10 Famous Actors Who Were Forced To Appear In Movies Against Their Will

3. Marlon Brando - Désirée

Despite the fact that it was nominated for two Academy Awards back in 1954, you don't hear much about historic drama Désirée these days. The film, which takes place in 18th century France and stars Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons (no, not that Gene Simmons), was a pretty big hit for 20th Century Fox. It was also a film that Brando was forced to make. The story of how the actor wound up starring in a movie he really didn't want to star in is an interesting one, though. Basically, the situation arose when he broke his contract with 20th Century Fox, having walked off the set of another movie called The Egyptian. Brando literally turned up on set and then left, so what did the studio do? They sued him. For $2 million. As one of the terms of the settlement, they later demanded that he appeared in Désirée... in the role of Napoléon Bonaparte, no less. Brando felt that he was wrong for the part (he was), but after Montgomery Clift - the studio's first choice - turned it down, they persisted.