10 Behind-The-Scenes Stories From Famous Actors Who Work So Damn Well Together
"I love that Hollywood thing of pairing two actors over the course of their careers. I hope Chris Hemsworth and I make more movies together." —Tessa Thompson
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the best famous acting duos of all time, and they did not disappoint! Here are some legendary acting duos talking about their experiences together while filming.
1. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio
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Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are one of the most well-known acting duos in the entertainment industry, even though they've only starred in two films together: Titanic (1997) and Revolutionary Road (2008). Their onscreen chemistry is dynamic (to say the least), and fans everywhere are deeply infatuated with their friendship off screen, which has lasted more than 20 years.
In a 1998 interview with Oprah while promoting Titanic, Winslet described her relationship with DiCaprio as instantaneous and comfortable. While filming the movie for seven months, they formed a close bond and ultimately looked out for one another on set. Winslet said: "Leo and I always had a laugh together, [and] we always got on incredibly well. Initially I thought: 'How am I going to work with this beautiful man?' [But] he's honestly so down-to-earth and normal and so good at what he does, that it was actually never about that — we stuck together."
About 11 years later, when they worked together again on Revolutionary Road, DiCaprio described filming with Winslet as nothing but a positive experience. Because of their deep connection as friends, he said they were able to experiment and push boundaries with one another. He told Sky News: "I keep saying it, but it's the truth: we use the fact that we've been such good friends through the years to our advantage — there's definitely a comfort level that we have between us and we challenge each other as actors."
2. Viola Davis and Denzel Washington
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Even though Viola Davis and Denzel Washington are widely known for their collaboration on the 2016 film Fences, they actually worked together long before then. Washington directed Davis in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, and before bringing the August Wilson play to the big screen, they played Troy and Rose Maxon in Fences on Broadway in 2010.
While directing Davis in Antwone Fisher, Washington recalled her approach to acting as refined and professional. In a 2016 interview with People, he said: "When we did Antwone Fisher (because we're actors), I recognize one when I see one. I know how I am and I could see she wanted to be left alone [during filming], she was in the zone, so I knew what to do. Leave her alone and just watch."
Davis told People she wanted to work with Washington again on Fences because Washington's down-to-earth persona and his approach to the truth were hard to reject. She said: "He's easy — I feel that it's always been that way. I think he always makes interesting choices, I think it's always rooted in truth and humanity, and I think he has a lot of courage. It takes a lot of courage to be an artist and to really go for it with your ideas — he has all that."
3. Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke
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Before they collaborated together on major films like Black Panther (2018) and Us (2019), Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke met at the Yale School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut. Nyong'o was assigned to give Duke a tour of the school before he got accepted, and they remained close friends during those years — they even saw the first Avengers movie together before making it big in Hollywood.
When it came to filming Us, after the mega Marvel hit Black Panther, Nyong'o was one of the first to know that Duke was Jordan Peele's first choice to play Gabe. She sent him a text that read: "Jordan has sent you a script, read it, and accept it," to which Duke comically replied: "I need to read it first!"
Nyong'o and Duke's close friendship off screen seems to be a major factor in their electric chemistry on screen. "We're in each other's lives beyond the screen, so getting to set together was very organic," Nyong'o told Fandango in 2019. "I trust him as a friend and as an artist, so we could be dangerous with each other and messy and experimental." Duke reiterated how comfortable it was working with Nyong'o, and how they supported each other's craft while filming. He said: "I definitely felt comfortable to do my best work, which was to help her feel as though as she could go any direction she wants. [She'd] have someone [to] catch her if necessary."
4. Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci
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Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci first starred together in the 2006 rom-com The Devil Wears Prada, and a few years later, Streep asked Tucci to play her husband in the 2009 Nora Ephron film, Julie & Julia. While filming their second movie together, they felt free and comfortable enough with each other to improvise certain scenes, which ultimately made it into the final cut of the film.
"I've always admired her," Tucci said in a 2015 interview with the Hudson Union Society. "I've always thought she was just one of the greatest actors ever. We met socially, then I ended up doing Devil Wears Prada, and soon after that [Julie & Julia]. We just got along very well — she's one of the greatest friends you could ever have."
5. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig
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Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are one of the best and most versatile acting duos, collaborating together with such ease in comedic projects like Adventureland (2009) and SNL, and dramas like The Skeleton Twins (2014). When they joined SNL as cast members in 2005, they had an immediate connection and sparked a great friendship, one that makes collaboration look so effortless and freeing.
While promoting The Skeleton Twins in 2014, Hader sat down with Peter Travers and revealed what it was like working with Wiig for the third time. Because the two actors approach their craft in similar ways, he said portraying this vulnerable character opposite his friend made it easier. He said: "We had a wonderful crew, but there's a lot of noise and when you're trying to create these intimate moments, it's hard. So [when] they'd say 'Action!', we'd start improvising just to make it feel like it's a conversation. We'd do that sometimes for two to three minutes. It felt like a conversation — the cameras would just fade away, and I [was there] talking to my friend."
6. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson
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Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are slowly becoming a deeply beloved famous acting duo among fans around the world, starring in films like Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Men In Black: International (2019) together, and currently working on Thor: Love and Thunder. Their relationship on and off screen is genuine and infectious, and speaking as a fan, I hope it's explored more in movies in the future.
While promoting MiB: International in 2019, Thompson sat down with Refinery 29 and described what it was really like working with Hemsworth on various projects. She called him an incredibly gifted actor and felt grateful to him for giving her access to act in action/CGI movies. "I sort of love that iconic Hollywood thing of pairing two actors over the course of their career, and they get to do all sorts of things together," Thompson said. "I think of it like that with Chris and me. I hope that we get to make many more things together."
Hemsworth had nothing but praise for his Thor and MiB costar Thompson in an interview with The Hindu in 2019. He described his collaboration with Thompson on the second film as a "gift" because of their chemistry. "To have pre-established chemistry and not chew up a lot of shooting time getting to know each other and finding each other’s rhythms [was a massive benefit]. We were able to pick up where we left off and hit the ground running."
7. Sarah Paulson and Cate Blanchett
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Sarah Paulson and Cate Blanchett first met while filming the 2015 movie Carol, bonding immediately and becoming fast friends. Initially, Paulson was nervous to work with the two-time Academy Award winner, but Blanchett felt at ease, claiming: "[Sarah's] one of those people in the industry who everyone loves, and [her] reputation just preceded [her]." The two actors would work together again in 2018's Ocean's 8 and FX/Hulu's 2020 miniseries Mrs. America.
While promoting Mrs. America in 2020, Paulson did a Q&A with The Cut and revealed the joy she felt working with Blanchett for a third time. Like projects before, the two actors had a difficult time getting through scenes together, constantly laughing and joking around. Paulson said: "I obviously have so much respect for [Cate], and she's such a wonderful person and extraordinarily present scene partner. The thing people don't really know about her is that she's really the most fun — [it's true] she's 'Cate the Great,' but man, the number of takes we blew laughing? There's no one funnier." Paulson constantly poked fun at Blanchett's Mrs. America character, and Blanchett jokingly responding with: "Oh God, things were going so well before you got here, and now I have to worry that you're going to make fun of me every five seconds!"
In an Instagram takeover for W Magazine in 2020, Blanchett recalled her favorite memory of working with acting partner Paulson: "During Carol, there was a moment where we were having a martini together in a bar, and the wonderful props guy said: 'Do you wanna go hot?'," Blanchett recalled. "So, we went 'hot,' [and] we learned that the alcohol would be real alcohol. I was really — [there] was no acting required. [laughing] It was bad."
8. Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith
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Long before Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah worked together on the legendary 1996 film Set It Off, they were friends in the hip-hop music scene in the late '80s. The two famous actors met at a club in Baltimore where Latifah was performing and Pinkett Smith was only a teenager. A 15/16-year-old Pinkett Smith introduced the unknown Latifah to the Baltimore audience, and the two have remained friends ever since.
Queen Latifah told People in 2017 about their success post-Set It Off in the '90s, saying: "We were babies, we were young'uns — I didn't even have my woman body yet! [Jada] got knocked up shortly after that." When it came down to collaborating on Girls Trip almost 20 years after Set It Off's release, the two famous actors felt at ease working together again. "Jada and I can have whole conversations where we haven't really said anything, but we've said a lot," Latifah told People.
Pinkett Smith felt nothing but love and admiration when she was given the chance to work with Latifah on screen again for Girls Trip. In a 2017 interview with E!, she said: "I told Queen the other day: 'It would be awesome if we waited 21 years to make another classic.' We had a moment where we got a little teary eyed. We got a little blinky." Even though the two have worked together behind the camera — producing each other's projects — Pinkett Smith said: "We can't wait 21 more years before we get on a screen together [again]."
9. Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie
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Even though they've only worked on projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe together, Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie as an acting duo is something you just can't replicate in the entertainment industry. The two actors have a hilarious and unique bond that's rare in Hollywood, constantly joking around at major press events together. Fans love their friendship so much, they've referred to the acting duo as "Stackie."
Stan and Mackie have starred in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019) together, and are bringing their Marvel characters to Disney+ in March 2021 for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
In a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, Mackie recalled how he and Stan initially bonded while filming their first Marvel movie together, Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014). He said: "[Sebastian] had this awful wig on, and literally in the middle of scenes, they'd have to cut because the wig would fall off. So, I'd make fun of his wig and he'd make fun of my calves. Once I realized I could give him junk and he could give me junk and we were cool, it was great."
10. And Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy
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Catherina O'Hara and Eugene Levy have been working together long before they played Johnny and Moira Rose on the hit Canadian TV show Schitt's Creek. O'Hara and Levy met at Second City in Toronto (an improv group originally based in Chicago) in the early 1970s. Since then, they've starred and collaborated on a plethora of projects, like Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and obviously Schitt's Creek (2015–2020).
In 2014, O'Hara and Levy sat down with BuzzFeed News to promote their "new show" Schitt's Creek and reminisced on their long-lasting friendship. When asked why they collaborated so well together, the two famous actors spoke very highly of each other. "I feel like my job is to protect my character, so there have been times where we had discussions that verged on some tension," O'Hara told BuzzFeed News. "But this is the lovely thing about working with a friend who you love and respect: [Eugene's] really funny and very thoughtful in his work. So, even when it gets into an argument, I believe that there's no other crap in the way, [and] it's all about making this the best it can be."
When it came to creating Moira Rose's character for Schitt's Creek, initially the character was completely different. But, because of O'Hara and Levy's natural chemistry and openness to collaboration, Moira's character went into a completely wild direction we all know and love. Levy said: "[Catherine's] ideas are always really great — [her] ability to come up with lines and ideas for [her] character are things you can't find when you're hiring just anybody."