Over-The-Top Demands Of 7 Popular ‘90s Movie Stars

Published on January 30, 2015. Updated April 3, 2017

During the ‘90s, we had some of biggest and brightest stars – who had some of the most unbelievable demands when they were on set. These mega-stars were paid really well for their work, a little too well some might argue, and they called the shots. The studios gave in to any and all of their requests for more money and more perks. Many of these powerful stars have faded from the public eye and we think that this might be because of their over-the-top demands. This should be a warning all of the young, entitled celebrities out there. Here are 7 high-cost demanding mega-stars from the ‘90s!

7. Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner’s career peaked during the ‘90s and so did his demands. He reportedly once joked that he only works with Warner Brothers because they paid for his private jets. We doubt that it was a joke. On set, he expected a lot. He would have a personal trainer/nutritionist, which cost Universal Studios $4,500 per week and a personal driver, trailer, hairstylist, wardrobe assistant and makeup artist for the cost of $50,000.

Costner’s on set demands didn’t stop there. For “The Love of the Game,” he brought in a special effects team to add fake follicles to his receding hairline. He also exercised a lot of control over post-production. A source said that, on “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” he spent hours trying to change scenes in the cutting room because he wanted to make sure that he had more screen time than Alan Rickman’s character, Sheriff of Nottingham.

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6. Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn had a lot of clout back in the day. On the set of “Swing Shift,” she overrode the director, Jonathan Demme,” changing his final cut. According to her, Warner Brothers was relying on her “to help [the film] along” and ensure that it worked. This wasn’t the only time that she did this though. On “CrissCross,” she overrode another director, Chris Menges, and re-cut everything he did.

In both of these cases, Hawn was a producer, which gave her more of a say in production; however, directors don’t really like when stars over-exercise this power. When Hawn was working on “Desert Rose” with director Mary Agnes Donoghue, she reportedly treated her like “a cleaning lady.” “The experience made me very wary about getting into a film where the star is the producer. Now I would want to know exactly where the cut-off line is before I signed up. Otherwise you’re in a situation where the star can’t distinguish between their role and the overall interests of the film. And the moment that happens you’ve lost control,” Donoghue said.

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5. Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise has been a big movie star for a really long time. The ‘90s were his heyday. He was more of an enigma back then. No one knew much about his kooky religion. All we knew was that he was a box office draw. If Cruise was in the movie, it was worth seeing. He was paid pretty well by studios and he had some pretty big demands for them as well. He would have studios pay for him to fly private jets. He wasn’t the only star to request this. Harrison Ford would too.

Cruise was on top of the world for a very long time; however, it began to come crashing down in 2006 when Paramount Pictures unceremoniously ended their 14-year relationship with him. This was after his couch-jumping incident on Oprah’s show and after he publicly attacked Brooke Shields for using antidepressants to treat her postpartum depression. Many people saw it as Hollywood growing impatient with its mega-stars.

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4. Kim Basinger

Kim Basinger was one of the big stars during the ‘80s and ‘90s; however, her big demands on set may have cost her the promising career she once had. During filming for “The Marrying Man,” where she met her ex husband Alec Baldwin, her demands were excessive. She insisted that the director of photography be replaced because she didn’t look like how she looked in the test shots that he had taken. That wasn’t all. Four weeks into filming, she asked to change the dialogue, telling the screenwriter, “Whoever wrote this scene doesn’t understand comedy.”

Basinger also kept production waiting on the set of “The Marrying Man.” One reason for this was her elaborate morning routine, which included washing her hair with only Evian water and shampoo. We’re not entirely sure if her excessive demands were what derailed her career. All we know is that she doesn’t get those high-paying roles anymore.

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3. Eddie Murphy

During the ‘90s, Eddie Murphy was demanding $20 million a movie, which is a lot. However, it was all the perks that he demanded, which made him seem more like a spoiled child than an actor. He reportedly racked up $5,000 in one week for limo costs and another $5,000 a week for unspecified living expenses when he was making “Coming to America.” The most shocking part about this was that it was filming in his hometown, yet he somehow racked up quite the bill to give to Paramount Pictures.

While Murphy was in London to receive an award for the videos sales of “Beverly Hills Cop,” he bought several of his associates Rolex watches and sent the bill to the studio. He reportedly hasn’t changed his demanding ways. Whenever he is shooting a movie, he demands new socks and new underwear every morning with the tags still on. At the end of the day, he throws them out. He refuses to wash or reuse things. What a waste!

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2. John Travolta

John Travolta made his comeback in the ‘90s with the movie “Pulp Fiction.” He was only paid $150,000 for his role; however, it ended up launching him back into superstardom. Once he arrived, he had a lot of demands. When he was offered a role in “The Double,” it came with a $17 million paycheck – the most he had ever been offered far in his career at that point. He agreed to take the part, but he wanted the studio to do a lot of stuff for him. He demanded that they ship his trailer across the Atlantic prior to filming for $200,000. He also wanted the right to “direct” the director of the film, Roman Polanski. When that failed, he tried to get Polanski fired, even agreeing to pay the director’s salary of $3.25 million. The film never ended up being made – what a surprise!

Those aren’t the only over-the-top demands from Travolta. He also won’t work beyond 10 hours on any given day of filming. It shouldn’t be that surprising that he doesn’t have much of a career anymore.

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1. Demi Moore

During the ‘90s, Demi Moore – nicknamed Gimme Moore – had a reputation for being demanding on set. When she was promoting the film “Ghost,” she traveled with a bodyguard, masseuse, hair stylist, cosmetician and fashion consultant, as well as an assistant, who had her own assistant. As the story goes, she ordered studio execs to charter two jets for her entourage when she was promoting “Striptease,” which flopped, and “G.I. Jane.” She reportedly demanded the same thing when she was promoting “The Scarlet Letter.” It cost $50 million to make the film; however, it bombed at the box office, bringing in only a small fraction of the budget.

Moore became the highest paid actress during her heyday; however, her films started to flop and her demands kept rising. It isn’t that surprising that the studios stopped giving her starring roles and delegated her to supporting parts. She was expensive and demanding and she was no longer a box office draw.

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