40 Random Bits of Trivia That Will No Doubt Improve Every Aspect of Your Life

‘King of the Hill’ Fans Are Convinced That Cotton Hill Is in This ‘70s Steak House Ad

John Candy’s ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ Erotic Novel Was Restored by a Fan

20 Normal American Behaviors That Are Hella Weird in Other Countries

17 Stories from People Who Were on Reality Shows as Children

35 Unflattering Revelations From TV and Movie Sets That Made Publicists’ Heads Explode

Sorry, shady entertainment peddlers. We cleaned under the rug today

35 Unflattering Revelations From TV and Movie Sets That Made Publicists’ Heads Explode

January 29, 2024

These days, it’s near-impossible for even the most powerful studios to keep their shady doings hidden for long. You know that ridiculously long list of names at the end of each movie? If even one of those names whispers about the figuratively and/or literally toxic environment they just experienced, some downright evil doings get exposed. And so, it’s not lights out, it’s lights on today, baby!

35

Illegal filmmaking Alfred Hitchcock terrorized actors and birds) on The Birds. Hitchcock pelted actress Tippi Hedren with live birds (injuring and killing the birds), and force-fed whisky to seagulls to get them to stay still for longer. Hedren was hospitalized, and he ruined her career when she refused his sexual advances. CRACKED — Source

34

Illegal filmmaking Extras died in 1928's Noah's Ark. For the flood, cameraman Hal Mohr quit when director Michael Curtiz rolled his eyes at his safety concerns. Three extras died, another lost a limb, and a dozen suffered serious injuries, but Curtiz somehow escaped any legal repercussions. CRACKED — Source

33

Illegal filmmaking The Hangover 2 stole an artist S design. When Ed Helms' character gets Mike Tyson's exact face tattoo, they didn't ask artist S. Victor Whitmill for permission to use his original design. Не sued the production, and instead of digitally altering his face in post, they settled out of court. CRACKED — Source

32

Illegal filmmaking Easy Rider's drug use and knife fights, The drugs used on camera were real, and the cast and crew partook off-camera as well. Director Dennis Hopper also threatened actor Rip Torn with a knife, but claims Torn pulled a knife first. CRACKED — Source

31

Illegal filmmaking Ryan Cosling was arrested for trespassing on Lost River. As a director, Gosling was location scouting in Detroit by trespassing in abandoned buildings without permits. Not recognizing him, police arrested him thinking he was stealing copper piping. CRACKED — Source

30

Hollywood feuds VAL KILMER & TOMMY LEE JONES VS JOEL SCHUMACHER Schumacher said, I'm tired of defending overpaid, overprivileged actors. I pray I don't work with them again. Не called Jones an asshole and Kilmer psychotic, and said, The two weeks where Kilmer didn't speak to me was bliss. CRACKED — Source

29

Hollywood feuds REESE WITHERSPOON VS VINCE VAUGH On Four Christmases, they found each other to be entirely vile. The hatred was so intense that a source said, Sometimes Vince will be standing behind her and he has this look on his face that he just wants to kill her! CRACKED — Source

28

Hollywood feuds CRIMINAL MINDS VS THOMAS GIBSON Gibson had numerous verbal and physical on-set altercations. In 2010 he reportedly shoved an assistant director, and he was fired in 2016 for kicking a writer in the shin because of creative differences. CRACKED — Source

27

THE CONQUEROR was the most carcinogenic set of all time They filmed so close to an atomic bomb test site that 91 out of the 220 cast and crew members got cancer later in life. 46 of those, including John Wayne, died from it. Radiologist Dr. Robert Pendleton said, Blame for their exposure on set would hold up in a court of law. CRACKED — Source

26

CRACKED Death and snake venom on FITZCARRALDO In Werner Herzog's 1982 film, several indigenous extras were killed or injured. A logger was bit by a venomous snake, and had to cut off his own foot with a chainsaw to stop the poison from spreading. — Source

25

Asbestos exposure on GOLDFINGER The 1964 James Bond movie used asbestos boards in its set construction. Set painter Ronald Sharp later developed mesothelioma and died at age 59. His widow sued his former employers for compensation. CRACKED — Source

24

CRACKED Sun poisoning and a dead cobra on ISHTAR The 1987 movie was shot in the Sahara Desert, where director Elaine May found out she was allergic to the sun. She had to wear bandages completely covering her face. Oh, and a cobra that was supposed to appear in the film died of a heart attack. — Source

23

Actor ED LAUTER died of mesothelioma In 2014, his widow Mia Lauter sued CBS and NBC, claiming that her late husband was exposed to asbestos in their studios. Because he worked in so many movies and shows, his exposure to asbestos was off-the-charts high. CRACKED — Source

22

Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson fought with the studio over the budget of The Lord of the Rings. One time, he refused to even take a call from the studio when they threatened to sue him, saying he won't interrupt his day with a phone call like that. CRACKED.COM — Source

21

Joss Whedon threatened Gal Gadot's career on the Justice League shoot. Не had her record lines she didn't want to say, apparently telling her he could make her look incredibly stupid in the finished movie if he wanted to. CRACKED.COM — Source

20

Director Josh Trank almost fought Miles Teller on the set of 2015's Fantastic Four. Trank lobbied to get Teller onboard, then almost got into a fight with Teller -- they ended up chest to chest and almost punched each other. CRACKED.COM — Source

19

Shia LaBeouf fought Tom Hardy on the Lawless set, and they had to be restrained. And, apparently, there was a rumor LaBeouf knocked out Hardy - but things didn't escalate that far, luckily for everyone. CRACKED.COM — Source

18

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron fought on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road. It was the isolation, and the fact that we were stuck in a rig for the entire shoot, she said. It was like a family road trip that just never went anywhere. CRACKED.COM — Source

17

Bryan Singer got SO mad on Bohemian Rhapsody, he threw electrical equipment. Apparently, he'd had a fight with Rami Malek -- which is kind of amazing, because Malek is considered one of the nicest actors in Hollywood. CRACKED.COM — Source

16

Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis almost physically fought on the set of Cop Out. At one point, Willis asked Smith to clear the set -- he did, and Willis asked him Do you want to take a swing at me? Не didn't, so that was that. CRACKED.COM — Source

15

Sharon Stone

Hollywood feuds WILLIAM BALDWIN VS SHARON STONE On 1993's Sliver, Stone's violent feud with Baldwin led to her biting his tongue so hard in a make-out scene that he couldn't speak for weeks. CRACKED — Source

14

Hollywood feuds LENA HEADY VS JEROME FLYNN Cersei and Bronn don't have scenes together on Game of Thrones because the (ex) couple dated in 2002, and they're not on talking terms after the nasty breakup. CRACKED — Source

13

Hollywood feuds RUSSELL CROWE VS A GLADIATOR PRODUCER While filming Gladiator, Crowe allegedly threatened seasoned producer Branko Lustig, and said that he would kill him with his bare hands, because he was annoying the hell out of him. CRACKED — Source

12

Hollywood feuds CHEVY CHASE VS CHRIS COLUMBUS Columbus quit Christmas Vacation because of Chase's nasty behavior. Не said, To be completely honest, Chevy treated me like dirt. I called John Hughes and said there's no way I can do this movie. I know I need to work, but I can't do it with this guy. CRACKED — Source

11

Hollywood feuds GEORGE CLOONEY VS DAVID О. RUSSELL Clooney called Three Kings, Truly, without exception, the worst experience of my life. Russell's abusive behavior led to a physical altercation, and Clooney said, Quite honestly, if he comes near me, I'll sock him right in the f-ing mouth. CRACKED — Source

10

Hollywood feuds JULIA ROBERTS VS STEVEN SPIELBERG Spielberg said it was an unfortunate time for us to work together, and stated that he wouldn't make another movie with Roberts (who was called Tinkerhell by Hook production staff). CRACKED — Source

9

Edward Norton

Hollywood feuds EDWARD NORTON VS MARVEL Norton was difficult throughout the entire creative process, but after he insisted on editing The Incredible Hulk, Marvel distanced themselves and hired Mark Ruffalo for future films. CRACKED — Source

8

CRACKED A hostile set made MELISSA MCCARTHY physically ill She said that she once worked with someone who ran such a volatile, hostile set that it made her physically ill. My eyes were swelling up, | was absorbing all of this nuttiness. There were people weeping, visibly so upset by this one person. — Source

7

CRACKED Starvation on the set of RAPA NUI In 1994, Kevin Reynolds' passion project was filmed on Easter Island, in the Pacific. We had one flight a week from the mainland, and there were times we ran out of food to feed people, and things like that, it was...if was very bad. — Source

6

A myriad of diseases on the set of SORCERER William Friedkin's 1977 thriller was shot in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic for 10 hellish months. Не lost 50 pounds and contracted malaria, and at least 50 cast and crew were evacuated from the set with malaria, food poisoning, gangrene, or other injuries. CRACKED — Source

5

Asbestos rained down daily on FULL METAL JACKET Matthew Modine (joker) said, That was one of the most toxic places I've ever been. We'd be having a cup of tea in the morning, and all the dust would fall in. You just drank the tea and didn't think too much about the dust. There was asbestos everywhere from the buildings that were knocked down. CRACKED — Source

4

CRACKED THE TERMINATOR filmed without a permit and poisoned the crew Since they didn't pay for permits, they snuck a lot of shots on L.A. streets. They didn't stop filming when pesticides were sprayed over the city, so the fog washing over the cast and crew was incredibly toxic. — Source

3

THE WIZARD OF OZ almost killed Buddy Ebsen Before Jack Haley, Ebsen was the original Tin Man, but the aluminum dust used to coat the costume almost killed him. The cramps in my arms advanced into my chest and | wouldn't even be able to take a breath. | was sure | was dying. CRACKED — Source

2

CRACKED The cast and crew of TITANIC ate PCP-laced clam chowder Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were spared, but on the film's last night in Nova Scotia, James Cameron, Bill Paxton and crew were sent to Dartmouth General Hospital with bad trips, fearing they'd O.D. Cameron made himself throw up, a lot. — Source

1

Unclean water on PREDATOR They shot the 1987 movie in the jungles of Palenque, Mexico, and many of the cast and crew got sick with travelers' diarrhea because of the unpurified water. Kevin Peter Hall said, Predator wasn't a movie, it was a survival story for all of us. CRACKED — Source

Tags:

Visual

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

Science & History

36 Petrifying Paranormal Tidbits That’ll Trigger A Fight-or-Flight Response in Every Cell in Your Body

Trivia & Jokes

Roasting 12 Sweet Norman Rockwell Paintings to Hell and Back

Trivia & Jokes

25 Funny Bits of Drama Going on Between People’s Pets

Science & History

5 Scientific Contradictions That Decide Who You Like

Movies & TV

50 Funny Movie and TV Tweets Worthy of a Five-Star Letterboxd Review

Movies & TV

40 Random Bits of Celebrity Trivia Harvested From the Trivia Mines

VIRAL ON CRACKED

1

20 Times Companies Picked The Wrong Celebrity Spokesperson

2

26 Half-Baked Solutions That Solved Huge Problems

3

20 Movie Villains (Who Should Have Been The Heroes)

4

5 Family Dinners That Turned Deadly

5

40 Random Bits of Trivia That Will No Doubt Improve Every Aspect of Your Life