Acting involves a lot of pretending, and sometimes actors are so good at it that you’d never guess they were having a tough time. Here are 15 stories of actors who were secretly miserable on set and the reasons why:
Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Anya Taylor-Joy revealed to the New York Times in 2024 that making Furiosa was an incredibly lonely and challenging experience. She faced the emotional hurdle of overcoming a past motorcycle accident and spent months filming without speaking on camera. Director George Miller had a very specific vision for her character, limiting her emotional expression to just her eyes, which was tough for her. She also had to fight for certain character choices, which led to tears on set.
Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road
Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy had a tense relationship on set. Charlize felt threatened and demanded a producer for protection after Tom showed up three hours late one day. She described the environment as “horrible” and unsafe. Despite their conflicts, she later apologized for the unpleasant working conditions and admitted she was in “survival mode” during filming.
Charlize Theron in The Devil’s Advocate
Trying method acting for the first time on The Devil’s Advocate made Charlize Theron miserable. She found the process exhausting and realized it wasn’t for her, as it made her unhappy and less effective in her performance.
Zoë Saldaña in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Zoë Saldaña hated the behind-the-scenes politics on the set, describing it as elitist and disrespectful. She almost quit acting because of this experience. Years later, producer Jerry Bruckheimer apologized, which she appreciated, but the experience left a lasting impression.
Amy Hill in The Cat in the Hat
Amy Hill had a terrible time working with Mike Meyers on The Cat in the Hat. She found his behavior rude and isolating, which made the whole experience nightmarish. She felt disconnected from her daughter and miserable throughout the shoot.
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
Meryl Streep’s first attempt at method acting for her role in The Devil Wears Prada made her miserable. Her co-star Emily Blunt described Streep as amazing but slightly terrifying during filming.
Sanaa Lathan in Love & Basketball
Sanaa Lathan felt like an unwanted choice for her role in Love & Basketball. She faced a lot of pressure and lack of trust from the director, leading to many behind-the-scenes tears. She also struggled with the basketball scenes, having never played the sport before.
Christopher Eccleston in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Christopher Eccleston found working on G.I. Joe horrendous and felt like cutting his throat every day. He took responsibility for his misery but described the experience as deeply unpleasant.
Christopher Eccleston in Thor: The Dark World
Eccleston also hated working on Thor: The Dark World, describing it as a “gun in your mouth” experience. He spent six hours in the makeup chair daily and many of his scenes were cut from the film.
Freddie Prinze Jr. in I Know What You Did Last Summer
Freddie Prinze Jr. had a tough time on set because the director didn’t want him in the movie. He received harsh notes and felt wrecked by the experience, but his co-star Ryan Phillippe helped him through it.
Nicolas Cage in Fast Times at Ridgemont High
As a young actor, Nicolas Cage felt like the nerd on set and was often the butt of jokes. His co-stars teased him for his famous last name, making the experience miserable.
Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns
Michelle Pfeiffer hated wearing her Catwoman suit, describing it as the most uncomfortable costume ever. It was so bad that she burned the suits in a bonfire after filming wrapped.
David Cross in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
David Cross had a terrible time on Chipwrecked, calling it the most unpleasant professional experience of his life. He had issues with some producers who made his life miserable on set.
Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther
Michael B. Jordan’s role as Killmonger required him to access deep pain and isolation, which affected him emotionally. After filming, he struggled to reconnect with loved ones and started therapy to cope.
Brie Larson in Room
Brie Larson described filming Room as an “emotional marathon”. Preparing for the role involved months of research and a physical transformation, which left her emotionally and physically drained by the end of shooting.
These stories show that even when the final product looks glamorous, the journey to get there can be anything but.
