10 TV Lines Actors Refused To Say

These actors drew the line at speaking these lines.

American Horror Story Apocalypse Kathy Bates
FX

The hectic world of TV production moves at a frantic pace, meaning that cast and crew alike typically don't have tons of time to fuss over small nuances of dialogue. But at the same time, sometimes actors feel strongly enough about a specific line that they just can't bring themselves to say it, and so will flat-out refuse to do so.

While the overwhelming majority of performers will just hit their marks, say their words, and move on with their day, the following ten actors felt emboldened enough to speak up and challenge those in charge.

Whether for moral reasons, their strong feelings about the character they've been inhabiting for years, or something else entirely, these names all declined to speak these lines which, for one reason or another, they just weren't vibing with.

In some cases, this clearly improved a scene and made total sense, while in others it was a harmless enough request that it had no discernible impact on the overall scene. Either way, it's a bold, brave thing to do unless you're at the very top of the call sheet, to risk marking yourself as a "difficult actor" on a high-stress, mile-a-minute TV set...

10. Angela Kinsey Wouldn't Get Judgy - The Office

American Horror Story Apocalypse Kathy Bates
NBC

Earlier this year, The Office star Angela Kinsey - who portrayed uptight, intensely religious accountant Angela Martin - revealed on co-star Rainn Wilson's Soul Boom podcast that she pushed back against one specific exchange with screen colleague Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez).

Kinsey, who was herself raised Christian, stated that there were a few occasions where she felt the show's depictions of Christianity were "really stereotypical, maybe one note," ultimately resulting in her refusing to speak a line in a third season episode.

Though Kinsey didn't specify the precise content of the dialogue, she said it was a "super judgy" remark to Oscar at his expense, prompting her to speak with series creator Greg Daniels and inform him that she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.

Given that the episode in question is called "Gay Witch Hunt," it's not exactly a leap to assume that the line was likely a homophobic comment aimed at Oscar, a gay man. Kinsey added that she felt her character "has more depth" than the stereotypical line implied, whatever it was.

 
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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.