15 Famous On-Screen Couples Who Had Real-Life Feuds
Hollywood thrives on illusion, and some of the best examples are on-screen couples who looked inseparable but clashed off camera. It’s not easy to spot the strain underneath a good performance. But once you know what went on behind the scenes, it changes how those romantic scenes feel.
These pairs stayed professional during filming, even though their personal dynamics off the camera made their work far more complicated than audiences ever saw.
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey
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The lead actress didn’t want Patrick Swayze cast in Dirty Dancing. Their tension started during Red Dawn and continued through rehearsals. Swayze felt she was too emotional, and she wasn’t comfortable trusting him during intense scenes. He later apologized before filming began, which helped slightly, but their energy never aligned.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
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Soon after It Ends With Us wrapped, Blake Lively accused her co-star of harassment and retaliation. In response, Baldoni filed a lawsuit against her and Ryan Reynolds. They avoided joint appearances during the press, and the lawsuit shifted public attention to the drama off-screen. The court battle continues, with both parties sticking to their claims.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
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We were all struck by the couple that delivered strong performances in Romeo + Juliet, but things weren’t smooth behind the scenes. Danes was 17 and reportedly found DiCaprio’s behavior immature. Their personalities clashed, and they kept their distance whenever possible. Despite this, the final film felt emotionally intense and visually daring.
Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep
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Meryl Streep’s first film role became an early test of her boundaries. During Kramer vs. Kramer, she said Dustin Hoffman struck her during her first take, without warning. Though her performance impressed critics, she described Hoffman’s behavior as overstepping and called it one of the more difficult moments in her career.
Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte
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Production on I Love Trouble suffered due to the strained relationship between Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte. Reports say they barely filmed scenes together directly and often relied on stand-ins. Though they never worked together again, Nolte later dismissed the feud as overblown.
William Baldwin and Sharon Stone
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William Baldwin and Sharon Stone starred as an on-screen couple in the 1993 thriller Sliver, but their off-screen relationship was notoriously rocky. Reports suggest Stone disliked Baldwin so much that she would bite his tongue during kissing scenes, allegedly to the point of drawing blood. The tension was obvious to the cast and crew, and Baldwin later described working together as difficult and stressful.
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
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Things didn’t flow seamlessly between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams on the set of The Notebook. Their working relationship became so tense that Gosling asked for a different scene partner. The director stepped in and held a private meeting that escalated into shouting. Strangely, the confrontation seemed to help. They went on to deliver emotionally charged performances—and even dated afterward.
Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe
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According to the male counterpart, working with Marilyn Monroe on Some Like It Hot was incredibly difficult. He claimed she would deliberately sabotage kissing scenes by being overly aggressive. Curtis even compared the experience to something deeply unpleasant in later interviews.
Jay Mohr and Jennifer Aniston
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Picture Perfect followed a woman who fakes a romance to climb the corporate ladder, but real-life tensions on set were less scripted. Jay Mohr said he got the role over Jennifer Aniston’s then-boyfriend, which reportedly upset her and caused her to single him out. And while they finished filming without further conflict, the memory stayed with him.
Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke
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To build pressure for 9 1/2 Weeks, director Adrian Lyne instructed Mickey Rourke to keep his distance from Kim Basinger and unsettle her emotionally. Rourke followed through, and Basinger later admitted she hated him at times. She went on to describe the experience as manipulative and emotionally exhausting.
Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson
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Fifty Shades of Grey stirred up headlines for its provocative storyline, but the energy between its stars didn’t match the hype. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson gave awkward interviews that led to rumors about their lack of chemistry. The director later revealed they hadn’t formed a connection during production and only warmed up during the press tour.
Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon
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Vince Vaughn prefers spontaneity, while Reese Witherspoon likes control. Their opposite styles clashed hard during the shooting of Four Christmases. The resulting strained atmosphere lingered through production. However, neither actor has commented much since then. Their creative methods simply differed, and their working relationship ended after that one project.
Richard Gere and Debra Winger
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Throughout their time on the set of An Officer and a Gentleman, Richard Gere and Debra Winger kept their distance. Co-star Louis Gossett Jr. revealed that they barely interacted off-camera. The uneasiness was strong enough that it nearly disrupted production, with talk of Winger quitting the film at one point.
Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn
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Casting Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina didn’t sit well with Humphrey Bogart, who had lobbied for his wife, Lauren Bacall, to get the role. As soon as shooting began, he openly criticized Hepburn’s acting and her need for multiple takes. Unsurprisingly, Hepburn responded with professionalism.
Vivian Vance and William Frawley
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I Love Lucy starred Vivian Vance and William Frawley as a married couple. In reality, they couldn’t stand each other. The lead actor reportedly criticized the age gap between them, which deeply offended Frawley. Eventually, the producers also scrapped a proposed spinoff because neither actor wanted to continue working together.