7 Actors Who Refused to Film a Scene and What Happened Next

Actors often have to do strange things for their roles, but it’s part of the job. However, there are times when a line is drawn, and the actors refuse to cross it. Occasionally the concern is safety. Occasionally a scene doesn’t make sense for the character. And occasionally an actor simply refuses to wear a certain team’s baseball cap.

Here are seven memorable occasions when actors reportedly assessed their roles and firmly declined Hollywood’s requests.

Ben Affleck — Gone Girl

Even though Ben Affleck played the worst husband ever in Gone Girl, there was one thing he apparently considered even more disgusting.

Director David Fincher wanted Affleck’s character, Nick Dunne, to wear a Yankees baseball hat during a scene. Unfortunately, he is a diehard Boston Red Sox fan. He even had a genuine argument with Fincher over it. Affleck was worried that Boston fans would never let him forget the sight of a Yankees logo sitting on his head.

In the end, they found a diplomatic solution: Nick wore a New York Mets cap instead.

Ian Wright — Ted Lasso

Former Arsenal star Ian Wright was happy to appear as himself on Ted Lasso. Praising Tottenham Hotspur, however, was apparently not included in the deal.

Actor Phil Dunster later claimed that Wright was supposed to describe Tottenham as “a great side” while discussing an upcoming match against AFC Richmond. For a former Arsenal player, saying something so complimentary about his old club’s biggest rival was simply too much.

Wright reportedly told the production team that they would have to rewrite the line because he wasn’t going to say it.

Anna Kendrick — Pitch Perfect 3

In Pitch Perfect 3, Beca has finally graduated and begins working for Theo (played by Guy Burnet), who was originally supposed to be her new love interest. Unfortunately, she did not like the idea of getting a new crush, who was also her boss.

Kendrick said the filmmakers were ready to scrap that idea but still wanted the two characters to kiss for the ending. Once again, she refused. As a result, Beca’s story focused mainly on her friendships and music career rather than squeezing in a last-minute romance.

Viggo Mortensen — The Hobbit

Viggo Mortensen became so committed to playing Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings that he learned Elvish, performed much of his own sword fighting, and fully immersed himself in J.R.R. Tolkien’s world.

That devotion also meant he knew when Aragorn didn’t belong somewhere. Mortensen revealed that a producer of The Hobbit movies asked whether he might be interested in returning, and his response was simple: Aragorn doesn’t appear in The Hobbit. He was right, as that story takes place decades before The Fellowship sets out on a mission.

The main trilogy brought back a few familiar faces, even though they weren’t there in the books. But Mortensen wasn’t willing to bend the timeline just to get a juicy cameo.