10 Celebrities Who Were Fired for Insane Reasons
Sometimes, it can be easy to forget that celebrities actually have to work. While it often seems like they’re just living carefree lavish lifestyles, they have to go to work and bring home a paycheck just like everyone else. With that being said, they’re also subject to losing their jobs just like everyone else. While it’s usually unlikely to hear of a big name celebrity being fired (unless something extremely crazy happens) there have been some situations in which celebrities were fired for reasons that seemed a little over the top. Although it’s probably true that networks and/or production teams usually put a lot of thought into letting a star go, from the outside looking in, sometimes it can seem a little random. Here are 10 celebrities who were fired for insane reasons.
Stuart Townsend
Everyone knows that looks are everything in Hollywood, but Stuart Townsend had to learn that lesson the hard way. Townsend was set to portray Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, and spent months preparing for the role. However, he was fired just a day before filming because he looked too young. Although some may see this as a valid reason, it’s kind of hard to believe that he looked any younger than he did when they initially offered him the part.
(Photo by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)
Eric Stoltz
Eric Stoltz isn’t a household name, and that may be because he never got the chance to start in one of the most popular film franchises ever. Stoltz was cast to play Marty McFly in the popular film, Back to the Future after first choice, Michael J. Fox, had to turn down the offer because of schedule conflicts. Although Stoltz began filming, he was fired about a month later for apparently not having a good enough sense of humor. Michael J. Fox found a way to fit the movie into his schedule, and as you know, the rest is history.
(photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Richard Gere
Richard Gere may be one of the most well-known actors of his generation, but that doesn’t mean his success has been easy. Over the course of his career he’s had some bumps in the road, including being fired from the 1974 film, The Lords of Flatbush. Why was he fired? Apparently, during a lunch break, Gere accidentally got mustard on Sylvester Stallone’s pants, prompting Stallone to elbow Gere in the face. According to sources, the two actors still don’t get along till this day.
(Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Christian Bale
American Psycho is definitely one of Christian Bale’s most memorable films. However, he almost didn’t appear in the film at all. Although he was initially offered the part, Bale was fired when directors decided that he simply wasn’t famous enough. Instead, they opted to go with Leonardo DiCaprio who decided to drop the role to star in Titanic. After not being able to find anyone else, Bale was hired back, and did a wonderful job.
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan was once one of the brightest young stars in Hollywood. However, substance abuse issues and run ins with the law quickly changed things for Lohan. In 2009, Lohan was approached to star in the film, The Other Side, which was meant to be her big comeback role. However, by 2010, it was announced that she had been fired from the role for not being “bankable” enough. Ironically; however, the film itself wasn’t very bankable.
(Photo Joe Klamer-Pool/Getty Images)
Naturi Naughton
These days, you may recognize Naturi Naughton from the popular Starz series, Power. However, long before pursuing a career as an actress, Naughton was a member of the R&B girl group, 3LW. However, in 2002, Naughton mysteriously disappeared from the group. Although her split from the group seemed to be a mutual decision, Naughton was definitely forced out. According to Naughton, she was repeatedly told that she wasn’t living up to the image they’d envisioned for her, saying that they wanted someone who was more “ghetto.”
(Photo by David Buchan/Getty Images for Westfield)
James Purefoy
If you’ve ever seen James Purefoy on The Following, you know that he can be a pretty intense guy. However, despite his intensity, Purefoy has something against wearing masks. An important factor he failed to consider when accepting a role in V for Vendetta. Although he began filming the role, his dislike for masks became too much to deal with, and he was eventually replaced by Hugo Weaving.
(Photo by Kevin Roche/WBTV via Getty Images)
Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans has made lots of people laugh over the course of his career. However, Saturday Night Live creator, Lorne Michaels, certainly wasn’t laughing when Wayans went off script during a skit and decided to turn his one line into a show stealing performance. Wayans, who was supposed to play a cop who mostly stood in the background, instead chose to portray an extremely flamboyant gay cop. Although he got plenty of laughs, Wayans was tired as soon as he stepped off stage.
(Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Steve Perry
In the music industry, it’s not uncommon for people to leave bands and groups. However, when Journey frontman, Steve Perry, was fired from the band for breaking a hip, people were definitely raising eyebrows. Although it seemed impossible for the group to go on without Perry, they ended up replacing him with the lead singer of a Journey cover band. WOW!
(Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for City of Hope)
Ryan Gossling
There’s nothing better than a star who is dedicated to doing their best in a role. But sometimes dedication can go a little too far. Hollywood hunk, Ryan Gossling, was originally cast to star in the film The Lovely Bones, but was promptly fired when he showed up on set overweight after gaining 60 pounds for the role. Apparently, Gossling and the director had very different ideas of what the character would look like, and Gossling was replaced with Mark Wahlberg.
(Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
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