It is common to hear stories about actors who played friends or lovers on screen, but who hated each other when the cameras stopped rolling. Less often do we hear about the opposite — actors whose characters did not get along, but who became real life-friends.
There are a few well-known male friendships that exist between actors who played mortal enemies on-screen. For example, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart have a much less volatile relationship than their "X-Men" counterparts, Magneto and Professor
X. On a similar front, while Thor and his adoptive brother Loki may have a contentious rivalry, the actors who portray them, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, are great friends. Hemsworth is also good buddies with Chris Evans, but their characters (mostly) get along well in "The Avengers" films.
We decided to focus our list on female friendships, from actors who grew up together to those in a more mentorship-style relationships. All of them, however, reflect actors who played characters who were at each other's throats — at least for a time, since a good redemption arc can sometimes lead to a shift in character dynamics (especially on a long-running television show with years of content). These female actors pretended to hate each other, but are friends in real life.
Read more: Celebrities Who Got Married As Teenagers
Vanessa Hudgens And Ashley Tisdale Were Friends Before High School Musical
For a whole generation, "High School Musical" remains a defining moment of their teen years. Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale — who brought Gabriella Montez and Sharpay Evans to life — were a huge part of the franchise's success. But while Sharpay is the main antagonist in the first two "HSM" films, Tisdale appears to be a sweetie in real life. Hudgens sure thinks so, since the two have been friends ever since filming a Sears commercial a year before the first "HSM" movie. "She's one of those girlfriends who will be my friend forever," Hudgens said to Women's Health in 2017.
Kristen Stewart And Charlize Theron Hit It Off Instantly — On A Plane
They were enemies in the 2012 film "Snow White and the Huntsman," but Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron (who played Snow White and evil queen Ravenna, respectively) are actually good buddies in real life. Despite a significant age difference, the pair hit it off upon their very first meeting, which occurred on a flight to Comic-Con. "You know when you meet someone and it's effortless? It was instantly amazing," Theron told E! News. In 2022, Theron gushed over Stewart's evolution as an actor when she presented her friend with the American Riviera Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.
Angelina Jolie And Elle Fanning's Friendship Has Evolved Over Time
Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning are another actor duo who played enemies in a live-action Disney film. In both 2014's "Maleficent" and its 2019 sequel, Jolie appeared as the titular character opposite Fanning as Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty). The actors got along swimmingly despite Jolie being more than twice Fanning's age (she was 14 when they met). As Fanning has transformed and matured over the years, so too has their friendship. "I'm older, and the things we can talk about now are different," Fanning explained to People in 2019. "I feel like I can ask her anything — and I have!"
Jennifer Garner And Judy Greer Buy Each Other Personalized Friendship Swag
In "13 Going on 30," Lucy Wyman is a vindictive and manipulative mean girl, and she is certainly not a good friend to Jenna Rink in either the past or present. But the characters' portrayers, Judy Greer and Jennifer Garner, have a deep love for one another, even after all these years. "She bought us these sweatshirts a long time ago that said 'Jen Garner and Judy Greer,'" Greer told Today. "And then I got us 'JG' necklaces as like a Christmas present. I don't know, we're dorks. We're friend dorks." The friends have also reunited onscreen numerous times.
Selma Blair Has Been Besties With Sarah Michelle Gellar For Decades
Selma Blair leaned on her inner circle for support after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018. That circle has included Blair's "Cruel Intentions" co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar for decades now, even though Blair's character ultimately helped take down Gellar's villain in the 1999 cult classic. "I think I knew from the first moment I met Sarah Michelle Gellar that we would be friends forever," Blair told Self. "If you have Sarah Michelle Gellar as your best friend you really don't need many other friends. She has shown up and been there and helped me and organize from the beginning."
Reese Witherspoon Is Another One Of Selma Blair's Close Friends
Sarah Michelle Gellar is only one of Selma Blair's famous friends, and she is in good company. Blair's other pals include Christina Applegate, Jaime King, Kris Jenner, and of course, "Legally Blonde" and "Cruel Intentions" co-star Reese Witherspoon. Blair and Witherspoon's characters were bitter rivals for most of "Legally Blonde," but things have always been all love off screen. "I would love to see you soon. You are such a driven force of power and it has changed me for the better," Blair wrote on Instagram, in response to Witherspoon posting a throwback photo of them taken while filming "Cruel Intentions" (via People).
Lisa Ann Walter Has Called Elaine Hendrix Her Life Partner
We can't help but squeal with delight every time "The Parent Trap" stars and BFFs Lisa Ann Walter and Elaine Hendrix reunite for a red carpet — for example, at the 2025 premiere of "Freakier Friday," starring the parent trapper herself Lindsay Lohan. Though their characters loathed each other in the "The Parent Trap," Hendrix and Walter instantly hit it off while filming the 1998 flick and have been besties ever since. "I have to call my life partner, Elaine, and tell her that this thing happened or I've got this audition coming or I'm sobbing because some jabroni broke my heart," Walter said to People.
Susan Sarandon And Julia Roberts Got Along While Filming Stepmom
Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts may have played rivals, but they got along perfectly fine while filming the 1998 drama "Stepmom." Nonetheless, the actors were forced to continuously defend their relationship due to media reports of a feud. Roberts discussed their real-life friendship on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," and both stars tackled the innate sexism of the rumors in an Entertainment Weekly interview. "If you make a movie with a male star, everyone assumes you're f—ing," Sarandon said. "If it's a female star, everyone assumes you're fighting."
Gal Gadot And Kristen Wiig Had A Ball Filming Wonder Woman 1984
When Gal Gadot reprised her role as the titular character in "Wonder Woman 1984," the much-anticipated "Wonder Woman" sequel, she had a fantastic time on set. That was at least partially because of Kristin Wiig, who was cast as a villain — archaeologist Barbara Manerva (aka Cheetah) — in the 2020 film. The actors spent their downtime on set making each other laugh, often by making up silly songs. "It was the most unexpected relationship," Wiig said to "Extra." "I don't know if people realize how goofy and funny and silly she is."
Lili Reinhart And Madelaine Petsch Once Lived Together
While Betty Cooper's main rival in the "Archie" comics was Veronica Lodge, the "Riverdale" version of these two characters had a mostly copacetic relationship. They had a few blips, of course, but Betty's distant cousin Cheryl Blossom was a much more consistent frenemy. In real life, however, Betty's portrayer Lili Reinhart is great friends with Madelaine Petsch, who played Cheryl. The stars — who are also tight with Veronica's portrayer Camila Mendes — actually lived together at one point, becoming so close that Reinhart routinely popped Petsch's blackheads at night. They also spent time watching movies and ugly sobbing, as roommates do.
Sophia Bush And Hilarie Burton Morgan Are Like Family
While Sophia Bush's "One Tree Hill" character Brooke Davis was close with Peyton Sawyer, portrayed by Hilarie Burton Morgan, the friendship was inconsistent. There were certainly points where Brooke and Peyton hated each other, as they battled over the affections of Lucas Scott (played by Hallmark star Chad Michael Murray, who is aging like fine wine). Bush and Burton Morgan had no such drama off screen, and they remain thick as thieves. "She really is the closest thing in the world that I have to a sister. She's absolutely precious and priceless to me," Bush told E! News in 2024.
Jennifer Lopez And Jane Fonda Got Close While Making Monster-In-Law
Jane Fonda retired from acting after the 1990 film "Stanley & Iris," so fans were thrilled when she returned to the screen in "Monster-in-Law" 15 years later. The 2005 film had Fonda starring as Viola Fields, a mother from hell who will stop at nothing to sabotage her son's engagement to Charlotte Cantilini (played by Jennifer Lopez). "We became friends on Monster-in-Law, a film where I had to hate Jennifer. It was the hardest acting job I ever had," Fonda joked in her 2013 speech at Lopez's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
Read the original article on The List.
