eddie Cibrian
Both met while co-starring in the Northern Lights movie and began an affair that would eventually end both of their respective marriages.
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4. Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford
The co-stars kept the secret that they had once had a three-month affair long ago. Then, Carrie revealed the story to the press, stating that it happened when she was 19 and Harrison was 33, married, and the father of two kids.
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5. Billy Crudup
He was married to actress Mary Louise Parker, who was seven months pregnant at the time, when he left her to be with his co-star, Claire Danes. Billy and Claire later split up, and Claire married actor Hugh Dancy.
Chance Yeh /Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
6. Billy Bob Thornton
Before Brad Pitt, there was Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie. They met on the set of the Pushing Tin movie and got married soon after. However, Billy Bob was already in a relationship with Laura Dern.
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7. Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt began a romance after meeting on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, even though Brad was still with Jennifer Aniston, but they have since split.
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8. Kenneth Branagh
Helena Bonham Carter and Kenneth Branagh met on the set of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in the '90s and fell for each other. Kenneth was married to actress Emma Thompson at the time, but that didn't deter him from dating Helena. Both later split in 1999.
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9. Marilyn Manson
The same year that Marilyn ended his marriage to Dita Von Teese, Evan Rachel Wood appeared in Marilyn Manson's music video for "Heart-Shaped Glasses," which indicated that they were dating.
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10. Ewan McGregor
Eve Mavrakis filed for divorce after her husband, Ewan McGregor, started seeing his co-star Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Ewan and Mary Elizabeth got married and now have a daughter together.
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11. John Malkovich
John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer had a lot of sexual chemistry as co-stars in Dangerous Liaisons, and both reportedly had an affair afterward, which led John to end his marriage to Glenne Headly.
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12. Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan was married to Dennis Quaid when she met Russell Crowe on set. The public's view changed when the two began dating. She later told The New York Times that “the situation taught her to let go of other people's judgments of her.”
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13. Morena Baccarin
Morena Baccarin was at the center of divorce news when it was reported that she was three months pregnant with Gotham co-star Ben McKenzie's baby. Both got married in 2017.
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14. Chad Michael Murray & Paris Hilton
Although they have never confirmed the claims that they had an affair after meeting on House of Wax, their exes have both hinted at it. Paris was dating Nick Carter at the time, and he said that he "hooked up" with Ashlee Simpson to get revenge on Paris for her alleged actions.
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15. Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
They started seeing each other on the Cleopatra set, even though they were married to other people. Their love affair transformed into years of romance during which they married, divorced, married again, and divorced again.
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16. Ted Danson
Ted was married before meeting Whoopi Goldberg on set and was enamored with her. His wife, Casey Coates, eventually let him leave the marriage, knowing that there was no saving it.
Still, their relationship wasn't meant to be either, as he later married Mary Steenburgen, whom he met on the set of the Pontiac Moon movie. They've been together since then.
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17. Lily James & Dominic West
Both were spotted kissing on the set of The Pursuit of Love in 2020, which became a major issue because he was married to Catherine Fitzgerald and a father of four kids. However, Dominic and Catherine kissed in front of reporters and paparazzi, stating that their marriage is still strong, and indeed, they're still together.
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It’s not uncommon for actors and actresses to meet and fall in love on set. After all, they spend a lot of time together, so it’s only natural for romances and connections to blossom in that kind of environment.
However, love can blossom between two actors who were previously dating or married to other people.
Want more double-take celebrity drama, check out the secret twins hiding in plain sight, from political activists to film editors.
