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Feuds between costars have always been a part of Hollywood lore. Much like the stars of today, actors from the Golden Age often put on a show of camaraderie on screen while secretly harboring resentment off-screen.
Here are 11 famous Old Hollywood costars who were said to have clashed:
1. Frank Sinatra initially sought the role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, but instead, he was cast as Nathan Detroit. Allegedly, he and Marlon Brando had a tense encounter from the moment they met, especially after Brando secured the leading role.
The singer was said to have referred to his costar as "Mumbles," a nickname given due to his lack of musical background.
It’s alleged that Marlon spent an entire day on set deliberately ruining the takes of the scene where Sky and Nathan, the latter eating cheesecake, meet for the first time. His goal was to make Frank eat so much cheesecake that he would become sick.
Reports suggest that their rivalry escalated to a point where they communicated only through intermediaries.
According to their co-star Regis Toomey, "Sinatra was snotty and very difficult, as he really didn’t want to do the role."
2. After Marlon Brando touched Sophia Loren without her permission on the set of A Countess From Hong Kong, she "calmly turned and slapped him across the face, as if a cat had been stroked the wrong way, saying, ‘Don’t you ever do that again. Never again!’”
She shared with the Independent, "As I glared at him, he appeared small, helpless, almost like a victim of his own fame. He never did it again, but after that, it was incredibly difficult to work with him."
3. After working alongside Veronica Lake in Sullivan's Travels, Joel McCrea reportedly remarked that he would never again work with her.
He reportedly remarked, "Life’s too short to make two films with Veronica Lake."
4. In her 1969 memoir Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake, Veronica Lake revealed that she felt undermined by her I Married a Witch co-star Fredric March, so she decided to get back at him with a prank.
For instance, she allegedly had a camera operator assist in attaching a 40-pound weight under her dress for a scene where Fredric was supposed to carry her.
She wrote, "I could hear March grunt quietly as he bravely followed the script. After putting me down for the last time, he glared at me. 'Big bones,' I said, then walked off."
5. Humphrey Bogart is said to have accused William Holden of attempting to kill him during a motorcycle stunt on the set of Invisible Stripes.
In 1972, William shared on The Dick Cavett Show, "I think I almost killed him, but it was by accident. The motorcycle had a wobble in the wheel, and I couldn’t control it. At the time, I was experienced with motorcycles, but this one just happened to be a bad one.
So, Bogart got out of the sidecar. He said, 'I'm not riding with that crazy guy. He’s liable to kill me.' So a stuntman took his place, and sure enough, we turned a corner and crashed right through a brick wall. The entire front of the bike broke apart. Then he said, 'See, he was trying to kill me.' And I replied, 'Bogey, I’m not trying to kill you. I had to go through that wall. You think I’m immune to bricks, and I’m going to get away with it?'"
He also confirmed that the stuntman was unharmed in the crash.
6. As recounted in the biography Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart, Humphrey Bogart felt like a "misfit" on the set of Sabrina because his co-stars, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden, were already close with director Billy Wilder, with whom they had previously worked.
Humphrey not only had an existing dislike for William but was also reportedly irritated by the constant public displays of affection between William and Audrey.
7. Patricia Neal was reportedly initially "excited" to work alongside George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's, but soon noticed that he had become "cold and arrogant" since their previous encounter. Eventually, she came to "despise" him.
In Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson, Patricia recalled, "On one occasion, Blake [Edwards, the director] and George almost came to blows. We were trying to block a scene, and George wanted to alter everything Blake had planned. He got so out of hand that Blake nearly punched him. I intervened, but I think George ultimately got his way. From that moment, I hated him."
8. According to the BBC, Joan Fontaine allegedly said that her Rebecca co-star Laurence Olivier disliked her because he preferred that his wife, Vivian Leigh, take her role instead.
Joan reportedly said, "I was treated as though I had leprosy."
9. In her 2013 autobiography Unsinkable, Debbie Reynolds shared her experience with her Singin' in the Rain co-star and director Gene Kelly, calling him a "tough taskmaster." She wrote, "He came to every rehearsal, criticized everything I did, and never offered a single word of encouragement."
Debbie also claimed that during their first kiss scene, Gene made unwelcome advances, writing, "As the camera zoomed in, Gene pulled me tightly into his arms...and shoved his tongue down my throat. 'Eeew! What was that?' I screamed, breaking free and spitting. I ran around in panic, asking for Coca-Cola to cleanse my mouth. It was the early 1950s, and I was an innocent young woman who had never experienced a French kiss. It felt like an assault. I was shocked that this 39-year-old man would do this to me."
Gene reportedly later admitted, "I wasn’t very nice to Debbie. I’m surprised she still talks to me."
10. In her 1982 memoir This 'N That, Bette Davis confessed, "Throughout my career, I've only criticized two actresses I worked with. The first was [my co-star in The Old Maid and Old Acquaintance] Miriam Hopkins."
In her 1963 memoir The Lonely Life, Bette recalled her first experience with Miriam, dating back to when they performed together in the 1928 play Excess Baggage. She wrote, "Miriam was the most beautiful golden-haired blonde I had ever seen. She was the object of envy among all of us."
According to Vanity Fair, Bette was rumored to have had an affair with Miriam's husband, director Anatole Litvak.
In 1939, the two actresses worked together again in The Old Maid. Bette wrote in The Lonely Life, "To begin with, she never acknowledged me. Her restless little spirit was constantly anticipating her next line, her golden curls quivering with excitement. During one two-shot where we were both featured, her attempts to overshadow me nearly caused the couch we were sitting on to collapse."
11. As reported by Harper's Bazaar, the bitter feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford started in 1933 when Joan's divorce from Douglas Fairbanks Jr. overshadowed Bette's Ex-Lady promotional campaign. After years of tension, their conflict peaked on the set of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, the only film they ever worked on together. Their animosity reportedly led to physical confrontations on set.
For instance, Joan arranged for a body double to film a scene where Bette's character was supposed to strike hers, as she feared her rival might actually hurt her. However, during a close-up shot, Bette allegedly struck Joan so forcefully on the head that Joan required stitches. Bette insisted she had "barely touched her."
In another scene where Bette was supposed to pull Joan out of bed, Joan supposedly strapped on a weightlifter's belt and added rocks to herself, intentionally ruining several takes.
In a more subtle but equally spiteful gesture, Bette is said to have installed a Coke machine in her dressing room, presumably to annoy Joan, who sat on Pepsi's board of directors.
