10 Times People Revealed What It’s Like to Work With Our Favorite Actors

We live in a time when our favorite actors are so close to us, it feels as if they are actually our friends. Watching them not just in movies or TV series, but being able to see them every day via other media, make it seem like we actually know these people. However, one aspect of their lives is almost completely closed to viewers: their working process.

We at Bright Side found people who described how our favorite actors behave behind the scenes, and we want to share these stories with our readers.

1. Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling, the star of La La Land and Blade Runner 2049, always tries to be attentive toward people on set, especially working with his little co-stars. Working on The Nice Guys, Gosling auditioned with several young actresses. He showed up on the set knowing the background of every participant of the audition.

“It was really wonderful because he showed up, and he actually knew about each of these kids,” says Shane Black, the director of The Nice Guys. “He knew what they’d done and some of their history. He had actually taken the time to get to know the kids he was auditioning with. I thought that was pretty remarkable.”

2. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

The way Dwayne Johnson contributes to the process and invests in himself impresses and inspires his co-stars. “I actually am really impressed by his fitness regime, how he looks after his body,” said Idris Elba, who worked with The Rock on the Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw movie. “It definitely inspired me.”

Zac Efron, who worked with Johnson on Baywatch, describes the actor’s work process: “He just gets better as he goes, like a flower that never stops blooming.”

3. Claudia Schiffer

Claudia Schiffer, an iconic supermodel and actress, turned out to be a complicated person to work with. She preferred not to address the staff directly.

“Claudia Schiffer is so strange,” one of the staff members that worked with her shares. “She refused to speak to any of the staff. Instead, you had to talk to her, she’d then speak to her assistant like you weren’t in the room, and then the assistant would repeat it to you.”

4. Tom Hanks

Besides starring in many legendary movies, such as Forrest Gump and The Green Mile, Tom Hanks is also known for being a really nice person. And it turned out to be not just an artificial image, but an integral part of Hanks’ personality. “I’m like, ’There’s no way this guy is going to live up to his reputation,’ right?” said Emma Watson, who starred with Hanks in The Circle. “There’s no way he’s going to be as nice as everyone says he is and whatever else. And then he was!”

“He’s so generous and funny and easy-going, and he’s all the things you would want him to be. So I’m very happy to be able to report that to you, sincerely, because it would have broken my heart, I think, if Tom wasn’t Tom,” she shared.

5. Edward Norton

Edward Norton is known for his dedication to his roles. His desire to control the working process sometimes reaches the point where it gets complicated for the cast and crew to work with him. This attitude cost Norton the role of Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Norton played Hulk in The Incredible Hulk; however, he was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo.

Kevin Feige commented on the decision, saying that it was “rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble.”

6. George Clooney

Being an experienced actor, George Clooney uses his knowledge in a rather new field — directing. Tye Sheridan, a young actor who was performing in The Tender Bar, a film directed by Clooney, shares that Clooney is a very supportive director. “[Clooney] does a really good job of making people feel comfortable,” Sheridan says.

“He gets it. It’s almost like he’s right there acting with you, and it becomes really fun. So it had a different dynamic. I think our relationship had a different dynamic than I’d ever had with any other filmmaker before, so I really enjoyed it.”

7. Lea Michele

Lea Michele, who played Rachel in the popular TV series, Glee, turned out to be not too easy to work with. Her co-stars have controversial opinions regarding working with her. The late Naya Rivera, who played Santana, shared: “I think Rachel — erm, I mean Lea — didn’t like sharing the spotlight.”

“On top of that, she had a hard time separating work from our outside friendship,” Rivera admitted. “It seemed like she blamed me for anything and everything that went wrong.”

8. Russell Crowe

During his long career, Russell Crowe was known for being a complicated actor to work with. However, it might be rooted in his extremely passionate dedication to his work. “Russell is an actor of literally 1,000 questions,” says director Curtis Hanson who worked with Crowe on L.A. Confidential. “I had 6 weeks of rehearsal with him, and he spent those 6 weeks going over every line in that script. He questioned each line in every possible detail.”

However, by the end of the rehearsal process, “Russell knew that I was as committed to that character as he was,” says Hanson. “From then on, I think he would have done anything I asked him to.”

9. Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. has not just embodied Iron Man, one of the most iconic superheroes on screen, but also became a supporter of all the other members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “He’s such a wonderful guy and is so talented, so experienced, and so supportive,” says Chris Evans, also known as Captain America. “He’s always been in my corner, and I’ve always felt supported by him. He really brings everybody into the group and makes sure everyone feels welcome.”

10. Willem Dafoe

Robert Pattinson had a chance to work with the legendary Willem Dafoe, shooting The Lighthouse. Pattinson was inspired — and even a little bit terrified — by the amount of energy Dafoe had. “We rehearsed for about a week before we started shooting, and he has so much energy,” says Pattinson. “It’s just unreal. It’s almost like working with a 6-year-old. There’s nothing that fatigues them.”

“I was kind of a little bit terrified at the beginning because we’d rehearse the entire movie, and then the second we got to the end, he’s like, ’Again!’ and he’d just start doing it again, and his energy hadn’t even been dented,” he says.

Whose behind-the-scenes behavior was the most unexpected to you?