What other behind-the-scenes bust-ups have there been, as “Dune: Part Two” actress reveals workplace spat

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and others who have worked with “Dune: Part Two” actress Rebecca Ferguson are asking for names, as the actress revealed that she had a particularly acrimonious run-in with a “well-known” star during the filming of previous work. Though the actress didn’t name the performer or the production, it was still an exchange that has remained with her to this day.

The revelation emerged during an interview with “The Reign” podcast with Josh Smith, who admitted she once refused to work with a co-star who she referred to as an “absolute idiot.” “[The co-star was] Being so insecure and angry because this person couldn't get the scenes out" and "would literally look at me in front of the whole crew and say 'You call yourself an actor? This is what I have to work with?'"

She added that she felt "so scared" about the confrontation which saw her being "screamed at". Ultimately, Ferguson said she called them out on their behaviour. "Because this person was number one on a call sheet, there was no safety net for me, so no one had my back," she explained. She said she told the individual to "get off my set", and said to them: "I'm gonna work towards a tennis ball. I never want to see you again."

When producers told her the performer had to be allowed on set as they were "number one", Ferguson instead requested to act to the back of her co-star's head. "I thought it shouldn't have to be that way, and I remember going to the director afterwards and saying, 'What is happening?' The director said, 'You're right, I am not taking care of everyone else. I'm trying to fluff this person because it's so unstable.'

"And it was great from that moment but it took so long for me to get to that," she said.

While there has been speculation online about who it could be, the Swedish actress said it was not Tom Cruise who she starred alongside in “Mission Impossible”, or Hugh Jackman, who played the main role in “The Greatest Showman.” “It doesn't matter who it is, I'm gonna try and not give this away,” she stated towards the end of the discussion.

What are some other famous behind-the-scenes fights from Hollywood?

So with the news that Rebecca Ferguson had to deal with problems during the filming of one of her movies, NationalWorld takes a look back at some famous, or should that be infamous, moments behind the scenes when actors and creatives nearly came to blows during filming.

Christian Bale vs a crew member (Terminator: Salvation, 2009)

One of the most famous moments of a cast member “snapping” during the heat of the moment, Christian Bale’s rant against a lighting crew member was infamously captured on tape for insurance purposes if Bale backed out of the big-budgeted “Terminator: Salvation.” Bale, quite rightfully, called into a radio show in Los Angeles after the news broke, admitting that he was in the wrong, it was a heated day and a heated scene being filmed and he apologised to the crew member, explaining that it was just a bad moment for something like that to occur.

David O. Russell vs Lily Tomlin (I Heart Huckabees, 2004)

Mercurial director David O. Russell has had a litany of anger issues while filming his productions (including an apparent fist-fight with George Clooney during the filming of “Three Kings”), but it was the footage leaked of his verbal abuse towards actress Lily Tomlin during the filming of “I Heart Huckabees” that shone a light into just problematic O. Russell could be. 

The now infamous clip, parodied later on by Michael Cera to promote his upcoming film “Superbad” with Jonah Hill, saw Russell match over to Tomlin and referred to her by several abusive comments including calling her a “c**t” in the process. Though the pair patched up afterwards, and Tomlin admitted these things can happen, it didn’t stop O. Russell from being very difficult with “American Hustle” actress Amy Adams - which led to Christian Bale stepping in to ask Russell to be a little gentler on the actress.

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, 1962)

One of the greatest on-set rivalries in cinema, between two big divas of Hollywood. Things between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford didn’t affect the popularity of their 1962 horror, “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” with the palpable tension increasing the heightened sense of anxiety on screen. 

While on set, reports of verbal and physical altercations behind the scenes slowed down production, with the long-running feud drawing from both their personal and professional lives. Davis claims the best time she ever had with Joan was when she pushed her down some stairs. The authentic fight scenes and performances made the film a box office hit, but years later Davis claimed her co-star sabotaged her Oscar nomination out of jealousy.

Bill Murray vs. Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels, 2000)

It was originally a bit of a shock when news emerged that Lucy Liu and Bill Murray got into a spat during the filming of “Charlie’s Angels,” but with news about Murray’s problematic behaviour years after the incident, hindsight is of course 20/20.

During filming, Murray directly told Liu that she was not good at acting. Liu reportedly reacted strongly to the comment and physically attacked Murray with a series of punches. The altercation had to be broken up by others on set, which resulted in the production being shut down for a day.

Murray’s role was recast for the sequel, with Bosley played by the late Bernie Mac instead.

Shia Labeouf vs Tom Hardy (Lawless, 2012)

During the production of the movie "Lawless" in 2012, there was a heated altercation between Shia Labeouf and Tom Hardy. Director John Hillcoat revealed during an AMA on Reddit for his film "Triple 9" that the situation had escalated to the point where both actors had to be restrained. However, Hillcoat was relieved to hear that the situation did not escalate further because he did not want to see the outcome. 

Although there was a significant size difference between the two actors, Labeouf did not hesitate to swing at Hardy. Hardy sarcastically claimed that he was knocked out by the former “Even Stevens” actor, but Labeouf argued that there was a lot of aggression between them due to their roles as on-screen brothers, and they had been teasing each other constantly. Labeouf also denied that the scuffle was due to alcohol.

When is “Dune: Part Two” released in the United Kingdom?

“Dune: Part Two” arrives in UK cinemas on March 1 2024.