9 Actors Who Were Unexpectedly Replaced During a Shoot

Actors and actresses are true stars. But in front of cameras, they are people subject to a contract. And behind the scenes, not everything is as idyllic and smooth as one might think, despite the privileges great celebrities often enjoy. These artists have to endure bad working conditions, disagreements about how to approach playing a character, accidents at work, and more. That’s why some actors even terminate their contracts in the middle of a production.

At Bright Side, we’re always looking for new stories, and today we found some anecdotes about celebrities and their decision to abandon filming in the middle of shooting.

1. Penélope Cruz in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Penélope Cruz got pregnant halfway through filming. A stuntwoman had to be hired to shoot some scenes. Luckily, her own sister, actress Mónica Cruz, was able to take on this difficult task.

2. Jesus Adams Foster in The Fosters

The series on ABC Family, The Fosters, was shooting its third season when one of its main actors, Jake T. Austin (Jesus Adams Foster) decided not to continue. He didn’t think he had enough time for other projects. Guess who replaced him — the famous Noah Centineo, who was unknown until then.

3. Claire Kyle in My Wife and Kids

If you watched the series, My Wife and Kids, you may not have understood why Jazz Raycole, in the role of Claire Kyle in season 1, left the series. It seems that the mother of the young actress did not agree with the new themes addressed by the director. It was Jennifer Freeman who took over, thanking her for the opportunity.

4. James Purefoy in V for Vendetta

This classic film became famous for the clothes worn by its main character. It was James Purefoy that first portrayed the main character until he and the producers started having creative differences. It was never revealed whether the actor left willingly or he was let go. After he left, it was Hugo Weaving who replaced him.

5. Ruby Rose in Batwoman

The Batwoman series aired in 2019, starring Ruby Rose. Unfortunately, her fans were in for a surprise when they discovered that the character’s face had changed drastically in season 2. We don’t know if it was the actress who decided to leave due to difficult filming conditions or if she was fired. Anyway, from then on, Batwoman would be played by Javicia Leslie.

6. Samantha Morton in Her

In this sci-fi film, a divorced author falls in love with the female voice of his OS1 operating system. The setting is quite avant-garde, but the director wanted to create a real connection between the actors. Not finding what he wanted between Samantha Morton and Joaquin Phoenix, he decided to replace the voice actress with Scarlett Johansson.

7. Bobby Draper in Mad Men

This series, which takes place in the 1960s in the US, puts Don Draper in the spotlight. We focus on the life of the head of an advertising agency. Don has a son, Bobby Draper. But fans of the show never could understand who was playing this character, as it was portrayed by Mason Vale Cotton, Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, and Jared S. Gilmore.

8. Robert Downey Jr. in Gravity

Robert Downey Jr. is known for his penchant for improvising most of his roles. Initially, he was to be Sandra Bullock’s scene partner. However, things did not go as planned. Indeed, the film, Gravity, required the use of very specific technology to shoot certain scenes. This is why the director preferred George Clooney, as Downey Jr. wasn’t comfortable with the narrowing of the technology.

9. Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Heath Ledger passed away while still shooting this movie. Director Terry Gilliam decided to keep the footage already shot, mainly because he had already finished shooting all the scenes that took place in the “real world” and only the ones in the Imaginarium were left to be shot. His solution was to cast other actors for those scenes. Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell replaced Ledger in an excellent and ingenious sleight of hand from Gilliam’s side.

Whether they had time to appear on screen or not, these changes impacted the continuity of the shots and even the success of the films or series. What do you think of these changes? Did you notice them? Don’t hesitate to let us know your opinion in the comments.