15+ Actors Who Play Enemies on Screen but Are Best Friends in Real Life

Sometimes actors deliver performances so believable that it makes the audience forget that they are actually not enemies in the real world. More than that — the actors can be best friends in real life, having been brought together by the project they were shooting. The rivalry only exists when the camera is on.

Bright Side prepared a compilation of photos that show off the closeness of actors who had to act like they despise each other on the big screen. We bet it will make you appreciate their acting skills even more.

Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal

The pair became close friends after starring in Spider-Man: Far From Home, where Tom Holland played the main role of Peter Parker and Jake Gyllenhaal played the supervillian Mysterio. They interacted a lot during the press tour, and after it was over, the actors kept sharing adorable photos of themselves on their personal pages.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott

The actors played rivals Sherlock and Moriarty on the BBC series Sherlock, but their relationship in the real life is friendly. Two men also played the role of Hamlet in different projects, but Andrew Scott assured the fans that there was no bad blood between them over who portrayed the role better.

Lupita Nyong’o and Michael B. Jordan

They are on opposing sides in the Marvel movie Black Panther, but the actors are extremely close in real life. Michael B. Jordan said that they have “known each other for a really long time” and that he “loves [Lupita] to death”.

Hugh Jackman and Russel Crowe

Their characters Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert in Les Misérables have intense rivalry, but that is not the relationship between the actors in the real life. In fact, Hugh Jackman feels like he owes his career to Russel Crowe, as the latter helped him get two of his biggest roles by giving him valuable advice.

Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage

The duo knew each other before they got to play siblings who couldn’t see eye to eye on Game of Thrones, and they continue being good friends. Peter Dinklage actually recommended Lena Headey to the Game of Thrones producers, and that’s how she got the role.

Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parrilla

On the series Once Upon a Time, the women play characters who oppose each other in every way, especially when they are in the roles of Evil Queen and Snow White. But in the real life, they are extremely friendly. For one, Lana Parrilla congratulated Ginnifer Goodwin on the success of her new project Zootopia, saying that the recognition is “much deserved.”

Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch

Just like on most teenage dramas, their characters on Riverdale go through a lot of ups and downs in their relationship, that sometimes end in resentment or rivalry. But the actresses actually became best friends: Camila Mendes recalled that all three of them went through the break-ups at the same time, so it brought them closer to each other.

Tom Cavanagh and Grant Gustin

They play a protagonist and an antagonist on the series The Flash, yet their friendship in the real life is extremely cute. Grant Gustin said that he burst into tears when he saw that Tom Cavanagh came to his wedding, and he calls Cavanagh his “friend and acting mentor (unofficially)”.

Who is your favorite on-screen rival duo? Do you think it would be fun to play opposing characters with your best friend?