10 Shocking Reasons Actors Quit Movies
4. Dennis Hopper ALLEGEDLY Pulled A Knife On Him - Rip Torn (Easy Rider)
In Easy Rider, the role of boozed-up lawyer George Hanson was originally written for Rip Torn, but things quickly went south when he went for dinner with filmmaker-stars Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda to discuss playing George.
Hopper reportedly began ranting about "rednecks" during the dinner, which enraged the Texas-born Torn, enough that he and Hopper almost got into a fight, and Torn decided to leave the film.
In a 1994 interview with Jay Leno, Hopper claimed that Torn pulled a knife on him during the altercation, prompting an irate Torn to sue Hopper for defamation, claiming that Hopper was the one who in fact pulled a knife on him.
Ultimately the court ruled in Torn's favour, requiring Hopper to pay a total of $950,000 in damages, the implication being that Torn's account of events was correct, and he quit Easy Rider because Hopper threatened him with a blade.
It's a shame for Torn, given that his replacement, Jack Nicholson, received a career-launching Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance.