Even though the work they do is quite unconventional, actors are still very much prone to getting sacked from their job—sometimes long before the project ever takes off. And the story that’s usually fed to the general public is the whole “creative differences” cliche excuse. But we know better than that and the truth usually comes out sooner or later anyways. Now here are five actors who have been sacked for one reason or another.

1. Sylvester Stallone Got Richard Gere Fired from a Movie (Over Mustard Stains)

Back in 1974, when they were still unknown actors, Richard Gere and Sylvester Stallone were cast in a low-budget movie called The Lords of Flatbush. Right from the start, Stallone despised Gere, especially due to his habit of grabbing him during auditions. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was when Gere hopped into Stallone’s car during lunch and spilled mustard all over Stallone’s pants. The outraged actor later complained to the director saying that “It’s either him or me.” And you already know who he chose.

2. William Haines Fired for Refusing to Enter Into a Fake Heterosexual Marriage

William Haines, one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men of the 20s and early 30s just so happened to be part of the LGBT community and in a very committed relationship with his partner. However, MGM’s studio head Louis B. Mayer wasn’t too happy about this fact, and demanded that Haines enter a “lavender marriage” where he pretended to be straight. Instead Haines stood his ground and totally rejected the absurd request. Haines was subsequently fired by Mayer for choosing love over fame and fortune.

3. Ryan Gosling Fired After Gaining 60 Pounds for a Role

In 2007, Ryan Gosling was set to play the father in Peter Jackson’s, The Lovely Bones. Gosling, however, felt that he was a bit too young for the role, so he decided to put on an extra 60 pounds to appear more mature. The issue though, was that he made this decision without Jackson’s knowledge and so when he showed up on set slightly heavier than he normally was, Jackson was understandably shocked by the sudden transformation. Eventually Gosling was immediately canned and replaced by Mark Wahlberg, though he did shed all the extra weight later on.

4. Valerie Harper Managds to Get Fired From Her Own TV Show

Not even having your own show means that you’re safe from getting axed. Well, Valerie Harper learned this lesson the hard way after she started she walked away after he demands for a pay increase was not met. The network later negotiated for her return but suddenly fired her, claiming that she was incredibly hard to work with. As for the show, they worked around this issue by getting rid of Harper’s character off screen, then bringing in Sandy Duncan as the new lead of the new and improved The Hogan Family.

5. Christopher Plummer Fired from “Doctor Dolittle” After Previously Fired Actor Returns

The 1967 musical version of Doctor Dolittle was considered a huge box office flop that was ripe with behind-the-scenes issues right from the start. First, the lead actor Rex Harrison was fired for being difficult including not wanting to work with Sammy Davis Jr. So the producers got rid of him and brought in Christopher Plummer as his replacement. Sadly for Plummer, he too was given the ax a mere two weeks later when they rehired Harrison. On the upside, Plummer got paid $87,500 for doing absolutely nothing since they were still contractually obligated to pay him.