Actors Who Got Into Real Physical Fights On Movie Sets

By all accounts, the cast of Richard Linklater’s beloved «Dazed and Confused» got along really well — maybe too well, given the many accounts of behind-the-scenes hookups. But one actor didn’t click with the rest of his fellow up-and-comers, and as a result, found himself on the outs with not only his castmates but also Linklater as well. And according to «Alright, Alright, Alright,» an oral history of «Dazed,» that conflict nearly flamed into physical contact.

As Linklater said in Maxim, Shawn Andrews, who played Pickford in «Dazed,» took pains to stand apart from the other actors. «He wasn’t getting along with everybody,» said the filmmaker. Well, not everybody: Andrews was in a relationship with co-star and then-girlfriend Milla Jovovich. He also held himself in high regard. «He was too confident,» said Rory Cochrane, who played Slater, in «Alright, Alright, Alright.» «To the point where he would tell the hotel staff, ‘Save my sheets, I’m gonna be famous.’» That overinflated ego wore on Linklater, who started giving many of Pickford’s lines to Matthew McConaughey’s Wooderson.

It also rankled co-star Jason London, who said, «I never had any behind-the-scenes drama with anyone, except with Shawn.» That drama eventually boiled over into a near-fight between London and Andrews, which reportedly required breaking up by Linklater.