10 Actors Who Quit Movies Because Of Other Actors
3. Rip Torn Quit After A Sour Meeting With Dennis Hopper - Easy Rider
1969's classic indie road movie Easy Rider stars Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper as two bikers travelling across America, who during their travels end up meeting doomed lawyer George Hanson (Jack Nicholson).
Nicholson does a terrific job in the part, but according to the film's co-writer Terry Southern, the role of George was actually written for actor Rip Torn.
Those plans quickly went south, however, when Torn met with Hopper and Fonda at a restaurant to discuss the part, and Hopper's vociferous comments about "rednecks" offended the southerner Torn.
The two very nearly fought, after which Torn pulled out from the project.
More than 25 years later when Hopper discussed the incident on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he claimed that Torn pulled a knife on him during the meeting, prompting an incensed Torn to sue him for defamation, claiming that Hopper was the one who in fact pulled the knife.
Ultimately Torn won the lawsuit in a landslide, winning $475,000 in compensatory damages, and when Hopper appealed the verdict, the judge ordered him to pay another $475,000 to Torn. Yikes.