15 Performances Motivated By A Fear of Being Sued for Breach of Contract
“What’s my motivation?” is a favorite question of actors. Sometimes the answer is incredibly complex and involves conflicting emotions battling within their character’s psyche under extreme circumstances. Sometimes it’s “shitloads of money.” And sometimes it’s “You signed a contract, dickhead.”
Actors often find themselves contractually obliged to perform in movies they’d rather not be in. While it sounds like a bit of a luxury problem, being handsomely paid to do a job millions of people would love to have, it frequently causes huge opportunities to be missed. Pierce Brosnan would have been James Bond a decade earlier if not for contractual obligations to a TV show, and Emily Blunt would have been Black Widow in the MCU if not for her obligations to Gulliver’s Travels.
Generally, the professional thing to do is to be super-gracious about it all and give it the ol’ Hollywood treatment of claiming to be in it for the art, but sometimes performers are incredibly open about the situation: They signed some chunky forms a few years ago and aren’t allowed to go home now.
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The ‘American Idol’ Spin-off Movie the World Didn’t Need
The movie From Justin to Kelly, a borderline unwatchable rom-com starring Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, was not a labor of love. Clarkson and Guarini’s involvement was part of their record contract, causing Clarkson huge amounts of stress.
The Behatted Feline Nobody’s Heart Was In
When Mike Myers backed out of an SNL-spin-off Sprockets movie due to disliking the script, he was still obliged to make a movie for Universal. This became The Cat in the Hat, which was by all accounts a miserable experience.
The Unenthusiastic Job
Edward Norton appeared in The Italian Job against his will — he was at the end of a three-film deal with Paramount and was threatened with a lawsuit. He subsequently refused to do any press for the film.
Studio Lawyers: They’re Sharks
You don’t mess with perfection, so Steven Spielberg and Richard Dreyfuss opted out of a Jaws sequel. Roy Scheider, however, had a clause in his contract requiring him to appear in Jaws II, admittedly for a small fortune.
Shaken and Stirred But Not Sued
Daniel Craig had no desire to make Spectre, but had signed a four-film deal and had no choice. Promoting it, he said he’d rather slit his wrists than play James Bond again. However, one $25 million offer later, he relented.
The Extinct Stinker
Whoopi Goldberg offered to return the fee she’d received for Theodore Rex if it meant not making it, as it was clearly dogshit. However, she was threatened with a lawsuit, so found herself headlining the most expensive straight-to-video movie ever.
A Bit of a Thor Point for Portman
Natalie Portman only wanted to be in the second Thor film because Patty Jenkins was directing it. When Jenkins left the project, Portman tried to follow, only to find her contract forbade her from doing so.
Nobody Be-reeved He Hadn’t Signed Up for This
The unheralded Keanu Reeves movie The Watcher — in which the beloved hunk plays a serial killer — reportedly came about following a forged signature on a contract, which Reeves chose to honor rather than fight and risk legal action.
The Spin-off It Was Hard to Garner Enthusiasm For
Jennifer Garner’s contract for Daredevil included a clause about sequels and spin-offs, which committed her to reprising her role in Elektra, a film that somehow managed to get even worse reviews than Daredevil had.
Knowing Is Half the Battle
Channing Tatum signed a three-movie deal after Coach Carter, which eventually led him to star in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra against his wishes, in a situation he described as “You’re doing this or we’re gonna sue you.’”
What an A-troy-ing Pitt-utation!
Brad Pitt made Troy not out of a desire to wear a silly costume, but because he had to — he’d pulled out of another Warner Bros. movie, and had to choose between risking a lawsuit or donning a wig.
You Can’t Be My Wingman Anytime
Val Kilmer was at the end of a three-film deal when Top Gun came along. He didn’t want to play second fiddle to Tom Cruise, but reluctantly agreed, which turned out to be a pretty great decision.
The Bourne Obligatory
Matt Damon described the script for the third Bourne movie as “unreadable,” but was legally bound to appear in it, saying that the film itself was pretty much figured out on the fly as a result.
A Not-So-Sweet Sendoff for Candy
After a planned John Hughes movie with Sylvester Stallone was scrapped, John Candy was forced by his contract to appear in Wagons East!. He tragically died during production, making his final movie also his worst.
Absolute Pirates
The notorious flop Cutthroat Island was a contractual obligation project for a lot of people. Geena Davis attempted to leave when original co-star Michael Douglas did, only to find she wasn’t allowed.