If you’ve ever been fired from a job, you might know how demoralizing it feels to see your position replaced by someone else. Professional actors work with the constant threat of replacement lingering over their heads—and even if you make it through filming, your part might be cut from the big screen.
What does a Hollywood star do when they get axed from a production? Move on, or crash and burn? Whether it was creative differences, on-set feuds, or downright mutiny, these surprisingly familiar faces found themselves ousted from films and replaced with someone better-suited for the part...
Megan Fox in Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Back in 2007, Megan Fox was at the height of her career. She had just been cast as the lead in Transformers alongside Shia LaBeouf. The film was a hit, and Megan went on to become the Hollywood “it girl” for what seemed like years to come. However, her career came to a screeching halt after she made some comments about director Michael Bay, comparing him to Hitler in 2009.
“He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation,” Fox said in the career-ending interview. “He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he’s not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him.”
Bad Reputation
After her interview in Wonderland magazine came out, Steven Spielberg, the film’s executive producer, ordered Bay to fire her from the franchise on the spot. She was replaced with Rosie Huntington. Bay claimed he wasn’t offended, saying that it was “just Megan” and that the actress “loves to get a response.” However, the truth about Fox’s experience with Michael Bay was much darker.
The Fall of Megan Fox
Ten years ago, Fox spoke publicly about collaborating with Bay. When she asked for notes, he continuously ordered her to “be hot” and “just be sexy,” making it clear he didn’t value her as anything more than a prop. Bay also forced her to “audition” for her role in Transformers by washing his Ferrari while he filmed her.
The Open Letter
After Fox came forward to speak about how difficult it was to work with the 54-year-old director, he published a grossly sexist open letter on his website, in which crew members called Fox “dumb as a rock,” unprofessional, “Ms. Sourpants,” a “grump,” “thankless,” “classless,” “graceless,” and an “unfriendly b*tch.” Steven Spielberg later denied telling Bay to fire Fox from the production.
An excerpt from the letter read:
“When facing the press, Megan is the queen of talking trailer trash and posing like a porn star. And yes we’ve had the unbearable time of watching her try to act on set, and yes, it’s very cringe-able. So maybe, being a porn star in the future might be a good career option. But make-up beware, she has a paragraph tattooed to her backside (probably due to her rotten childhood)—easily another 45 minutes in the chair!”
Edward Norton in The Avengers
In 2008, Norton played Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, in a one-off film, The Incredible Hulk. However, Norton wasn’t asked to be part of The Avengers for two reasons. Firstly, The Incredible Hulk bombed with critics and is the lowest-earning MCU film to date. Second of all, Marvel insinuated that Norton wasn’t exactly a team player, according to a statement they released regarding their decision to replace him with Mark Ruffalo.
Hard to Work With
“We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers,” read the statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel. “Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members...” Oof. Tough break, Norton.
Ryan Gosling in The Lovely Bones
Before Mark Wahlberg fulfilled the role, Ryan Gosling was supposed to play the father of Susie Salmon, the murdered girl in The Lovely Bones, until director Peter Jackson fired him from the project. Why? Well, it might have had a little something to do with his 60-pound weight gain.
Thicker Than A Bowl of Melted Ice Cream
Gosling, who reportedly envisioned the character as heavy-set, started drinking melted Haagen Dazs ice cream when he was thirsty. When he showed up on set, Jackson was less than pleased.
Fat and Unemployed
“We didn't talk very much during the preproduction process, which was the problem,” Gosling said. “It was a huge movie, and there are so many things to deal with, and he couldn’t deal with the actors individually. I just showed up on set, and I had gotten it wrong. Then I was fat and unemployed.”
Christian Bale in American Psycho
You may be thinking, “Wait, what?” Yes, it’s true—Christian Bale was, at one point, cut loose from the production. The studio cycled through a number of other actors before settling on Bale. However, Bale was fired once Leonardo DiCaprio became available. Bale, undeterred, kept training at the gym because he was certain the part would be offered to him once again.
Hitting the Iron Church
Fortunately, Bale’s rigid dedication paid off, and he became the Patrick Bateman we know today. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Bale discussed his persistence: “I’m English, so I never go to a gym, but for that role, it was part of the whole deal that I had to go. I still kept going down to the gym every day because I was going, ‘Oh, I’m making the film.’”
Taylor Momsen in Gossip Girl
Good-girl-gone-bad Taylor Momsen seemed to emulate her character on Gossip Girl, Jenny Humphrey, a little too thoroughly. After four seasons on the show, Momsen’s storyline was cut, and the actress was let go for her “unreliable and erratic behavior” on set.
Class Dismissed
While filming for Season 4, one source said Momsen’s presence felt unusually absent. “Taylor wasn’t on set filming much this season, but when she did show up, she wasn’t very level-headed,” the insider explained. “The show’s executives didn’t trust that she was really giving it her all, so they dismissed her as a regular.” After her stint on the show, Momsen went on to pursue a career in music, serving as the frontman rock band The Pretty Reckless.
Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men
After years starring as Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men, the producers called it quits for Charlie Sheen—and the whole ordeal wasn’t pretty. In a scathing 11-page letter, the producers justify their decision to let Sheen go, portraying him as a self-destructive, extremely ill addict suffering from severe mental and physical deterioration. Sheen was replaced on the show by Ashton Kutcher.
On His Worst Behavior
“It is clear that [Sheen] has no intention of agreeing to the intensive evaluation and treatment that his condition requires,” the letter states. “It is also clear he does not believe he has a problem and that he will continue to conduct himself in a destructive manner.”
Last Chance
The producers then describe endless attempts to help Sheen, 45, with his addiction, including visiting his home, contacting his family, giving his copious time off, and even renting him a private jet to take him to rehab after the actor ended up in the hospital. Unfortunately, their efforts were to no avail, and Sheen was axed from the show in 2011.
Selma Blair in Anger Management
Charlie Sheen starred as Charlie Goodson on Anger Management alongside Selma Blair, who played his girlfriend, Kate Wales. In June 2013, Blair was very publicly fired from the production after she complained to executives that Sheen was constantly late to rehearsals and never learned his lines. When Sheen got wind that Selma had complained behind his back, he promptly had her axed via text message. Blair was then replaced with Laura Bell Bundy.
Unprofessional, Much?
In the message, Sheen called Blair the “c” word and effectively dismissed her from the show. Although Blair kept her cool at first, the actress hit Sheen and the production company, Lionsgate Entertainment, with a $1.2 million lawsuit, demanding the money she should have earned had she not been abruptly fired. She still believes she was wrongfully terminated.
Anne Hathaway in Knocked Up
Although Katherine Heigl ended up denouncing her role in Knocked Up as “a little sexist” (much to the chagrin of Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow), Anne Hathaway was originally offered Heigl’s part in the film. It was rumored that Hathaway was replaced prior to the start of production because she and Apatow had differing views on the graphic birth scene. However, Hathaway ended up clearing the air…
Out of Her Depth
“I thought about that… Judd [Apatow] was right to include the shot,” Hathaway said in an interview with Allure. “I didn't disagree with the shot. My issue with it was that having not experienced motherhood myself, I didn't know how I was gonna feel on the other side about giving birth.”
Since the interview, Hathaway has become the mother of a 3-year-old boy with another on the way. It looks like she finally got to experience the joys of childbirth firsthand—hopefully without Judd Apatow present.
Julianne Moore in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Originally, Moore was signed on to play writer Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, but Melissa McCarthy ended up winning an Oscar for the role. The decision to replace Moore was reportedly a result of creative differences.
Moore’s co-star, Richard E. Grant, revealed that Moore wanted to wear a fat suit and a prosthetic nose to look more like Israel, but director Nicole Holofcener thought it would distract from the narrative.
Contrasting Ideas
“I didn’t leave that movie, I was fired. Nicole fired me. So yeah, that’s the truth,” Moore told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. “I think she didn’t like what I was doing. I think that her idea of where the character was, was different than where my idea of where the character was, and so she fired me.”
Kevin Spacey in House of Cards
In 2017, actor Anthony Rapp admitted to Buzzfeed that Spacey had sexually assaulted him while he was underage and working in the theater. After Rapp’s story came to light, over ten more victims stepped forward with similar accusations.
“My stomach churns,” Rapp said of Spacey’s rise to fame. “I still to this day can’t wrap my head around so many aspects of it. It’s just deeply confusing to me.”
No More Underwood
Spacey, apparently “horrified” by the claims, took the opportunity to come out as gay. Thankfully, once the allegations against Spacey came to light, Frank Underwood was promptly killed off House of Cards. He was also edited out of All the Money in the World and replaced with Christopher Plummer.
Janet Hubert in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
After the show’s third season, the original Aunt Viv clashed so hard with co-star Will Smith that she was fired from the show and re-cast. Even now, Hubert still calls out Smith on social media for destroying her career. Smith addressed the situation at the time, sharing his side of the story with an Atlanta radio station...
The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show
“I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be ‘The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show’ because I know she is going to dog me in the press. She has basically gone from a quarter of a million dollars a year to nothing,” Smith said.
“She’s mad now but she’s been mad all along," he continued. "She said once, ‘I’ve been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.’ No matter what, to her I'm just the Antichrist.”
Shannen Doherty in Beverly Hills, 90210
It turns out that Beverly Hills, 90210 was just as dramatic behind the scenes as it was on the screen. Doherty, who played the role of Brenda, was kicked off the show thanks to Tori Spelling. In a one-hour Lifetime special, Spelling admitted that she was responsible for putting Doherty on the chopping block...
It Was Her Decision
Spelling revealed that Doherty was often engaged in physical altercations with the cast and crew. After a fistfight, Spelling contacted her father, Aaron Spelling, the creator and producer of Beverly Hills, 90210. Per Spelling’s request, Doherty departed after the third season with no warning.
“I felt like I was a part of something… a movement… that cost someone their livelihood,” Spelling remarked. “Was she a horrible person? No—she was one of the best friends I ever had.”
Isaiah Washington in Grey’s Anatomy
Once a major character on the first three seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, Isaiah Washington blew it big time. Washington played Dr. Preston Burke, head of cardiothoracic surgery and fiance of Dr. Cristina Yang. However, in the fall of 2006, Washington was arguing on set with Patrick Dempsey when he dropped a homophobic slur in reference to co-star T.R. Knight.
Unacceptable Language
Although Washington claimed the slur wasn’t directed at Knight, who played Dr. George O’Malley, Knight went on to come out of the closet on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He told the talk show host, “I think when that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself.”
It Happened Again
Washington reportedly apologized for the incident, but then used the same slur again in front of reporters while backstage at the Gold Globe Awards. He then recanted the story, apologized yet again, and shot a gay-rights advocacy PSA for GLADD, which aired during a Grey’s Anatomy rerun...
Grounds for Dismissal
An executive at ABC told The New York Times that Washington had exhibited behavior that could be “considered grounds for dismissal under anti-discrimination policy.” Shortly afterward, Washington was cut from the series and written off the show—but not for long.
Replaced and Reprised
In what audiences believed to be Washington’s final episode, Preston and Cristina broke up on their wedding day. The following season, Dr. Burke was replaced by Dr. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) as head of cardiothoracic surgery. Needless to say, audiences weren’t happy when Shonda Rhimes allowed Washington to reprise the role after Knight left the show.
No Real Consequences
Rhimes received tremendous backlash for her decision to bring Washington back on the show in 2014—right as the series was preparing for Sandra Oh’s departure, and conveniently after T.R. Knight had already left Grey’s Anatomy. Washington remained on the show until season 10.
“It's important to me that Cristina’s journey unfolds exactly as it should,” Shonda explained. “Burke is vital to that journey — he gives her story that full-circle moment we need to properly say goodbye to our beloved Cristina Yang.”
Stana Katic in Castle
In April 2016, ABC announced that Stana Katic would not be returning for a ninth season of Castle. A month later, the program was canceled altogether. During a press tour for the Television Critics Association, network president Channing Dungey revealed the real reason behind Katic’s departure.
Dungey stated that the network was “very upfront with the studio and the producers about the possibility that we might not be bringing the show back for season nine.” The studio still had to prepare for the possibility, and they felt Katic wasn’t integral to the ninth season of Castle, hence her dismissal.
Kal Penn in House
During his time as Dr. Lawrence Kutner on House, Kal Penn was offered a stellar opportunity that he just couldn’t pass up. Penn had been asked to serve as an associate director for the Obama administration’s Office of Public Liaison. The writers on House didn’t need to kill him off had he wanted to reprise the role at a later date, but it seems like perhaps they weren’t too keen on him leaving the show…
Death by Suicide
In order to prevent Dr. Kutner from returning, the writers had his character commit suicide, effectively blindsiding viewers. Although Penn and the writers claimed to be on good terms, their actions may have spoken louder than words. Penn’s role on the series was over for good.
Thomas Gibson in Criminal Minds
Aaron Hotchner had been an essential character on Criminal Minds since it hit the air in 2005. However, after an on-set altercation with a producer, the network was quick to fire him… and it wasn’t the first time Gibson exhibited violent behavior during his 11 seasons on the FBI procedural.
Anger Management
Since his termination, stories about Gibson’s temper began to surface. Gibson shoved a Criminal Minds assistant director in 2010 and was forced to attend anger-management classes. In 2013, he was arrested for drunk driving after his car careened through a barricaded street where a marathon was taking place. In 2016, Gibson allegedly kicked a producer. He was then suspended and subsequently dismissed.
Samantha Morton in Her
It was only after filming had wrapped that Spike Jonze decided Samantha Morton wasn’t fit for the lead role in Her (2013). Jonze realized during post-production that he didn’t think her voice was suited to the character, bringing in Scarlett Johansson to replace her.
The Creative Process
“Samantha was with us on set and was amazing,” Jonze said in a statement. “It was only in post-production, when we started editing, that we realized that what the character/movie needed was different from what Samantha and I had created together, so we recast and since then Scarlett has taken over that role.”
Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2
Originally, Terrence Howard signed a three-picture contract with Marvel right before the production of the first Iron Man (2008), which ended up launching the MCU. At the time of signing the deal, Howard was given a set salary for each movie—but when the second installment came around, Howard was informed he would receive only one-eighth of the money he was promised, supposedly as a result of Robert Downey Jr.’s greed...
Offer Denied
“It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man… when it was time to re-up for the second one, [Downey Jr.] took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out,” Howard said.
Howard refused to accept the significant decrease in pay. However, the directors said they’d be able to do the movie without him. Howard ended up being fired from the production in 2010 and replaced with his Crash co-star Don Cheadle.
Jean-Claude Van Damme in Predator
There are many conflicting accounts detailing why Jean-Claude Van Damme, who was originally hired to play the alien trophy hunter, left the project. Some cite that Van Damme was unhappy with his constricting costume, or that he clashed with producer Joel Silver, who was famously known as quite the curmudgeon. The most infamous reason? He just absolutely could not stop kickboxing.
“You Gotta Stop Kickboxing!”
Special effects supervisor discussed a hilarious incident in which Van Damme had come to see Joel Silver in his trailer, which effectively marked the end of his time working on the production:
“I was in Joel Silver's trailer, and he had called for Jean-Claude to come see him. And he comes in the trailer and Joel starts saying, 'You gotta stop kickboxing!'—because [Jean-Claude] wanted to kickbox—and he was telling him, 'Look, the Predator is not a kickboxer.' And Van Damme was like (Van Damme voice), 'I must do that; that's how I see the Predator.' And Joel said, 'Well, you're fired. Get out of here.' And Van Damme says, 'Kiss my balls!' and walks out, and that was the end of that.”
Steve Burns in Blues Clues
Burns, the original host of Blues Clues, left the beloved cartoon children’s show in 2002 after six years on the series. People were shocked that he departed at the height of the show’s popularity; rumors circulated that Burns had been killed in a car crash, was addicted to drugs, or died of an overdose.
Going Bald
Burns, then 29, decided that it was time to go when he started going bald. “I knew I wasn’t going to be doing children’s television all my life, mostly because I refused to lose my hair on a kid’s TV show,” Burns said. He added, “And it was happening… fast.”
The Original Marty McFly
Even though Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, the producers wanted Michael J. Fox all along. Fox had been tied up with shooting his hit show, Family Ties, so they went with Stoltz instead. Unfortunately, Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, and other higher-ups felt like Stoltz just wasn’t the right fit—so they concocted a plan to get rid of him.
The Long Con
Even though it had been secretly decided that Stoltz was getting the ax, production continued for another month with no one the wiser. Meanwhile, Universal studios negotiated with Fox to work around his Family Ties schedule. In the final days on set, director of photography Dean Cundey confessed that he felt a tenseness in the air:
“When we would set up a shot and we would shoot Chris Lloyd’s angle, but we wouldn't do the reverse on Marty. I’d say, ‘Don’t we need the angle?’ and Bob would say, ‘No, no, no, let's not worry about that.’ It didn’t take long for me to see that we were saving our energy for what would come next.”
Richard Gere in Lord of the Flatbush
Richard Gere doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to be fired for giving people attitude, but Sylvester Stallone says otherwise. The 1974 film originally starred Gere alongside an ensemble cast. Gene was reportedly cut loose from the production as the result of an escalating feud with Stallone—and, to this day, Stallone still thinks it was Gere’s fault.
Butting Heads
Stallone described how he and Gere got off on the wrong foot and never recovered. “The original part of Chico, which was played by Perry King, was originally supposed to be played by Richard Gere, but we never hit it off,” he said. He also called Gere “in character and impossible to deal with." But for Stallone, the straw that broke the camel’s back was a messy lunch.
Sloppy Eater
Apparently, Stallone and Gere were scarfing down their food in the backseat of a Toyota when Gere spilled mustard on Stallone’s pants. “I elbowed him in the side of the head and basically pushed him out of the car,” Stallone said. “The director had to make a choice: one of us had to go, one of us had to stay. Richard was given his walking papers and to this day seriously dislikes me.”
Jeez, Rocky. What a diva.
James Purefoy in V For Vendetta
Even though the nature of his departure was never officially clarified, it was later reported that the actor quit due to frustration with his costume. Purefoy shut down the rumors in an interview, specifying that he left the project due to “genuine creative differences” that became “intolerable.”
Creative Differences or Costume Troubles?
Even though the nature of his departure was never officially clarified, it was later reported that the actor quit due to frustration with his costume. Purefoy shut down the rumors in an interview, specifying that he left the project due to “genuine creative differences” that became “intolerable.”
“I don't really talk about it much because we agreed not to," Purefoy added. "The only rumor I can scotch is that if anybody thinks I was too p**** to wear a mask, they're completely wrong. It was nothing to do with wearing the mask.”
Holly Hunter in Chicken Little
It’s no secret that the 2005 animated film Chicken Little was hardly anyone’s favorite Disney movie. Actress Holly Hunter voiced the lead role for most of the production before it was decided that Chicken Little would be a boy instead of a girl. Eight months of Hunter’s work was archived and replaced with Zach Braff’s pitched-up voice. Critically, the decision might have cost the film a major hit, because it only scored 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yikes.
Harvey Keitel in Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now was known for its seemingly endless string of headaches during production. For instance, the time director Francis Ford Coppola was forced to fire the lead, Harvey Keitel, right after filming commenced. Apparently, Keitel and Coppola clashed in their perception of how Willard was meant to be played, and Keitel wasn’t happy about it.
Differing Opinions
“Long-term, [Coppola] didn't really give in [to my suggestions] because if he had understood the real value of my contribution—having the experience of three years as a Marine Corps rifleman, squad leader, fire team leader—the separation wouldn't have happened," Keitel said. He was replaced by Martin Sheen, who famously suffered a heart attack in the midst of the notoriously difficult production.
Stuart Townsend in The Lord of the Rings
Four days into filming The Lord of the Rings, it occurred to Peter Jackson that Stuart Townsend looked far too young to be playing Aragorn. He then passed on the role to Viggo Mortensen, who earned critical acclaim for his performance. Things between Townsend and the producers would have been fine, had it not been for a supposed “breach of contract.”
Zero Compensation
Townsend had been rigorously training for two months and then was axed the day before filming commenced. At first, he was relieved, having experienced a number of issues in pre-production. However, when Townsend found out they were refusing to pay him, he was less than thrilled.
“After that I was told they wouldn't pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough,” he said. “I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn't be paid.”
The Show Must Go On
David Fincher selected Nicole Kidman to play the mother in Panic Room because he thought she'd be a perfect fit for the part. However, when Kidman suffered complications from a knee injury she had sustained while shooting Moulin Rouge! two weeks into shooting, Fincher was put in a bind. There was an actor’s strike looming on the horizon, and most other big Hollywood names had already been booked for other productions…
Bad Luck, Good Luck
Fincher considered shutting the production down altogether and collecting the insurance money, but they decided to move forward. Fortunately, Jodie Foster’s misfortune would soon become a good omen for Fincher. Foster was set to direct her second film, Flora Plum, when leading man Russell Crowe sustained a shoulder injury and couldn’t perform. Fincher offered her Kidman’s role in Panic Room.
“I remember emailing Russell saying, ‘I’m doing Nicole’s movie—how ironic is that?’” Foster said in 2005. “With Flora Plum being shut down, Panic Room got to continue.”
James Remar in Aliens
When James Remar first left the James Cameron project, he cited it was due to “urgent matters at home.” Remar had been cast as Corporal Hicks, but it turns out that his turbulent personal life was about to cost him not only the role, but also a working relationship with writer Walter Hill.
Drug Problem
“Urgent matters at home” was actually a cover for something much darker. “I had a terrible drug problem, but I got through it,” Remar said on a podcast several years ago. “I had a great career and personal life, and messed it up with a terrible drug habit… I was initially cast as Corporal Hicks, and I was fired after a couple weeks of filming because I got busted for possession of drugs, and Michael Biehn replaced me.”
Thankfully, Remar was able to recover, going on to have roles in a number of successful film and TV productions, such as Dexter, The Warriors, and 48 Hrs.