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About UsAdvertiseInvestor RelationsJobsNewslettersEditionUSUKAustraliaBrasilCanadaDeutschlandIndiaJapanLatamCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAccessibility StatementAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapBuzzFeed NewsReporting on what you care about. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing.BuzzFeed TastySearch, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!BuzzFeed GoodfulSelf care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life.BuzzFeed Bring MeObsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!BuzzFeed As IsSomething for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity.TV and Movies·Posted 10 minutes agoThese Movies Were On The Verge Of Being Released When Their Stars Were Caught In Shocking Scandals
There's bad timing and then there's this.
by Mike SpohrBuzzFeed Staff
FacebookPinterestTwitterMailLinkScandal 1: Hugh Grant and Nine Months
Ted Soqui / Sygma / Via Getty Images, Steve Granitz / WireImage / Via Via Getty
What happened? On June 27, 1995, just 18 days before the release of Nine Months — a big summer comedy that 20th Century Fox had a lot riding on — its star, Hugh Grant, was arrested in Hollywood for receiving oral sex in a public place from a sex worker named Divine Brown.
Grant, who was dating fellow actor Elizabeth Hurley at the time, quickly released a statement: "Last night I did something completely insane. I have hurt people I love and embarrassed people I work with. For both things I am more sorry than I can ever possibly say."
How big of a problem was this for 20th Century Fox? Well, look at the movie's poster:
20th Century Fox Film Corp. / courtesy Everett Collection
The irony was that until Grant went cruising down Sunset Boulevard, the studio was ecstatic to have him in the movie. Nine Months was Grant’s first Hollywood comedy since becoming a star thanks to the British mega-hit Four Weddings and a Funeral, and fans were eager to see him again.
Working Title Films/ Rank Distributors
Since Grant had already booked a number of major media appearances in the lead-up to the film's release, a decision had to be made: Should they cancel the appearances? Or have Grant face the music and hopefully not make things worse?
They decided Grant would keep the appearances, the first of which — on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno — became must-see TV. So many people tuned in, in fact, that The Tonight Show beat The Late Show with David Letterman in the ratings for the first time in a year. Leno got right to it, asking Grant, “What the hell were you thinking?”
View this video on YouTube
NBC / Via youtube.com
Grant, to his credit, didn't get angry or make excuses, saying, "I think you know in life what's a good thing to do and what's a bad thing, and I did a bad thing. And there you have it."
He had a similarly even-keeled response on Larry King Live, saying, "In the end you have to come clean and say 'I did something dishonorable, shabby and goatish.'"
In response, CNN wrote, "By apologizing publicly, Grant has taught celebrities facing scandals in the future a lesson in how to defuse a crisis."
The campaign to rehabilitate Grant's image (quickly) worked — Nine Months became the biggest comedy of the summer, grossing $138 million worldwide.
Grant, by the way, pleaded no contest to the crime and, after paying a fine, was placed on two years probation and ordered to complete an AIDS education program.
Scandal 2: Armie Hammer and Crisis
David Livingston via Getty Images / Orion Pictures
What happened? On Jan. 10, 2021, a little more than a month before the Feb. 26 release date of the crime thriller Crisis, its star, Armie Hammer, started trending on Twitter. The reason? House of Effie, an Instagram account, had shared screenshots of DMs alleged to be from Hammer that were graphic, violent, and referenced cannibalism. “I want to eat you,” the disturbing DMs say at one point; “100% a cannibal” in another.
Three days later, Hammer addressed the controversy when he released a statement dropping out of Shotgun Wedding, a movie he was scheduled to make with Jennifer Lopez.
He wrote, “I’m not responding to these bulls–t claims, but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot, in good conscience now, leave my children for four months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic. Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that.”
Crisis' writer/director, Nicholas Jarecki, had been feeling pretty good about his film's chances, as the initial reaction to it was positive, but then he got a text from a friend: “Why is Armie trending on Twitter?”
Columbia/Sony
The controversy soon snowballed into a full-blown scandal as more women came forward with allegations of assault and abuse, and a finsta account of Hammer's was discovered full of unflattering posts, including ones boasting about his drug usage.
This was very, very bad news for a film that was already facing an uphill battle being released in the middle of a pandemic. Jarecki at first hoped that the now-ironically titled Crisis could proceed with a relatively normal promotional campaign, but it soon became clear that'd be impossible.
Christian Alminana / FilmMagic / Via Getty Images
He later reflected, “We had all this stuff lined up. … Little by little, all these things evaporated and all this press — they didn’t want to do a feature about Armie Hammer because let’s be honest, the story was Armie Hammer, cannibal. But the subtext of the story was Armie Hammer, sexual abuser. And now the further subtext, which now has become the text, is Armie Hammer, accused rapist.”
Hammer soon dropped out of all promotion for the film — no surprise. But the rest of the cast could still do promotion, right? Not so fast. While media outlets were interested in interviewing costar Gary Oldman...they insisted he agree to answer questions about Hammer before coming on (despite the fact Oldman only met Hammer once at a dinner to kick off filming).
Quiver/Elevation Pictures
