Olivia Munn Accuses On-Set Director of Trying to Sabotage Her Career

Actress Olivia Munn has revealed that a director she worked with on the HBO series The Newsroom may have attempted to damage her professional reputation out of spite stemming from their disagreements during filming.

During a recent appearance on the “Armchair Expert” podcast, Munn disclosed that her manager told her that an unnamed filmmaker was spreading negative rumors about her to casting agents. The accusations included claims that she was frequently tardy and difficult on set, which she firmly denied, attributing them to personal conflicts rather than truth.

She recounted her experiences working with the filmmaker in Seasons 2 and 3 of the show, particularly over her character Sloan Sabbith’s romantic storyline with Thomas Sadoski’s character, Don Keefer. Munn alleges that the director pushed her to dominate the storyline exclusively from her character’s perspective and asked her to act flirtatiously even during work scenes, including smiling or kissing her fellow actor at inappropriate moments.

One notable incident involved the director suggesting she act angry about the character’s involvement in insider trading, telling her, “I don’t think that you’re that angry at him. It’s kind of funny,” despite the serious context of the scene. She also claimed the director wanted her to carry the entire romantic plot on her own and even attempted to manipulate the portrayal of her character’s reactions.

Moving past the conflicts, Munn said she decided to stand her ground when asked to perform certain scenes, telling the director she refused to do something she found unacceptable. His response was dismissive, implying she was “coming off” as “forceful and strong,” which she took as a compliment. By informing her representatives of the situation, she managed to secure future roles despite the alleged sabotage attempt.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Munn stated, “I will always remember that,” believing the director wanted to ruin her chances due to their personal clashes. She emphasized that the dispute was rooted in differences over her approach to acting and accused him of trying to harm her career.