10 Movie Scenes Actors Refused To Shoot

Gal Gadot had no time for Joss Whedon's sexist filmmaking.

not gal gadot
Warner Bros.

Filmmaking is a tricky, tiring process at the best of times, and that's without even considering the possibility that an actor just isn't happy with a scene as it's written.

Perhaps they don't feel comfortable with what they've been asked to do, or maybe they can't make sense of the narrative, or they just don't think it's consistent with the character they're playing.

As a result, these 10 actors refused to act these scenes as written, resulting in the scene either being substantially modified, thrown out entirely, or maybe even finished off with a body double coming to the rescue.

With filmmakers and film sets being scrutinised more intensely than ever before for unprofessional conduct and unfair working conditions for actors, there's a hope that more performers will feel more comfortable speaking up about anxious working conditions in the future.

Reading the script and seeing how the scene will play out in practicality are two very different things, and so these actors simply decided they couldn't bring themselves to take part in these scenes when it came to the actual shoot...

10. Taron Egerton Wasn't Comfortable Reaching Into An Actress' Underwear - Kingsman: The Golden Circle

not gal gadot
Fox

Though most of us have long forgotten the woefully disappointing Kingsman sequel The Golden Circle, there's a single scene that, for better and (mostly) for worse, few will ever be able to shake completely.

The scene in question sees Eggsy (Taron Egerton) plant a tracking device on Clara Von Gluckfberg (Poppy Delevingne) during a sexual encounter.

To hammer the point home, director Matthew Vaughn provides a totally unnecessary close-up shot of Eggsy shoving his hand down Clara's underwear to place the tracker.

In addition to leaving audiences squirming, it left Taron Egerton alarmed enough on the page that when it came to shooting the scene, he told Vaughn he didn't feel comfortable doing it.

And so, the decision was ultimately made to have Delevingne's husband, James Cook, double as Eggsy's hand for the delicate scene. Egerton said of the experience:

"I'm in the shot and I said to Matthew 'I'm not comfortable doing this'. So it's not my hand – it's Poppy's husband's hand. He saved the world."
Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.