Tom Cruise, Christian Bale… the list of celebrities who have had outbursts on set and in their everyday lives is quite longer than you think. The Mission Impossible star, 58, is in the news again for berating crew members for not taking COVID-19 safety measures seriously on set. While his outburst was about the good of his crew and co-stars, some rants (like Christian’s) weren’t exactly so pleasant. Here’s the best of the best:
Tom Cruise
Tom takes COVID-19 protection seriously. In leaked audio from the Mission Impossible 7 set, a man allegedly identified as the actor is heard screaming at two crew members who apparently breached coronavirus safety protocols on the set. Tom calls them out for putting everyone on set in danger, jeopardizing their health and their jobs. “If I see you do it again, you’re f**king gone. And if anyone in this crew does it, that’s it — and you too and you too. And you, don’t you ever f**king do it again,” he says in the clip.
Christian Bale
Christian’s on-set meltdown is the stuff of legends. While filming Terminator: Salvation in 2008, the actor blew a fuse when cinematographer Shane Hurlbut accidentally interrupted one of his scenes. Cue an unhinged rant featuring nearly 40 uses of the f-word. He later apologized in a radio interview, saying that “I was out of order beyond belief. I make no excuses for it.” He and Shane reportedly settled their differences and continued to film Terminator together.
Reese Witherspoon
Who would’ve thought someone so sweet could launch such a wild tirade at cops? Reese Witherspoon was arrested in 2013 for disorderly conduct after drunkenly shouting at and refusing to follow orders from a Georgia state trooper who pulled over her husband. Reese, according to the arrest report, was hanging out the window of the car and told the trooper he wasn’t a “real officer.” She refused to sit in the car quietly, and said “Do you know my name? You’re about to find out who I am.”
Alec Baldwin
It was the voicemail heard around the world. When daughter Ireland Baldwin, then 11 years old, didn’t pick up the phone for one of their scheduled calls, Alec Baldwin launched into a vulgar tirade aimed at the child. He called her a rude, “thoughtless little pig. I don’t give a damn that you’re 12 years old or 11 years old, or a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn’t care about what you do.” Alec apologized for the 2007 outburst, and he and his model daughter appear to now have a good relationship.
Chris Brown
Chris Brown literally fled the set when Robin Roberts asked him on Good Morning America about assaulting girlfriend Rihanna. The singer became increasingly agitated during the 2011 interview, and stormed out after performing one of his new songs. Hair and makeup staff called security after hearing loud noises in his dressing room, and security discovered that Chris had smashed the window. He left the building before he could be questioned and was seen on the street shirtless.
Wesley Snipes
Oh, and there was that time Wesley Snipes really believed he was a Marvel superhero. Patton Oswalt, who had a supporting role in Blade: Trinity, said the actor would only respond to “Blade” and only communicate with director David S. Goyer through post-it notes. He also attempted to choke Goyer at one point.
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson famously went on an anti-semitic tirade after getting arrested in in 2006, shouting at officers that Jews “are responsible for all the wars in the world.” He also called a female officer a sexist, vulgar slur. Mel horrifically told his ex-girlfriend on the phone during a separate incident that he hopes she “gets raped,” following it up with a series of racial epithets.
