7. William Friedkin
His Reputation: Exorcist director William Friedkin is frequently known for clashing with actors. He claimed that
arguments with Al Pacino on the set of Cruising stemmed from the fact the actor "wasnt on time and often didnt know what we were doing on a particular day", and that he had a "strained relationship" with Gene Hackman while shooting The French Connection because Hackman struggled with his performance. By far his most famous spat with talent, however, was on the set of his iconic horror film. He yanked Ellen Burstyn around violently in a harness to elicit the necessary screams for her performance, giving her a back injury, slapped a Jesuit Priest actor across the face before a take, fired a gun to elicit shock from Jason Miller, and built Regan's bedroom inside a freezer, requiring the crew to wear protective gear.
Why He's Worth Working With: Friedkin has been nominated for two Best Director Oscars, winning one for The French Connection, while also directing several actors to Oscar-nominated turns: Roy Scheider (The French Connection), Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller and Linda Blair (The Exorcist), as well as a win for Gene Hackman (The French Connection). At the age of 79, Friedkin is still a semi-active director, most recently filming the savagely dark thriller Killer Joe in 2011, making it clear that though he hasn't been Oscar's darling for decades, he's still capable of a cracking film every now and then. While difficult to work with, he's also an industry treasure, and that won't ever change.