00:00You were stifling them at the youngest and most important development age of their time,
00:04and then you expect them to be normal later?
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 actors who absolutely
00:10could not stand working for the Walt Disney Company.
00:13Fame is a privilege, but it's also traumatic.
00:17Number 10. Dylan and Cole Sprouse
00:20One of the biggest open secrets about working with Disney is how the company keeps a tight
00:24leash on just about every project they're involved in and want to maintain control of.
00:28We figured if somebody should get fired, it shouldn't be someone who worked here.
00:32The Sprouse twins, Dylan and Cole, experienced this firsthand, as they have come forward about
00:37why they stopped working with the conglomerate. According to Dylan in 2013, he and his brother
00:41wanted to continue The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and The Suite Life on Deck with more spinoffs.
00:46They also wanted credits as producers and to be involved in the writing process.
00:50You know what? I think I'm just going to wing it.
00:51Dylan and Cole were given a firm no before Disney pitched them an eerily similar spinoff idea
00:56that sounded like the twins' pitch a year later. Dylan and Cole gave them a firm no,
01:00and neither twin has looked back since.
01:01I always thought if this ship were going to be destroyed, it'd be because of you two.
01:07So did I. So did I.
01:10Number 9. Demi Lovato
01:12I was just so excited to have a summer that was all about music, and I know.
01:17Another open secret about working for Disney is the great mental toll they can sometimes inflict
01:22on their stars, especially the younger ones. Demi Lovato of As the Bell Rings and Camp Rock
01:27Disney fame has been somewhat vocal about this since her departure.
01:30There's no way to hold it in.
01:33Across a multitude of videos and interviews, Lovato has opened up about how her work on the
01:37Disney channel affected her mental health, causing her to develop an eating disorder while
01:42under the pressure of perfection.
01:43I just wanted to fit in, okay?
01:45It had become so severe that she barely remembers most of her Disney channel days.
01:49In 2021, Lovato also revealed that she had been assaulted by someone she had to see all
01:53the time during her tenure at Disney. This person has yet to be identified at the time of this video.
01:58Number 8. Kirk Douglas
02:00Two years after portraying Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Walt Disney invited
02:05Douglas and his kids to visit his home, where he had his own miniature railway ride.
02:09Unbeknownst to Douglas, he and his kids were being filmed for use of promotional material,
02:14specifically the behind-the-scenes Disney show, Where Do the Stories Come From?
02:17Kids and grown-ups alike seem to be fascinated with model railroads.
02:21Douglas wrote a letter, Disney apologized, and all was well, until the footage was still
02:26included in a rerun of the episode. Douglas was furious and threatened to sue Disney,
02:30until he suddenly dropped the case. The two had supposedly resolved their differences
02:34outside of court, with Douglas stating,
02:36You can't sue God. A joke, yes, but eerie, given Disney's near spotless record in winning
02:41lawsuits today.
02:42I demand a fair trial.
02:43You've had your trial. The sea brought you. The sea shall have you back.
02:46Number 7. Johnny Depp
02:48Long before severing ties with Disney over his dispute with Amber Heard,
02:52Johnny Depp had already experienced a rocky relationship with the Walt Disney Company.
02:55You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of.
02:59But you have heard of me.
03:00Going all the way back to production of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl,
03:04Disney executives weren't exactly thrilled with Depp's unique walk for Jack Sparrow.
03:08That is a wonderful trick.
03:11Except once again, you are between me and my way out.
03:15According to Depp, the walk was too much for the executives, and he was almost replaced.
03:19Depp doubled down on his performance, though, and he became a key part in Jack Sparrow's character.
03:23No! Not good!
03:26Stop! Not good!
03:28Number 6. Raven Simone
03:30Even the most successful Disney Channel shows were subject to micromanagement under the weight of the House of Mouse,
03:36such as the case with the star of That's So Raven.
03:38If you weren't lying all day, maybe I would have believed you.
03:41A few years after Raven Simone had revealed her sexuality,
03:44in 2016, she appeared in the short documentary series called It Got Better.
03:48I never thought I would come out because my personal life didn't matter.
03:52It was only what was supposed to be sold as, you know, the Raven Simone print.
03:56Here, she opened up about some of her experiences working with Disney,
03:59including having her likeness being criticized,
04:01and pressured to conform to branding standards by 15 different people.
04:05If I did whatever I want, I'm not going to sell, because it doesn't go with the brand.
04:08I was branded at such a young age.
04:10Number 5. Bella Thorne
04:12Much like Raven Simone and Demi Lovato,
04:15Bella Thorne was also the victim of intense scrutiny of her public image
04:18when working with Disney on Shake It Up.
04:20Rocky, I practice all day. I'm fine.
04:23When appearing on the podcast High Low with Emrata,
04:26Thorne recalled a time where Disney had almost fired her for wearing a bikini.
04:30At the time, Thorne was a minor and was spending the day at the beach with a stylist.
04:34I almost got fired. It was all over the media. It was literally viral in that time.
04:38In the same episode, Thorne talked about a time where a casting director thought she was trying to flirt with him.
04:43Whether this incident occurred during a Disney-related audition had not been clarified.
04:47My agent calls my mom, and they're like,
04:50so she's not moving forward because the director felt like she was flirting with him,
04:56and it made him really uncomfortable.
04:57Number 4. Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus
05:00While her on-screen character was relishing in the best of both worlds,
05:03the real Miley was in turmoil about her identity and her relationship with her family.
05:07Better seats for Hannah Montana!
05:10I'm sorry, it's just that I don't like Hannah Montana.
05:13In 2021, Miley Cyrus spoke with USA Today about her experience.
05:17To her, the life of Hannah Montana felt too familiar,
05:20as she felt like nobody cared about her until she put the wig on.
05:23They're gonna hate you! They're gonna hate you!
05:26Her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, has also gone on record to say that Hannah Montana the show had destroyed our family.
05:31Honey, I could never tell you not to go to college.
05:34It's gotta be your decision, yours alone.
05:36Number 3. John Boyega
05:38Out of all the actors who have ever worked for Disney,
05:41none have been so vocally frustrated and resentful as John Boyega.
05:44During his time with the conglomerate,
05:46Boyega played the stormtrooper-turned-rebel Finn.
05:49It belongs to me. Come get it!
05:51Despite his character's critical role in Star Wars Episode VII, The Force Awakens,
05:55Finn would take a backseat while Rey, Kylo Ren, and Poe
05:58became the frontrunners of the new trilogy.
05:59Why would you stop me?
06:02I saved you.
06:05Tell me.
06:07In the years after the trilogy wrapped up with Rise of Skywalker,
06:10Boyega has spoken out about how he and his character were cast aside in a talk with GQ,
06:15feeling that they expected him to just dismiss the false marketing
06:17and be grateful for the experience itself.
06:19Go without us.
06:21We're taking this entire ship down.
06:23Number 2. Scarlett Johansson
06:25The actress behind Black Widow, across several cinematic Marvel entries,
06:29had her own falling out with Disney during production of her character's titular movie.
06:33Don't do this.
06:34Do what?
06:35Come after me.
06:37I mean, you're embarrassing yourself. It looks desperate.
06:39Prior to Black Widow's production,
06:41Johansson and Disney settled on a contract with a stipulation
06:44that Black Widow be released exclusively in theaters
06:47where Johansson would earn a percentage of the box office revenue.
06:50Disney walked back on the agreement
06:51and proceeded to release the movie on their streaming service, Disney+,
06:54the same day it was theatrical release.
06:56You just sent away the one thing that would stop me from killing you.
07:01Try then. Do it.
07:03Johansson filed a lawsuit shortly after the film's release
07:05before the two parties settled outside of court for an undisclosed amount.
07:09And would you believe this was not the first time
07:11Disney went back on agreements with one of their biggest stars?
07:13See if I can't help patch things up.
07:15Oh yeah. It's our next entry.
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07:33Number 1. Robin Williams
07:35When the legendary comedian agreed to voice Genie in 1992's Aladdin,
07:39he only asked that he and the character
07:41not be a massive part of the marketing campaign.
07:43In the mood to help you, dude.
07:45You ain't never had a friend like me.
07:47Disney notoriously went behind Williams' back
07:50and did so anyways for years.
07:52Though the two would make amends a few years later,
07:54Disney did Williams dirty again
07:55during the production of 1999's Bicentennial Man.
07:58The House of Mouse had severely cut the movie's budget
08:00and gave the film little to no marketing,
08:03despite co-financing the movie with competitor Sony via Columbia Pictures.
08:06Could you fix this piece of shit?
08:08Sure enough, the movie was a complete failure critically and commercially.
08:12Williams never worked on another Disney project ever again,
08:14while Bicentennial Man would later become known
08:16as a misunderstood classic among film buffs,
08:19writers, and visual effects artists.
08:21I don't care. I don't like it.
08:22Which of these stories shocked you the most?
08:24Let us know down in the comments.
08:26I get it out.
08:38Let us know down in the comments.
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