We're Giving You 5 Actors That Were a Dream to Work With, and 5 Actors Who Were Quite the Opposite
These actors were either truly awesome to work with, or they were deemed absolutely terrible to work with.
Behind the curtain, Hollywood can look a lot less like a red carpet and a lot more like a power struggle. This list flips the script on five actors who seem effortless on screen, but apparently left crew members feeling anything but comfortable.
From Mike Myers reportedly shutting down conversation on the set of The Cat in the Hat and demanding exact things from his assistants, to Lea Michele turning Glee into a “living hell” for Samantha Ware, the stories here get messy fast. Even the “nightmare” tags come with caveats, like Russell Crowe being described as hot-headed, yet defended by director Curtis Hanson, who claims it was only when Crowe did not trust the people around him.
1. Nightmare: Mike Myers
Mike Myers may have a cheerful personality on screen, but we've heard horror stories from people who have worked with him. In an interview with AV Club, an actress shared her story about what happened behind the scenes of The Cat in the Hat.
She recalled that Mike Myers didn’t talk to anyone on set and would walk away when people approached him. She also mentioned that he was very demanding regarding what he needed from his assistants.
Getty Images2. Delight: Tom Hanks
It's no surprise that people tend to love working with Tom Hanks. Actors such as Emma Watson have even vouched for him, stating that he is indeed a wholesome, sweet, and down-to-earth actor.
Getty Images3. Nightmare: Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe has been described as very hot-headed and a nightmare to work with on set. However, one director who worked with Crowe stood out in his defense, saying that Crowe was difficult only when he did not trust those around him.
The director, Curtis Hanson, further added that Crowe was very committed to his characters and only acted difficult when others didn’t take the characters seriously.
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4. Delight: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Rock is loved by nearly everyone who gets the opportunity to film with him. His co-star Zac Efron shared his experience working with The Rock on Baywatch: “He’s a funny dude. He’s always evolving, and he just gets better as he goes, like a flower that never stops blooming. It was great; he was fantastic.”
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5. Nightmare: Lea Michele
Lea Michele seems to have more in common with her character on Glee than we initially thought. She is said to be a nightmare to work with, and many people have voiced their complaints.
Samantha Ware accused Michele of “traumatic microaggressions” that made Samantha’s time on the show a “living hell.” Heather Morris also admitted that working with Michele was very unpleasant.
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6. Delight: Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep is one actress that people absolutely loved working with. Most of her co-stars said that calling her anything other than great just didn’t sound right.
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Also, this chaotic energy matches the house-sitting dilemma of someone refusing to watch a mischievous pet snake.
7. Nightmare: Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts was actually deemed terrible to work with after Peter Pan. However, it's said that she was going through a breakup at the time of filming, which may have contributed to her behavior.
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8. Delight: Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman has been described as very nice and delightful to work with by nearly all of his co-stars and directors.
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9. Nightmare: Teri Hatcher
Teri Hatcher is known to be one of the worst actors to work with. It's said that she actually didn't get along with any of the actors on the Real Housewives, and some people have called her the "meanest woman alive."
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10. Delight: Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves is regarded as one of the best actors to work with. He's incredibly sweet, nice to everyone, and people don't have a bad thing to say about him.
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The first warning sign is Mike Myers walking off when people approached him on the <i>Cat in the Hat</i> set, like small talk was a forbidden prop.
Then Tom Hanks enters the chat, because Emma Watson has basically vouched for him as the wholesome, down-to-earth guy everyone wants on their call sheet.
But Russell Crowe complicates the whole “nightmare” label, since Curtis Hanson says Crowe only got difficult when he did not trust the crew to take the character seriously.
Meanwhile, Lea Michele’s Glee problems escalate past “annoying” into real accusations, while Dwayne Johnson’s Baywatch stories are the complete opposite, full of laughs and momentum.
Well, this is an interesting list. We really can't blame people for their opinions, but it's fascinating to see how individuals classify these actors.
Some of them were a bit of a surprise to us, while others were not as surprising based on what we've heard. We have to give some of them the benefit of the doubt, but regardless, some actors need to get it together.
The wild part is how the same industry can produce both silent, demanding sets and crews that leave feeling like they got lucky.
For another behind-the-scenes blowup, read what happened after a roommate refused to help unpack.
