Hollywood actors come in all shapes and sizes—and levels of talent. Luckily for those of us who love a good read, many of the most talented men acting today have also led fascinating lives both on- and off set. From those who survived tragic childhoods to those who've had steamy and scandalous affairs to the downright weird habits some exhibit while making the films that made them famous, there are few stars out there as fascinating as the actors included in this list. Here are 101 charming facts about Hollywood's finest leading men.
1. Serious Commitment
One of Robert De Niro’s notable performances is as Max Cady in Cape Fear (1991). To play the role as authentically as possible, Robert De Niro paid his dentist $5,000 to make his teeth appear as bad as he possibly could. Once the movie was complete, he paid another $20,000 to have his teeth restored.
2. Going Out With a Bang
Johnny Depp was good friends with gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson until his death. Depp helped to fulfill Thompson's last wish after the writer died: Thompson wanted his remains to be shot out of a 150 foot long cannon. Depp funded the ceremony and cannon firing, while celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Sean Penn attended.
3. Oops! I Did It Back Then
Ryan Gosling says that he feels responsible for corrupting Britney Spears on The Mickey Mouse Club. He says, "They would come and ask me questions about sex, and I just told them what I heard – like positions and stuff. All the other mothers went to Disney and told them I was corrupting their kids. I feel somewhat responsible for how sexual she is right now. When I see her with a snake around her neck, I think, 'Did I do that?'
4. What's the Problem?
Did you know that George Clooney suffered some life-threatening injuries during his shoot for Syriana? He cracked his head open and sustained major damage to his spinal membrane, causing spinal fluid to leak into his brain. Massive headaches and terrible back pain had to be treated over a course of months to get his body back to normal. It took doctors weeks to figure out what was wrong with him. Relief only came after his actress friend, Lisa Kudrow, referred him onto her neurologist brother, who noticed the fluid leaking from Clooney's spine.
We’re sure glad recovering and continued making legendary movies!
5. Ouch!
On an episode of Little Big Shots that featured Steve Harvey in the ring with an eight-year-old, Steve got punched in the face. “Too low!” Harvey blurted out in the midst of her flying punches. She swung for his face, causing him to stick his head out of the ring for a breather. “Caught me in the lips!” he said. “They too big. I couldn’t get them out the way.”
6. Space Oddity
Leonardo DiCaprio is amongst one of the many celebrities who have signed up with Virgin Galactic for a trip to space and, in 2013, a Russian millionaire paid $1.5 million for the chance to go with him. Hopefully, this maiden voyage turns out better than the last one he took.
7. A Night in the Slammer
A man of honor and loyalty, Morgan Freeman was put in jail while serving in the Air Force because he insisted on sticking with his friend. "Have you ever been in jail? I have. I was a kid. I was in the Air Force and I'd gone with a friend of mine to Los Angeles. When we left the base, he left his Class-A pass sitting on the table. We were hitchhiking because he was out of money. I had a little money, but I didn't want to take the bus and leave him. The police stopped us on the freeway. He asked both of us for ID and I had mine and my friend didn't have his. The cop said, 'Well, we're gonna have to call the shore patrol because we don't know if you're AWOL.' He told me, 'You got money--you take a bus.' I said, 'I'm with him.' So I went to jail for four days."
8. Comeback Kid
Because of his many controversial statements, Mel Gibson was blacklisted from Hollywood for almost a decade. After Robert Downey Jr. and journalist Allison Hope Weiner advocated for his forgiveness, things started to thaw. He is hopefully beginning his redemption story with “Hacksaw Ridge,” a story about a man who perseveres under extreme duress in the name of his beliefs. We’re not holding our breath.
9. Hackman’s Resistance
Many actors are flattered when a screenwriter develops a part with them specifically in mind. Gene Hackman? Not so much. Wes Anderson wrote the role of patriarch Royal Tenenbaum with Hackman in mind, but the actor was unresponsive to the director’s attempts to cast in for the film, saying there wasn’t enough money to tempt him.
Anderson eventually wore him down, but at what cost? Hackman, determined to cause trouble, yelled at everyone who messed up and even called Anderson a c*** in front of the entire cast and crew. By the end of the shoot, the only cast member who wasn’t deathly afraid of Hackman was Bill Murray, who would sometimes watch over filming while wearing a tough-guy cowboy hat in order to make Hackman stay in line.
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10. The Longest Ride
Magic Mike star Channing Tatum severely burned the tip of his penis when he was on the set of The Eagle when a crew member accidentally poured boiling water down his wet suit in order to keep him warm. They had been using boiled kettle water to keep warm in the cold, but this crewman had forgotten to dilute the scalding liquid.
He was rushed to the nearest hospital. "I said to the driver, who was ex-special-forces Marines, ‘You might have to knock me out, because I don't know if I can take the pain. Just grab something and hit me on the back of my head.” The worst part? The hospital was an hour away from where they'd been filming. What a nightmare!
11. Too Much Bond
After Sean Connery ended his reign as James Bond, casting directors took a chance on an unknown model from Australia named George Lazenby. Lazenby proceeded to get into the part by embarking on an international exploration of what it meant to be an uber-male super-spy—ie. boozing, clubbing, and bedding multiple women a day.
Back on set he used his own gun for target practice on airborne liquor bottles, drinking like a fish and generally alarming the crew. Eventually, Lazenby burnt out and abandoned the role of Bond after one film (it didn't help that critics panned his performance).
12. Putting the Fury in “Fury Road”
Hardy and “Fury Road” director George Miller had a tumultuous relationship on set because of what Hardy saw as a “relentless barrage of complexities” for a “fairly linear story.” But after he saw the film, Hardy said, “I knew he [Miller] was brilliant, but I didn’t know how brilliant until I saw it. So my first reaction was ‘Oh my god, I owe George and apology for being so myopic.’”
13. “Winning”
Two and a Half Men was one of TV’s biggest hits when star Charlie Sheen went into a tailspin of taking drugs, doing outrageous stunts and revealing salacious details about his marital and sex life, all accompanied by his classic catchphrase, “winning!” Tired of Sheen’s absences and insults towards the showrunners, Chuck Lorre fired Sheen from his $1.5 million-per-episode gig. The show ended up fizzling out, but Lorre went on to create The Big Bang Theory, so I think he's doing alright.
14. The Baena of Maria’s Existence
25 years after marrying Arnold Schwarzenegger, his wife Maria Shriver was horrified to learn that he had actually slept with the housekeeper Mildred Patricia Baena. Not only that, but he had fathered a son with her fourteen years earlier, which his wife didn't know about. Although Baena was the housekeeper, Shriver kept the house.
15. The Garbage Hits the Fan
While Wesley Snipes was making Blade: Trinity, he became angry when he saw a black actor in the film walking around wearing a shirt that said "Garbage." Not knowing that it was the actor’s own shirt, Snipes confronted director David Goyer and called him a racist, even trying to strangle him!
16. Take That, Jenny Craig
The movie that launched Damon’s career was also the movie that almost killed him. He was so dedicated to his heroin addict character, his breakout role in the movie Courage Under Fire, that he intentionally lost 40 pounds for the role. He had to take medication for a year and a half to correct the stress he had put on his adrenal gland. Despite that, Damon considered it a great career move.
17. Terminated, Indeed
In the middle of filming a scene for Terminator Salvation, the director of photography Shane Hurlbut happened to wander near Christian Bale twice, sparking a huge argument. Audio of the incident was leaked, allowing the public to hear Bale screaming at Hurlbut for being distracting, swearing 39 times, calling him an “amateur” and demanding that he be kicked off the set. At one point Bale threatens “I’m going to kick your f***ing ass!” and has to be talked down from assaulting Hurlbut. And here I thought he was arguing with Peter Griffin that whole time!
18. Pulling a Prank on Amy Poehler
In a scene on Parks and Rec, Amy Poehler’s character Leslie accidentally walks in on a naked Andy (Chris Pratt). As a prank, Chris Pratt ditched the nude undies he was supposed to sport and went bare pickle on set. So, the look of surprise on Poehler’s face is 100% genuine.
19. Shame on Kramer
Michael Richards was a comedy-world favorite for his performance as Kramer on Seinfeld, and his stand-up performances were consistently sold out. However, one fateful day, Richards was filmed arguing with an audience member, calling the man the N-word and going on a tirade about hanging black people. Richards “retired” from stand-up after this incident.
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20. Everything in Moderation
In his book, Terry Crews publicly revealed that he had gone to rehab for a crippling addiction to porn. The addiction began when he was 12 years old. In 1980. Before the Internet. Which means it must have been really bad.
21. Quit Joking Around
Suicide Squad was a critical flop of a film, but the cast seemed to be having a blast on and off set—except for the presence of Jared Leto. Leto insisted on staying in character as the Joker, which involved sending fellow cast members used condoms and anal beads. “The Joker is somebody who doesn’t really respect things like personal space or boundaries,” Leto explained to the media. Oh, that excuses it then.
22. Til Death do us Part
Neeson’s wife, Natasha Richardson, died after a tragic skiing accident at the Mont Tremblant Resort, northwest of Montreal. He has since spoken of the heartbreaking moment when he had to switch off Richardson’s life-support machine, softly telling her “Sweetie, you’re not coming back from this.”
23. Maybe He Hates Dairy?
Wayne’s World is a modern-day classic comedy starring Mike Myers, whose behavior on set caused director Penelope Spheeris to reflect that she “hated that bastard for years.” The talented comedian liked to rile people up on set and joke around while frequently complaining to Spheeris about her stage directions. The kicker is that apparently, Myers threatened to quit the whole production when he couldn’t find any margarine stocked on set. What, butter's not good enough for you Mike?
24. Quite the Wager
Jonah Hill made a bet with Channing Tatum that 21 Jump Street would not make more than $35 million in its opening weekend, promising to kiss the tip of Tatum’s penis if he lost. Well… The movie made $36 million in its opening weekend. No word on whether the payment has been collected.
25. On-Camera Breakdown
Martin Sheen is one of the most respected actors in Hollywood, and he led the trend of movie stars joining TV shows when he took a starring role on The West Wing. This makes it even harder to believe the story of his epic meltdown on the set of Apocalypse Now. Struggling with alcoholism and trying to stay sober for an important scene, Sheen smashed a mirror, began sobbing and fell to the floor—footage which actually ended up in the final cut of the movie.
26. Hulk Fired!
Although it is unconfirmed as to the exact reasons why, Marvel did not ask Edward Norton to reprise his role as the Hulk for The Avengers, opting to hire Mark Ruffalo instead. A statement by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announcing their decision implied he didn't think Norton would enjoy working “as part of an ensemble.” Ouch.
27. Dazed and Refused
In 1999, McConaughey was arrested for “possession of marijuana” and “resisting transportation” after police found him playing bongo drums in the nude. He allegedly kept turning down the officer’s request for him to put on pants.
28. The Friend Zone
When asked why he and frequent co-star Jennifer Lawrence never got involved romantically, Cooper said that the actress was “too young,” which would have been more believable had he not been dating a 23-year old at the time. The real reason? Cooper doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, but honestly, if your friendship can’t withstand a little hanky panky with Bradley Cooper, then how good can your friendship be?
29. In Solemn Memory
In 2015, Carrey’s former girlfriend, Cathriona White, was found dead of a prescription drug overdose in what was ruled a suicide. Carrey was devastated and performed pallbearer duties at the funeral. In 2016, White’s husband and mother both filed wrongful death lawsuits against Carrey that he has characterized as a “cash grab.”
The lawsuits claim that Carrey gave White both illegal prescription drugs and STDs. White’s lawyer actual statement: “Instead of giving Ms. White flowers and chocolates, Carrey should have given her his STD test results… THAT is what she deserved on Valentine’s Day.”
30. Working for Peanuts!
In a bizarre case that started in 2010, Adam Sandler’s former nanny alleged that while she was working at his and his wife's home and caring for their children, her work environment and financial compensation amounted to slavery. It sounds absurd, but it’s a common claim that personal assistants and live-in nannies make about celebrities.
Adam Sandler decided to pay to make the matter go away: he paid $48,000 to the former nanny and $32,000 to her attorneys. In exchange, she agreed the matter was resolved and signed a confidentiality agreement. In 2014, she changed her mind and tried to sue HP Production. An arbitrator quickly ruled she violated the confidentiality agreement, and she had to pay back the $80,000 she was paid to keep quiet.
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31. Smackdown!
Dwayne Johnson accidentally knocked out co-star Michael Clarke Duncan while filming of The Scorpion King (2002). Duncan and Dwayne were filming a fight scene and Duncan leaned in a bit too far, and The Rock’s elbow connected right on his chin. Duncan apparently went down like a sack of bricks and was completely out.
32. Smooth Criminal
Jason Statham got into trouble with the law for his mad driving skills after he was arrested for joyriding on a “borrowed” golf cart following a party at Coachella in 2010.
33. Adult Film Star
In 1975 Jackie Chan made an adult film called All in the Family. “I had to do anything I could to make a living 31 years ago,” he said in 2006. In the film, Jackie strips down to play the role of Little Tang, the rickshaw driver. “The [...] movie, at that time, was more conservative than the current films,” Chan said of the movie, which would not be considered adult by today’s standards, and is also notable in the actor’s filmography for its lack of action scenes.
34. Lucky
The UK newspaper The Sun named Russell Brand "Shagger of the Year" in 2006, 2007 and 2008. With quotes like this it is easy to see why he has taken the title 3 times: “I like threesomes with two women, not because I’m a cynical sexual predator. Oh no! But because I’m a romantic. I’m looking for 'The One.' And I’ll find her more quickly if I audition two at a time.”
35. I Would Be Too
During the filming of The Silence of the Lambs, Jodie Foster was so scared of Anthony Hopkins that she avoided him as much as possible, and didn’t speak to him until the last day of shooting. When they did finally speak, Hopkins admitted that he’d been scared of her too!
The Silence of the Lambs, Orion Pictures
36. Pranked!
Russell Crowe was relentlessly pranked for several years in the early 2000s. When he would stay in hotels, he would get calls from someone pretending to be the hotel manager and charging him some extra fee or making him change rooms. Once he was annoyed the prank caller would giggle and then say, “Don’t worry Russell, it’s me, Michael.”
Michael would also call up and ask for Mr. Wall or Mrs. Wall or any walls. When Russell would respond there were no Walls there, Michael would ask, “then what is holding the roof up?” The calls persisted for three years and Crowe eventually figured out that the caller was actually Michael Jackson. The two had never actually met in person.
37. The Role that Got Away
The role that Denzel Washington most regrets turning down is Det. David Mills in Seven. He said that when he read the script he couldn’t see himself playing that role, but when he saw it, realized he’d made a mistake. The character ended up being played by Brad Pitt.
38. Twenty One
Ben Affleck was banned from the Las Vegas Hard Rock Casino for life after he was caught “counting cards” in blackjack. Counting cards isn't illegal, but it can get you barred from casinos.
39. Chains
Will Smith was almost in Django Unchained. However, he read the script and disliked it because he felt that the Bounty Hunter (played by Christoph Waltz) was the real star of the story, and disliked that aspect of it. He still says he loves the movie, but he just needed to pass.
Django Unchained,Columbia Pictures
40. A Life-Altering Last-Minute Decision
Mark Wahlberg was supposed to be on the plane that hit the North Tower of the World Trade Centre on 9/11. Instead, he and his friends opted to attend a Canadian film festival before heading onto Los Angeles.
41. Brothers From Other Mothers
According to Hollywood Life, Paul Walker spoke his final words to Jim Torp, an engineer who had attended a Reach Out Worldwide fundraiser. Before getting into the car, he said to Torp: "We will be back in five minutes." Vin Diesel felt like Paul was his brother and "other half." Diesel honored Walker by naming his baby girl Pauline.
42. Near Death Experience
On the set of Beasts of No Nation, Idris Elba leaned against a tree that overlooked a waterfall. Horrifically, the actor lost his balance and almost tumbled over the edge to a 90-foot drop. Luckily, he happened to land onto a narrow ridge that prevented his almost certain death.
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43. Golden Arches
While enjoying a surf trip in Costa Rica in 2013, Josh Brolin and his girlfriend (now wife), Kathryn Boyd left their hotel to head to McDonald's. The McDonald's was closed and someone approached Brolin (in the wee hours of the morning) to ask for a cigarette and money. When Brolin told the man he had neither, the man stabbed him.
A second man appeared, and Brolin told Boyd to run. He ended up in an ambulance, but it turned out that the knife wound was shallow and missed any vital organs. According to the doctor, Brolin would be dead if the knife went an inch lower.
44. Wolverine on the Inside
Though known in Hollywood as a nice guy, Hugh Jackman has admitted that his “Wolverine rage” comes from experiences when he was a child, especially after his mother left his family. The absence of a mother figure left a profound impression on him, who says that he became a fearful kid who felt powerless and angry the moment she left. This feeling followed him, and worsened as he got older and started to play rugby. He would get hit in the face, and spin off into a white rage—an anger he identifies as the “Wolverine rage” he would later tap into for his performances as the character.
45. Hard Times
Keanu Reeves was set to welcome his first daughter into the world in 1999 with his then-girlfriend Jennifer Syme, but tragedy struck when the baby was stillborn at eight months old. She was named Ava Archer Syme-Reeves and they buried her in January 2000. This heartbreaking loss proved to be too much for the couple to handle and they separated a few weeks later, but remained friends.
Two years later, Reeves had to bury another loved one when Jennifer died in a car accident after losing control of her vehicle and getting thrown from it.
46. Together On and Off the Screen
Carrie Fisher finally confirmed in 2016 that she and Harrison Ford had an illicit affair on set, but many details were still kept quiet, like the fact that the passage about the affair in Fisher's The Princess Diarist describes how Ford took her away from a cast party when she was very drunk and started making out with her. Not very PR friendly, and many outlets reporting on the affair glossed these events over.
At the time, she was also only 19 and Ford was 33, married, and with two children. Ford, for his part, was given advance warning about her reveal, and mostly declined to comment on the affair.
47. A Hard Man
One time, when he was just starting out in acting, a notorious Scottish gang targeted Sean Connery and followed him out to a balcony. There, all casual like, Connery singlehandedly fought six gang members, taking on one by the throat, another by the bicep, and cracking their heads together. The gang respected him after that, and word got around that Connery was a “Hard Man.” I kid you not, this is all true and not the plot of a Bond film.
48. Urination Uprising
Director David Fincher is known for his extreme perfectionism, but things got serious on the crime film Zodiac. Switching from film to digital filmmaking meant that Fincher could indulge himself even further, much to the fury of actors such as Robert Downey Jr., who got fewer breaks during the long hours of filming. Stuck on set and needing to use the bathroom, Downey began peeing in jars and leaving them around the set as a protest of Fincher’s behavior and attitude.
49. Grand Prank Auto
When he was in high school, Ryan Reynolds got kicked out for stealing a car. Bad ass right? Well, the story is a little more complicated than that. Reynolds and his friends played a prank on a hated teacher where they literally picked up his car and moved it around the block. The thing is, though, in Canada, if you move someone's car more than ten feet, it's a felony. What ever happened to "all in good fun?"
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50. Looky Lou
As an actor, James Franco dives deep into his roles and his characters, which means he sometimes goes to extreme lengths to get in the right headspace. This was never more apparent than when he was preparing for his role as a prostitute in the film Sonny. He shadowed an actual male prostitute around for a while, which ended up with him in a room, sitting in a chair with his shirt off, watching the prostitute in bed with another man.
51. Flash Those Pearly Whites
The world fell a little bit more in love with Michael B. Jordan after a fan confessed on Twitter that she clenched her teeth so hard that she broke her retainer while watching a shirtless Jordan in Black Panther—and Jordan offered to pay for the replacement.
52. Last Resort
Considering Die Hard came out in the 80s, it should come as no surprise that Stallone and Schwarzenegger were offered the lead role and turned it down before the studio came to Bruce Willis. In fact, Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, Charles Bronson, Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, Don Johnson, Burt Reynolds, and Richard Dean Anderson were all allegedly offered the role and passed. Willis was so far down the list because at the time, he was more known for his comedy roles and wasn't thought of as an action star.
53. Losing His Brother
Jack Black's older brother Howard was a huge inspiration for him, introducing him to rock music when he was young. Tragically, Howard passed away from HIV/AIDS when he was just 31 years old. Black has talked about how hard it was to watch his brother suffer before he passed away, saying "We were robbed of something precious."
54. Oh My…
Contrary to rumors, there was no CGI to enhance Chris Evans’ muscles in Captain America: Civil War when he tries to stop a helicopter from taking off using his own strength. Evans spent a great deal of time exercising for that moment on screen, which was universally well-received. Tom Hiddleston (Loki) admitted that it was one of his all-time favorite Marvel moments.
55. Shoemaker
Before taking the infamous role of Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York, Daniel Day-Lewis was living in Florence, Italy working as a cobbler. As a man who dedicates himself to his craft, he was dead set on living this simple life in Florence, but was lured to New York by Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio under false pretences so that they could convince him to be in the film.
56. This Looks Cool, Let’s Try It!
In 1999, David Fincher released the film Fight Club, which became a cult hit almost overnight. Adam Driver was one of many teenagers who was inspired by the film, but he was inspired more than most—he actually began his own fight club among his friends after school. According to Driver, the first rule of his fight club, rather than not talking about said fight club, was “no hitting in the balls.” Still a good rule.
57. Persona Non-Grata
Alec Baldwin is effectively banned from the Philippines. It began when he made a “joke” that he’d like to buy a Filipina wife. As a result, the Philippine senator and actor Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. personally swore to Baldwin that he would beat up him if he ever set foot in the country.
58. Too Much Butterbeer
One problem that arose for Daniel Radcliffe during the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was a dependency on alcohol. He has admitted to coming in to shoot while still drunk. Thankfully, before his addiction could completely destroy his life, and he was able to gain control of his addiction; he has been sober since 2013. Drinking while broom flying is too dangerous to risk.
Another Chance Counseling Center
59. Almost a Casualty of War
While filming Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War film, Platoon, CharlieSheen and fellow actor Keith David were inside a helicopter with its door still open. At one point, the helicopter turned too sharply, and Sheen fell right towards the open door. According to Sheen himself, David grabbed him and pulled him back just in time, saving his life.
60. Real Tears
The deathbed scene in Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece Magnolia came from a real place of emotion. Feeling that the script wasn’t true enough, Tom Cruise improvised the scene with the death of his own father in mind. This led to Cruise actually breaking down, and Philip Seymour Hoffman coming in to comfort him was his own reaction, not one of his character in the film, as he said he could sense the purity of Cruise’s emotion.
61. Quite the Little Black Book
Though he’s been married to Rachel Weisz for seven years now, Daniel Craig had his fair share of romances before settling down. He was married to actress Fiona Loudon from 1992 to 1994, has been engaged to producer Satsuki Mitchell, and linked to actress Sienna Miller and model Kate Moss.
62. Terrible Loss
Very tragically, Mark Ruffalo’s brother Scott was shot in the head on the first of December 2008. Despite attempts to save his life, Scott passed away a week later. The case remains unsolved as of 2018.
63. A Pivotal Scene
The Louis Restaurant scene in The Godfather serves as a pivotal moment in the film as it truly initiates Michael into the world of crime. The scene was equally pivotal for Al Pacino himself. The executives at Paramount were not happy about his work and were considering recasting the part. However, Pacino’s incredible and nuanced performance in the restaurant scene won the executives over and they thankfully decided to leave Pacino to do his thing.
64. Lil Timmy Tim
As uncovered by quite a few talk show hosts, during his LaGuardia days Timothee Chalamet made a rap video for an assignment in his statistics class. The endearing and somewhat embarrassing video sees Chalamet spit stats-themed rhymes under the moniker Lil Timmy Tim. Despite his efforts, he only received a D.
65. King Kong Aint...
During his time at Howard University, Chadwick Boseman and some of his classmates attended an Oxford University summer theatre program. Due to the cost, Boseman’s teacher arranged anonymous donations from her friends in Hollywood, and Boseman found out afterwards that Denzel Washington was his donor. When Boseman met Washington at a premiere of his smash hit Black Panther, he got to thank the veteran actor in person.
66. Keep Him Humble
Tom Holland thought he was about to do a regular interview to promote Avengers: Infinity War, but a clever interviewer and a couple of Holland’s friends had a different idea. The interviewer contacted two of Holland’s old friends, and they listened in to the interview on an earpiece, guiding the interviewer to ask the young actor weird questions and make him uncomfortable. It escalated with the interviewer asking to lick Holland’s shoes before he finally revealed that he had Holland’s mates on the line.
67. Stressful Day
Michael Fassbender’s character in 12 Years a Slave isn’t exactly a nice guy, what with him being a slaveowner and all. The role required scenes that are always tough to film, such as a rape scene, which Fassbender passed out after filming.
68. An Unlucky Resemblance
When Colin Farrell was backpacking around Australia in his late teens, he was accosted by the police as a suspect in a murder. The police artists’ drawing of the man in question bore an unfortunate resemblance to the actor, who had partied so much on the night in question that he had blacked out. He was allowed to go free when he provided the police with his friend’s journal detailing the night out, which was spent across town, doing MDMA together.
69. Worst Case of Jet Lag Ever
Mishaps occur on set, but his other most embarrassing moment is the type of nightmare that anyone could find themselves in: while staying at a hotel, Henry Cavill was extremely jet lagged, and woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. He got confused by the doors and walked bleary-eyed out into the hallway, and only realized what he'd done when the hotel door clicked shut behind him.
In his confused state, he wandered around completely nude, looking for somewhere to relieve himself, and ended up on the roof of the hotel, thinking there would be an open bathroom attached to the tennis courts or pool. There wasn't, so he had to do his business in the bushes before resigning himself to his fate and taking the elevator down to reception, still completely naked, and get someone to let him back into his room.
He's learned from the incident, and now puts a chair against his hotel room door when he sleeps so as not to repeat the mistake.
70. So Wrong That It’s Right
Steve Carell was chosen for the role of the creepy John du Pont in Foxcatcher because he was such an unlikely choice that it somehow made him the perfect choice. The director claimed that because du Pont was so unpredictable, he wanted to cast someone that no one would ever imagine playing that role, and it’s fair to say that no one could have predicted Carell would be so amazing playing such a creepy character.
Carell went full method for the role, and didn't really interact with his co-stars or the crew on set, and Mark Ruffalo has even said that he found Carell "terrifying" while filming the thriller.
71. Find My Father!
In The People Vs. Larry Flynt, Larry Flynt puts out a $1 million reward for the people who murdered JFK. This was a rather interesting in-joke, given that Woody Harrelson’s father, Charles, has long been suspected of being involved in the supposed conspiracy to assassinate JFK.
72. Filming the Electric City
Everyone knows John Krasinski as Jim in The Office, but even at this early stage in his career he showed he was a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. Krasinski filmed the shots of Scranton, Pennsylvania that the producers used as the opening credits for the series.
73. The Horror
We might not call them what they are, but we all have our phobias. Spiders and snakes are a pretty common one, but Billy Bob Thornton is more unique with his fear of... antiques. To be fair, he mainly fears the French antiques, “…you know, like the big, old, gold-carved chairs with velvet cushions. The Louis XIV type.” In simpler terms, Thornton is “creeped out” by old items. Why not? He's also said that he has no love for Komodo dragons, mainly due to their bacteria-infested saliva. That one, I think, is more justified, if still a little specific.
74. Near Death Experience
Chris Hemsworth is still young and hopefully has a long career ahead of him, but his life nearly ended in tragedy years ago. Liam recalls a youth filled with fights between he and his brother, who were both extremely stubborn children. Being the smaller, younger brother, Liam remembers that he often had to use weapons to make it a fair fight, but his attempt to even the odds once nearly ended with a knife blade buried in Chris’s head.
Liam threw the knife at Chris, but fortunately, it landed handle first, instead of the other way around. This may have been the result of Liam’s lingering anger over all the other bullying he was subjected to, including being wrapped in blankets and then hunted with air rifles by Chris and Luke. That sounds pretty intense, hopefully they just talk things out now.
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75. Seven Years' Bad Luck?
Jake Gyllenhaal may have taken things a little too far while filming Nightcrawler. At one point he sliced open his hand while punching a mirror and ended up requiring a bunch of stitches to fix it. Ouch!
76. That’s Not Snow…
In a famous incident early on in his career, Tim Allen was arrested on October 2, 1978, at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Michigan. He was found in possession of nearly 1.5 pounds of cocaine. He was faced with life imprisonment, which led him to make a deal with the authorities in exchange for a reduced sentence of three to seven years instead.
Allen pled guilty to drug trafficking and provided the names of other drug dealers. He was paroled after two years and four months in the Sandstone Federal Correctional Institution.
77. Turning the Other Cheek
While Chuck Norris is often associated with violence, whether it’s through firearms or martial arts, his characters often preferred to settle conflict in non-violent ways. Norris is apparently like this in real life as well, with Reader’s Digest reporting a story where Norris was confronted in a bar by someone who didn’t recognize him and wanted his seat. Rather than fight back, Norris gave up his seat to the man, who later recognized Norris. When asked by the shocked man why he didn’t attack him, Norris simply responded “What would that have accomplished?”
78. Close to Catastrophe
John Travolta may be an extremely skilled and professional flyer, but even he is not immune to disaster. Once, while flying through a busy air thoroughfare with his wife and son on board, his plane’s electrical system completely failed. His radios and lights died, so with nothing to go on, he positioned himself for the distant lights of Washington, DC.
Using only a tiny manual compass and a literal flashlight, Travolta and his co-pilot executed an emergency landing in Washington that blew out four of their tires and closed the airport for a full four hours. Peoples' flights would have been delayed, but I’m sure they got a great story out of it!
79. Bad Boy
Chris Pine has a pretty squeaky clean Hollywood story but did fall victim to one Hollywood cliché. Following the 2014 wrap party for Z for Zachariah, Pine was arrested for drunk driving in New Zealand. Pine was fined $93 US and had his New Zealand driving license suspended for six months.
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80. Co-ed Experience
Andrew Garfield still remembers the name of the girl he shared his first kiss with, Amy Frances. The memory is still burned in his brain since the kiss took place at a house party when he was 12 or 13 where just about all of the attendees made out with each other. As he said, “it was about five hours of everyone going, "Have we made out yet? No?" His school was much different than mine I guess.
81. The Wrong Kind of Detection
Benedict Cumberbatch revealed that in 2013 he was cyberstalked by a crazed fan. Someone sat outside the actor’s home and stared inside, live-tweeting all of his movements. Even Sherlock might be disturbed by that one.
82. City of Broken Dreams
Just before he started shooting Clueless, Paul Rudd lost a friend in a car crash in LA, and he began to resent the town. He was then mugged and shot at while filming the cult hit. In fact, he had to go into work the very next day after the attack to film the club scene, still shaken. After some advice from a fellow actor, Rudd was finally convinced to make the move to New York.
83. Scar Tissue
Jason Momoa has a white mark on his left eyebrow, where scar tissue now prevents any hair from growing back. Momoa got the scar in 2008 when a man hit him with a pint glass, and he would end up getting 140 stitches. Momoa suspected the attack was part of a gang initiation for the man who assaulted him. Momoa puts a positive spin on the incident, saying it helped him to get more tough-guy roles.
84. Double-Edged Sword
Ewan McGregor began appearing in the TV series Fargo in 2017 and won an Emmy for his performance in January 2018. In his speech, he thanked both his wife of 22 years, Eve Mavrakis, and his Fargo co-star, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The problem? It had recently come out that McGregor and Winstead were dating and that McGregor and Mavrakis were separated. His daughter Clara stirred the pot even more when she made disparaging comments about Winstead on an Instagram fan account for the actress, calling her “trash.”
85. Small Detail
Until he was 13 years old, Orlando Bloom was under the impression that his stepdad, anti-apartheid lawyer and activist Harry Bloom, was his biological father. Bloom entered puberty by finding out that the person he thought was a family friend, Colin Stone, was his real dad.
86. Careful What You Wish For
He was known for his charm as Uncle Jesse, but one day on set John Stamos became unhinged around the Olsen babies. According to reports, Stamos was angry that the girls were crying and furiously demanded that they be fired and replaced with a new set of twins. Stamos ended up not likely the replacements, referring to them as “unattractive redheaded kids,” and eventually Mary-Kate and Ashley were brought back.
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87. Interesting Source of Inspiration
Raising her children by herself, Eddie Murphy’s mother was forced to see her kids put into foster care when she became too ill to look after them. Murphy and his brother stayed in foster care for a whole year. As sad as it must have been, Murphy did credit that year with helping to form his comedy and sense of humor. This makes us wonder if his foster family had a farm with a fast-talking donkey in the barn.
88. Baby’s First Method Acting
As the youngest of three siblings, Robert Pattinson was the butt of many jokes. The cruelest: his older sisters would dress him up as a girl and introduce him to people as “Claudia.” This gag went on until he was 12.
89. The Sky’s the Limit
Tom Hanks originally wanted to become an astronaut, but was not successful because he “didn’t have the math.” He is, however, a supporter of NASA’s manned space program. He even has an asteroid named after him - the 12818 Tomhanks!
90. Dealt a Rough Hand in Life
Kelsey Grammer has dealt with and overcome more tragedy, pain, and suffering in the early stages of his life than most people will see in a lifetime. When he was 13, his father was murdered in front of their house. When he was 20, his sister was murdered by a serial killer. And then, when he was 25, he lost his two half-brothers in a scuba diving accident.
The fact that he was able to deal with all of that loss and not only find a reason to get out of bed but to go on and entertain millions of people around the world is nothing short of incredible.
91. The Reasons Why
When Channing Tatum and ex-wife Jenna Dewan Tatum announced their separation and eventual divorce, fans were heartbroken, but the couple remained tight-lipped about the reasons behind their split, until they finally revealed the details. They said, "There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision—just two best-friends realizing it's time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible."
92. One Last Job?
Having already become used to working towards authentic recreations in The Hurt Locker, Jeremy Renner felt he needed to do the same for Ben Affleck’s heist film The Town. So, naturally, Renner turned to some primary sources when researching his role. He decided to live for a short while in Charlestown where he met frequently with real convicted bank robbers. He wanted to get some real-life insight into the tensions of the crime while also getting a good grip on the Boston accent. It worked! He received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
93. Bona Fide Booty
In August 2017, a Twitter user suggested that Tom Cruise wore a prosthetic butt in one of Valkyrie's scenes. The tweet went viral, but the actor denied the accusation and cheekily commented, "I do my own mooning."
94. Stalking His Way to Acclaim
Invading someone’s personal space is uncool—to make an understatement. But tell that to Jamie Dornan, who stalked a random woman off the train to get in a “serial killer” mindset for The Fall. Keeping a distance from his “target,” Dornan managed to see her reach her station and even lurk behind her for a couple of blocks. Did he take the same ‘method’ approach to his role in the Fifty Shades trilogy? I guess we’d have to ask his wife—who Dornan claims won’t watch the racy films anyway!
95. Runaway Bride
In the late '80s and early '90s, Julia Roberts had a reputation as something of a runaway bride (perhaps leading to her casting in a film of the same name in the late '90s). She became engaged to Dylan McDermott after they appeared in Steel Magnolias together, but broke it off when she met Kiefer Sutherland while making Flatliners. Sutherland was already married at the time with a child, but he soon announced his engagement to Roberts.
A huge wedding was planned, but three days before, Roberts called it off and ran away to Ireland with Sutherland's good friend Jason Patric. Recently, Sutherland revealed he holds no grudges about the whole debacle, saying that Roberts was smart to get out while she did.
96. Steamy Affair
According to Shia LaBeouf, he and his Transformers co-star Megan Fox had an affair while they were shooting. At the time, Fox may or may not have been involved with her now-husband, Brian Austin Green; the two had a volatile relationship, and it looks like LaBeouf never thought to ask. As he explained the tryst, “Look, you're on the set for six months, with someone who's rooting to be attracted to you, and you're rooting to be attracted to them."
LaBeouf also confirmed that it was Fox’s comments about Transformers director Michael Bay—comments that compared him to Hitler—that got her booted from the Transformers franchise. However, it wasn’t Bay’s idea, it was executive producer Steven Spielberg’s idea.
97. Family First
It’s clear that Heath Ledger never thought he would die at only 29 years old. He never wrote his daughter, Matilda, into his last will and testament; it was written before she was born. However, Ledger's family gave Matilda his $16.3 million fortune anyway, saying, "There is no claim. Our family has gifted everything to Matilda."
98. Green Screen
Samuel L. Jackson has demanded a clause in all his film contracts that allows him to play golf during film shoots. Jackson explained the details: “Generally, they either move me onto a golf course so I can play or join a club so I can play, and they have to let me play at least twice a week.” He apparently has a handicap of 6.9.
99. Church Schism
Scientology was blamed for Tom Cruise's divorce from Nicole Kidman, but very little was known about the split’s awful details until former Scientologists revealed that Cruise and the Church of Scientology actually had Kidman's phone tapped during their marriage.
100. Secrets on Set
During the filming of Pride and Prejudice, Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, who played OTP couple Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, actually started dating in real life. They managed to keep it a secret from the media, and dated for about a year. It was only when they broke up that the public found out about the tryst.
101. A Touching Tribute
Robin Williams had a legendary feud with Disney after they used the Genie to sell toys. To apologize, Disney sent him a Picasso painting. But after his death, they made one final, heartbreaking peace offering. Eric Goldberg, the supervising animator of the genie in Aladdin, drew an image of the genie alongside a heartfelt message after Williams' passing.
Disney CEO Robert Iger wrote on the illustration: “We’re deeply saddened by the loss of Robin Williams, a wonderfully gifted man who touched our hearts and never failed to make us laugh. An incredible actor and a comedic genius, Robin will always be remembered for bringing some of the world’s favorite characters to life, from his zany alien on ABC’s Mork & Mindy to the irascible genie in Disney’s Aladdin. He was a true Disney Legend, a beloved member of our family, and he will be sorely missed. We join Robin’s friends and fans everywhere in mourning, and offer our thoughts and condolences to his family during this difficult time.”
RIP, Robin.
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