8 Directors Who Admitted They Pushed Their Stars Too Far

7. Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola is no stranger to movie sets that turn into battlefields, and after the utter chaos of working on Apocalypse Now - where Coppola had a nervous breakdown and threatened to kill himself - making Winona Ryder cry on the set of 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula probably seemed like just another day at the office.

While shooting a pivotal scene, Ryder couldn't bring herself to cry, so Coppola opted to go old-school by berating her to evoke the desired response. Coppola shouted at her, "You whore! You f***ing whore! You! Look at you! Look at yourself! And your own husband’s looking at you!"

This prompted Ryder to burst into tears, but not merely content with one great take, Coppola had her perform the scene a staggering eight times before moving on. Afterwards, Ryder says he ran over to her, scooped her up in his arms and said, "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...I don’t mean it."

He clearly knew he went too far, but did he regret it? Knowing Coppola, probably not.