5 Marlon Brando On-Set Feuds So Insane That He Was Labeled Impossible to Work with
Despite being one of the greatest actors of the last century, Brando was notoriously difficult to work with because of constant clashes with his co-stars and crew.
Brando was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant actors of the 20th century, starring in an impressive number of landmark cinematic masterpieces during a career that spanned nearly six decades.
However, as is sometimes the case with geniuses, Brando was an incredibly problematic individual, as evidenced by many of his infamous on-set feuds with co-stars, directors, and the rest of the crew.
While it's hard to pinpoint all of them, the biggest ones have received significant media coverage over the years, so let's take a look at five of his most notorious feuds.
1. Frank Sinatra
One of Marlon's most enduring disputes was with musical legend and actor Frank Sinatra, which began during the making of the 1955 musical Guys and Dolls.
Sinatra felt that Brando stole the lead role from him, but eventually, the hatred became mutual, as the two couldn't stand each other's presence on set. It continued after the film was finished, most notably when Brando "stole" the role of Vito Corleone in The Godfather, which Sinatra had personally asked the director to give him (via Far Out).
2. Burt Reynolds
Speaking of The Godfather, another Hollywood icon, Burt Reynolds, would have portrayed Michael Corleone in the movie if not for Brando's intervention.
The two had hated each other for some time at that point (because, ironically, Brando was disgusted by Reynolds' alleged narcissism), so Marlon threatened to quit the movie if Burt joined the cast (via Esquire).
3. Christopher Reeve
1978's Superman now seems like a relic from a different, distant era, when superhero movies weren't released by the dozens every year, and many fans still consider Christopher Reeve to be the best version of Superman to date.
Marlon Brando, who played the hero's father, Jor-El, made the production of the film almost unbearable for everyone by refusing to memorize his lines.
Reeve, who had once been a great admirer of Brando's work, was utterly disappointed and even accused the Hollywood legend of being a phony (via THR).
4. Dennis Hopper
Sadly, Brando's insufferable behavior became even worse during the making of the cult classic Apocalypse Now (1979), as he once again caused problems for everyone involved.
But the worst animosity was probably between Marlon and Dennis Hopper, as the two almost had a fist fight at one point, and Brando demanded not to be on the set at the same time as Hopper (via THR).
5. Val Kilmer
1996's The Island of Dr. Moreau was one of the last feature films in the actor's career, but he was still quite problematic to work with, albeit for an understandable reason. His daughter died shortly before the production, which affected Brando in a big way.
Moreover, this time, he wasn't the main troublemaker, as Val Kilmer, who played Dr. Montgomery, was notoriously aggressive towards the cast and crew, which naturally led to conflicts with Brando, especially when the two stayed in their trailers for hours and refused to shoot scenes together.
