As acting royalty, Jason Isaacs has worked on his fair share of films - and we assume he's encountered plenty of Hollywood divas.
Now in a recent interview with Vulture, Isaacs, who most recently Timothy Ratliff, a father facing impending legal issues in series 3 of The White Lotus, has suggested that one of his 'global icon' co-stars was the 'worst bully ever.'
In the interview, he recalled a moment when the prominent actor pushed him out of a shot. 'Oh Jesus. Did worse than that,' the actor remembered, adding that the unnamed actor 'did all the old tricks of doing a completely different performance off-camera than on.'
He added: 'Yeah, it sucked. I’d never seen anything like it. Before, I would’ve licked the ground that this person walked on.'
The actor did not specify which show or movie he had encountered the 'bully' on. He's best known for his role in Harry Potter, has also starred in several major films, including The Patriot with Mel Gibson and, most recently, The White Lotus. He also previously mentioned the incident in a 2011 interview with The Telegraph - long before the days of The White Lotus.
He explained there 'is no value, other than masochism and sabotage, in telling people the truth about people I’ve worked with or experiences I’ve had,' continuing 'I have stories. I know where all the bodies are buried. I often fantasise about doing a junket and telling the truth, and when I win the lottery, possibly that will be the case [...] Acting is all about secrets.'
However, Isaacs comments come after The White Lotus was rocked by speculation of tensions on set - which Isaacs weight in on himself. On The Happy Hour radio show earlier this month, he explained that shooting season 3 was like being 'in a little pressure cooker together' for the actors, crew members and administrators. Then in an interview with Vulture, he opened up about the realities of filming the show, describing it as a 'a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage' which was anything but a holiday.'
'Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost,' he said. 'All the things you would imagine with a group of people unanchored from their home lives on the other side of the world, in the intense pressure cooker of the working environment with eye-melting heat and insects and late nights. They say in the show, "What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand," but there’s an off-screen White Lotus as well, with fewer deaths but just as much drama.'
However, the so-called bully could have been from any of the sets Isaacs has worked on in his impressive career.
'Mostly, what I judge on set is bad behaviour,' Isaacs said, listing off 'selfishness, cruelty, bullying, or people complaining to the person who’s getting them dressed, who doesn’t get in a year what they earn in a day to pick their filthy underwear off the floor.'
He added: 'That, or not turning up, or going home early, or thinking they know better than the director, or being on crack and calling prostitutes to their trailer. I come across all that stuff.'
Alice Hall is the Staff Writer at Grazia UK. She was previously a Junior Features Writer for The Daily Telegraph. At Grazia, she writes news and features about pop culture, dating, health, politics and interiors.