What you might not know about the American author
Some of the brightest stars in Hollywood have faced career setbacks, and being fired is one of the worst. There are many different issues that can culminate in the dramatic decision to dismiss an actor from a movie or TV show. However, despite the drama behind the camera, many of these productions still went on to achieve major success.
Click on the gallery for all the behind-the-scenes stories of these famous actors getting fired.
The actor portrayed the role of Hulk/Bruce Banner in the movie 'The Incredible Hulk.' However, he was not invited back to reprise his role in 'The Avengers.' According to Den of Geek, Marvel Studios sought an actor who could align with the creativity and collaborative spirit of the rest of the crew and cast members, leading to the casting change. This role was subsequently played by Mark Ruffalo in 'The Avengers' and subsequent MCU films.
The actress portrayed Charlie Sheen's girlfriend in 'Anger Management.' However, in 2013, she was terminated from the show and subsequently filed a lawsuit against Sheen and the production team, as reported by the Daily Mail. Blair's dismissal occurred after she complained about Sheen's behavior delaying production. She sought compensation equivalent to what she would have earned if she hadn't been fired.
According to People, the producers of 'Two and a Half Men' decided to terminate the actor's contract due to his offensive remarks and non-compliance with a rehabilitation program.
Shia LaBeouf, who is currently facing a career downturn amid allegations of physical, and verbal abuse by FKA Twigs and others, sought to clarify his absence from Olivia Wilde's film 'Don't Worry Darling.' Following Wilde's statement to Variety that she had fired LaBeouf, the embattled actor emailed the publication the next day, asserting that he had actually resigned from the project on August 17, 2020.
When she was just 11 years old, the actress was originally chosen to voice the character Penny in the animated film 'Bolt.' However, despite having already completed all the voice recordings for the character, Disney decided to replace Moretz with Miley Cyrus.
Lisa Kudrow shared a challenging moment she faced before landing her career-defining role as Phoebe in 'Friends.' Prior to that, she had secured a role in another beloved sitcom, 'Frasier.' In 'Frasier,' Kudrow portrayed Roz Doyle, a friend and colleague of Frasier, in the pilot episode. However, she sensed that the chemistry wasn't quite right, and director James Burrows decided to part ways. Kudrow initially believed it was due to her acting not meeting expectations. Shortly thereafter, she auditioned for the role of Phoebe in 'Friends,' and coincidentally, James Burrows was directing the show. Following her audition, he simply stated, "no notes." Kudrow was unsure whether this meant she had aced it or if the whole endeavor was a failure. Well, as they say, the rest is history.
There are various theories surrounding the decision to replace the actor in the cast of 'Predator.' According to GeekTyrant, Van Damme, who initially played the role of Predator, had primarily done kickboxing movies, which did not align with the director's vision for the character. As a result, he was ultimately replaced.
Johnny Depp's legal disputes with ex-wife Amber Heard involved a libel lawsuit he filed against The Sun, accusing them of falsely branding him a "wife-beater." The suit was dismissed because the judge concluded that the newspaper's claim was "substantially true." Following this, the actor departed from his role in 'Fantastic Beasts,' but he later clarified on social media that he had been asked to step down.
Following homophobic remarks directed at fellow cast member T.R. Knight, Washington was promptly removed from the cast of 'Grey's Anatomy.'
In November 2022, Director James Gunn assumed his role as co-chairman of DC Studios and immediately started making major changes in the DCU. Henry Cavill, who portrayed DC's Superman since 2013, had announced in October that he would be reprising the role. However, two months later, it was revealed that Gunn had decided to let him go, as he wanted to take a fresh approach to the superhero and explore the story of his early life with a new actor.
These developments occurred after Cavill revealed that he was leaving the popular Netflix show 'The Witcher,' where he portrayed Geralt. It's probable that Cavill made this decision because he believed he'd be busy working on DC's upcoming Superman film. Sadly, his role in 'The Witcher' had already been handed over to Liam Hemsworth by the time the Superman deal fell apart.
After completing the voice recording for the character Paddington Bear, producers felt that Colin Firth's voice sounded too mature for the role. As a result, they decided to replace him with Ben Whishaw, as reported by Screen Rant.
Reports said Thandiwe Newton was allegedly axed from the 'Magic Mike' sequel after just 11 days of filming. UK outlet The Sun reported that she was fired after getting into a heated argument on set with Channing Tatum about Will Smith’s infamous Oscars assault on Chris Rock. The disagreement reportedly escalated to such “astonishing” and “unimaginably vicious” levels that Tatum stormed off the West London set of 'Magic Mike’s Last Dance' and drove off in a car. Producers, which include Tatum, ultimately decided to recast her role with Salma Hayek.
Following some negative remarks directed at the director of 'Transformers 3,' the actress was dismissed from the cast, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was chosen to replace her in the role. Fox openly stated that director Michael Bay had behaved like a dictator during the filming process.
Tori Spelling disclosed to Us Weekly that due to certain incidents involving the late actress on the set of 'Beverly Hills 90210,' she reached out to her father, Aaron Spelling, who was the creator and producer of the series, and requested that he dismiss Doherty. Consequently, Doherty was let go from the show.
Initially, Gosling was chosen to portray the father in 'The Lovely Bones.' He underwent a significant physical transformation, gaining 60 lbs (27 kg) for the role. However, Director Peter Jackson had a different vision for the character's appearance, which didn't align with Gosling's transformation, and he was replaced by Mark Wahlberg. "We had a different idea of how the character should look," Gosling told The Hollywood Reporter.
Esteemed stage and screen actor Frank Langella was removed from the Netflix series, 'The Fall of the House of Usher.' This series, inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, features other well-known cast members, including George Hamill and Carla Gugino. Langella, a four-time Tony Award winner, was allegedly under investigation for misconduct while on set. The investigation was completed during the production's progress, resulting in Langella's termination from the project. Langella later stated that the actress playing his wife accused him of touching her leg while filming a love scene—an action that was unscripted.
As per CinemaBlend, Sylvester Stallone attempted to rewrite the role he was set to play in 'Beverly Hills Cop' after receiving the script. However, the studios were not in favor of his proposed changes, and as a result, Eddie Murphy was brought in to replace him in the role.
Just one week into production, Remar was dismissed from the 'Aliens' cast. Screen Rant reported that this decision was attributed to issues stemming from the actor's substance usage.
Howard had initially entered into a contract to appear in all three 'Iron Man' films. However, when it was time to film 'Iron Man 2,' he was informed that his compensation would be reduced from the originally agreed-upon amount. This decision, as reported by Screen Rant, was justified by the belief that the film's success did not hinge on his involvement. Howard disagreed with this offer and was subsequently replaced by Don Cheadle in the role.
Mere hours before the inaugural day of filming for 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,' Townsend was terminated from his role. According to The Telegraph, the actor was originally slated to portray Aragorn. He was replaced by Viggo Mortensen.
Penn was acting on the TV show 'House' when he received an invitation to join the Obama administration. Despite this incredible offer, he chose to remain committed to his role until the series' conclusion. However, the production team decided to write off his character by having him take his own life.
The actor had been chosen as the lead character in 'American Psycho.' However, after learning that Leonardo DiCaprio was available, they temporarily cast him instead. When DiCaprio became unavailable again after choosing to do a different movie, the producers went back to their original choice. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Bale revealed that he had always believed he would end up getting the part... and he did!
Since 'Criminal Minds' premiered in 2005, the actor had been a consistent presence in the cast. However, in 2016, following a dispute on set regarding a line in the script, the actor was ultimately let go from the series, as reported by Variety.
During the post-production stage of the film 'Her,' Spike Jonze came to the realization that Morton wasn't the ideal choice for the role. Subsequently, Vulture reports that Scarlett Johansson was brought on board as a replacement.
The actor was initially the top pick for the role of Marty McFly in the movie 'Back to the Future.' However, in the early weeks of filming, the production team came to the conclusion that Stoltz was not the right fit. Michael J. Fox was brought in as his replacement.
The actress was a prominent figure in the comedy series 'Three's Company.' However, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Sommers was dismissed from the show after requesting a raise in her salary.
Originally, the lead character in the animated film 'Chicken Little' was intended to be female, and it took months for Hunter to provide the character's voice. However, as reported by Screen Rant, the production team ultimately opted for the character to be male, leading to Hunter's work being replaced by Zach Braff.
Following serious but unspecified allegations of misconduct, Deadline reported that Jason Mitchell, known for his role in 'Straight Outta Compton,' was dismissed by his agency and management company. Additionally, he lost his leading role in the Netflix movie 'Desperados' and was also not cast in the upcoming season of the popular series 'The Chi.'
Actor Richard E. Grant claims that Julianne Moore was let go from the Oscar-nominated film 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' because she was determined to wear a fat suit and a prosthetic nose for her role. She was replaced by Melissa McCarthy.
Justin Roiland is the co-creator of the hit animated series 'Rick and Morty' and voiced both of the beloved titular characters since the show first aired in 2013. In January 2023, however, news broke that Roiland was facing domestic abuse charges related to an incident with an unnamed woman in 2020. In March 2023 the charges against him were dismissed due to insufficient evidence, but Adult Swim had already fired him from 'Rick and Morty' by this time and chose not to rehire him.
After featuring in four seasons of 'Gossip Girl,' the storyline of her character eventually reached its conclusion. According to Elle, during the fourth season of the series, the actress had limited screen time, and the directors felt that she could have delivered more in her performances.
From 1984 to 1991, the actress portrayed the character Denise Huxtable in the series 'The Cosby Show.' According to The Richest, after the seventh season of the series, the decision was made by the director to part ways with the actress due to creative differences.
Not only did LaBeouf forward two emails he claims to have sent Wilde after her story was published—in which he wrote, "You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse"—he also sent screenshots of text messages he sent to Wilde in August 2020, where he reportedly told Wilde he’d have to back out of the film, and where Wilde allegedly thanked him for being honest with her about his decision and added that she was "gutted because it could have been something special," though Variety reports that those texts were sent before the production learned of LaBeouf's acting methods. LaBeouf accused Wilde of fabricating the story of his dismissal in an attempt to generate press around her movie.
Armie Hammer was fired from at least three prominent projects due to allegations of assault that gained traction on social media since the start of 2021. He was dismissed from Amma Asante's Cold War thriller film 'Billion Dollar Spy,' the Jennifer Lopez-led rom-com 'Shotgun Wedding,' and Paramount's 'The Offer,' a series centered around the creation of 'The Godfather.'
In April 2016, it was officially announced that the actress would not be reprising her role for the next season of 'Castle.' A month later, the series was canceled. Prior to the cancelation, the producers had made preparations for the next season and had suggested that Katic's presence would not be required.
Hayes got a shock when she discovered that her role on 'Kevin Can Wait' would be written off after the first season, as reported by Fox News. Subsequently, Leah Remini was brought in for the second season.
The actor was dismissed from the cast of 'Scandal' immediately after a real scandal involving allegations of domestic violence, reports TMZ.
Lucasfilm removed Gina Carano from their megahit 'The Mandalorian,' citing that "her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable." This decision followed the actress sharing two controversial posts. In one, she drew a comparison between the "American political climate and Nazi Germany," making comments that likened conservative Republicans to Jewish people, as per reports by ET. In another post, she made fun of mask-wearing during the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to this, she had faced accusations of transphobia.
While filming 'Valley of the Dolls,' the legendary actress didn't make a good impression and ultimately got fired.
The actress held the position of executive producer on 'The Talk' until her dismissal in 2012. As reported by People, Remini subsequently expressed the opinion that her termination was the correct decision. She believed her superiors on the show preferred compliance and silence, which didn't align with her outspoken personality.
Originally, Hathaway was considered for one of the lead roles in 'Knocked Up.' In the movie, the director aimed to capture a highly authentic childbirth scene. In an interview with Allure, Hathaway disclosed that she felt uneasy about the scene because, at that point, she hadn't gone through childbirth herself. As a result, the role was ultimately given to Katherine Heigl.
See also: The controversial world of Elon Musk
These actors got fired from major roles
Even iconic figures have been fired at least once in their careers
CELEBRITY Gossip
Some of the brightest stars in Hollywood have faced career setbacks, and being fired is one of the worst. There are many different issues that can culminate in the dramatic decision to dismiss an actor from a movie or TV show. However, despite the drama behind the camera, many of these productions still went on to achieve major success. Click on the gallery for all the behind-the-scenes stories of these famous actors getting fired.