12 Actors Who Almost Walked Off Huge Movies (And Why)
1. Faye Dunaway's Clash With The Director - Chinatown
Directed by Roman Polanski, Chinatown starred Jack Nicholson as private inspector Jake Gittes and Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Cross Mulwray, the shadowy femme fatale who knows more than she is letting on.
Although Dunaway would get along swimmingly with Nicholson, she and Polanski would clash heads throughout the entire film. Things got so heated that she almost left the film on not one, but two separate occasions.
The first came two weeks into filming, when Polanski pulled a hair out of her head because it was catching the light, causing her to storm off in a fury. She would later be convinced to return to the set, but the two would continue to make snide remarks to one another.
The second came during a scene where Nicholson and Dunaway are in a car together. Dunaway asked if she could leave to use the restroom, but Polanski demanded they finish the scene first. Filming of this scene went on for so long that Dunaway had to relieve herself into a coffee cup, which she allegedly then threw in Polanski’s face.
It was probably out of spite for Polanski that Dunaway did not decide to leave the set for good and finish the film.