These A-Listers Were Fired Mid-Film, and Their Replacements Stole the Show

In Hollywood, actors can be fired anytime, even after the cameras start rolling. While landing a major film role is considered a career milestone, staying in that role can be another battle entirely. Mid-production firings often result in costly reshoots and cause headaches for everyone involved. But why are actors occasionally fired in the middle of filming?

The reasons for being replaced can vary widely. Sometimes, a performance just doesn't match the tone the filmmakers are trying to achieve. Other times, an actor simply doesn't get along with anyone. No matter the reasons, it's a reminder that the entertainment industry is, first and foremost, a business.

247 Tempo brings you some of the actors who were fired in the middle of filming, utilizing reporting from Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair, Vulture, and The Hollywood Reporter, along with firsthand accounts from actor interviews and director commentary. Let's take a look at what happens behind the scenes of casting some of our most memorable films.

This post was updated July 19th, 2025, to reflect additional information.

When Spike Jonze began filming "Her", he cast Samantha Morton as the voice of the movie's AI companion, Samantha. Morton performed all her lines on set opposite Joaquin Phoenix, helping shape the emotional tone of the film. However, during post-production, Jonze decided that Morton's voice didn't quite fit the final version of the character. He made the rare decision to recast the voice entirely, bringing in Scarlett Johansson to re-record the part, long after principal filming had wrapped.

Kevin Spacey had already finished filming his role as billionaire J. Paul Getty in "All the Money in the World" when multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced. Rather than scrap the film, director Ridley Scott made the stunning decision to fire Spacey and recast the role with Christopher Plummer. Even more impressive, Plummer reshot all of Spacey's scenes in just nine days, and the film was released on schedule. Even more stunning? Plummer's performance went on to earn him an Academy Award nomination.

The legendary actress Judy Garland was hired to play Helen Lawson in "Valley of the Dolls." However, she didn't see eye-to-eye with the director, who made her time on set notably difficult. Garland also struggled with an alcohol problem, which contributed to her being fired and replaced by Susan Hayward.

Once Richard Gere showed up on set to play Chico in "The Lords of Flatbush," the problems began. He and lead actor Sylvester Stallone did not like each other. That contention reached a boiling point when the two actors got into a physical altercation during the filming of one scene. Perry King eventually replaced Gere in the role of Chico.

It seems that the crew had it out for Dennis Hopper the moment he arrived on set to play puppetmaster Christof in "The Truman Show." Some say that Hopper could not remember his lines. Hopper himself, however, suggests that the producer didn't like him for the part and made moves to fire him after the first day of filming. Ed Harris eventually replaced Hopper.

While the "Band of Brothers" miniseries featured a laundry list of well-known actors, it was the lesser-known actors who fared badly. The director fired Connor Ratliff from a minor role because Ratliff had "dead eyes." Later, on Ratfliff's podcast, the director in question admitted to firing him due to a subjective visionary decision.

It seems that Sylvester Stallone doesn't always get along with other actors. Case in point: Lori Petty on the set of "Demolition Man." The two actors butt heads immediately and Petty was fired. The producer suggested it came down to a creative decision. Petty, however, said it was due to her and Stallone mixing like "oil and water."

Sean Young was slated to star as Tess Trueheard in "Dick Tracy" but quickly got the axe. At first, Young claimed she didn't appear "maternal enough." Later, however, she suggested her firing for rejecting unwanted advances from lead actor Warren Beatty.

Harvey Keitel was slated to play the lead role in the Vietnam War epic "Apocalypse Now." One week into filming, however, director Francis Ford Coppola fired Keitel and replaced him with Martin Sheen. In a book about making the film, Coppola said that Keitel didn't want to be in the jungle for months, and ultimately, wasn't right for the role.

One of the biggest role switches in history is Eric Stoltz being replaced by Michael J. Fox in "Back to the Future." Apparently, the studio pushed Stoltz because of his recent success with movies like "The Mask," but he wasn't the right fit. According to people in the crew, Stoltz was too dramatic an actor for what was planned to be a more comedic role.