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9 co-stars who famously hated each other on-set

From NCIS to The Notebook, these castmates did not part as pals

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Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
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Although we're used to the age old answer from stars that they were best of pals with everyone on the set, sometimes the reality is very different. Some co-stars might have sparkling chemistry onscreen but despised each other in real life - and haven't been afraid to talk about it either. From NCIS co-stars to blockbuster drama, here are co-stars who famously disliked each other, and why...

Pauley Perrette and Mark Harmon

The NCIS co-stars were believed to have a fallout on set after Mark's dog reportedly bit a member of the crew, causing Pauley to make a complaint. Back in 2019, she said she'd never return to the series, tweeting: "NO I AM NOT COMING BACK! EVER! (Please stop asking?) I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. I have nightmares about it. I have a new show that is SAFE AND HAPPY! You'll love it! #HappyPlace Love y'all!"

WATCH: Pauley's character says goodbye to Mark Harmon's Gibbs after leaving show 

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams

Even though the pair eventually ended up dating, The Notebook's director Nick Cassavetes revealed that the pair did not initially get along on set. At all. He explained: "[Ryan's] doing a scene with Rachel and he says, ‘Would you take her out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with me?’ I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘I can’t. I can’t do it with her. I’m just not getting anything from this."

rachel ryan© Photo: Sky

He continued: "We went into a room with a producer; they started screaming and yelling at each other… “I walked out… and everybody came out like, ‘All right let’s do this.’ And it got better after that, you know? They had it out… I think Ryan respected her for standing up for her character and Rachel was happy to get that out in the open."

Lea Michele and Naya Rivera

The late actress Naya had written about her ongoing feud with Lea Michele in her 2016 memoir, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes and Growing Up. She wrote: "I think Rachel — erm, I mean Lea — didn’t like sharing the spotlight. She had a hard time separating work from our outside friendship, whereas it was a lot easier for me … Lea was a lot more sensitive, though, and sometimes it seemed like she blamed me for anything and everything that went wrong."

lea michele naya rivera© Photo: Sky

Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall

Kim revealed that the pair didn't get along on the set while chatting on Piers Morgan's Life Stories. She explained: "This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City and, specifically, Sarah Jessica Parker in that I think she could have been nicer. I really think she could have been nicer…. I don’t know what her issue is, I never have."

kim sjp© Photo: Sky

Sarah Jessica responded on the Hollywood Reporter's awards podcast, saying: "I've spent a lot of years working really hard to always be decent to everybody on the set, to take care of people. And there just isn’t anyone else who’s ever talked about me this way, so it’s very painful."

Kiefer Sutherland and Freddie Prinze Jr

Freddie admitted that he decided to take a step back from acting after working with Kiefer Sutherland on 24 made him want to "quit the business". Speaking to ABC News back in 2014, he explained: "I did 24. It was terrible. I hated every moment of it. Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world. That's not me talking trash. I'd say it to his face. I think everyone who's worked with him has said that... I just wanted to quit the business after that. So I just sort of stopped."

freddie kiefer© Photo: Sky

At the time, Kiefer responded to Freddie’s comments via his rep, who said: "Kiefer worked with Freddie Prinze, Jr. more than five years ago, and this is the first he has heard of Freddie's grievances. Kiefer enjoyed working with Freddie and wished him the best."

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy

Things became hugely tense on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road due to Charlize and Tom's feud – and the pair have both spoken frankly about the incredibly difficult situation on set. Speaking to the New York Times, Tom said: "What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced, partner in me. That’s something that can’t be faked. I’d like to think that now that I’m older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion."

mad max© Photo: Sky

Charlize added: "I think because of my own fear, we were putting up walls to protect ourselves instead of saying to each other, ‘This is scary for you, and it’s scary for me, too. Let’s be nice to each other.’ In a weird way, we were functioning like our characters: Everything was about survival."

In the book Blood, Sweat, and Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, it was revealed that Charlize was furious when Tom showed up late to set, and Tom confronted her – leaving Charlize feeling unsafe. She ended up requesting a female producer to join the set, explaining: " I don’t want to rehash things, but it came out of a really bad moment where things kind of came to blows between me and Tom."

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Blood, Sweat, and Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, £15, Amazon

READ IT HERE

Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush

Chad and Sophia were married before splitting up five months later. The downside? They continued to co-star on the show for four more years. Although the pair have been careful not to speak publicly about one another too often, Sophia alluded to it on What What Happens Live, saying: "My mother once said to me that if you don't have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all."

chad sophia© Photo: Getty Images

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny

The pair have both been candid about the ups and downs of their relationship while filming The X-Files, revealing, with David saying that "familiarity breeds contempt". Gillian told The Guardian: " I mean, yes, there were definitely periods when we hated each other. Hate is too strong a word. We didn’t talk for long periods of time. It was intense, and we were both pains in the arse for the other at various times."

MORE: Gillian Anderson looks incredible in strapless LBD during latest TV appearance

MORE: NCIS boss teases plans to bring back Pauley Perrette's Abby Sciuto in season 20

david gillian© Photo: Sky

Nicolette Sheridan and Teri Hatcher

There was certainly a lot of feuding in the Desperate Housewives cast – and most against the actress who played Susan Myer, Teri Hatcher. Speaking about her co-star Nicolette went as far as to say she was "the meanest woman in the world". Alluding to the situation herself, Teri told TV Guide: "I will never disclose the true and complicated journey of us all, but I wish everyone on the show well."

nicolette teri© Photo: Sky

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