10 Times Actors Refused To Do Reshoots

Despite all the contemporary hand-wringing about reshoots, they've pretty much been a thing as long as cinema itself has existed. Case in point, the 1929 crime-mystery film The Canary Murder Case.

It was originally shot as a silent production, but with "talkies" fast becoming the norm at the time, the decision was made to have the entire cast return to record their dialogue and sync it to the existing footage.

This was all well and good, except that star Louise Brooks - who played the titular showgirl - refused to come in and record her lines.

Upon wrapping the film, Brooks had fulfilled her existing contract with Paramount, and declined to renew it after the studio denied her request for a raise.

Paramount insisted that she return regardless, but she refused, forcing the studio to hire actress Margaret Livingston to dub her lines and shoot some additional pickup shots.

Despite mixed reviews, The Canary Murder Case was a commercial success, though the unconvincing dubbing of Brooks' voice was near-universally criticised.

Brooks was then informally blacklisted by Paramount and other major Hollywood studios, from which her career never recovered. Considering that she had quite the gorgeous voice, it's a shame that Paramount didn't just stump up the extra dough to entice her back.