In a bombshell twist that rips the mask off one of Hollywoodâs oldest and most venomous feuds, new revelations have surfaced about the explosive, deeply personal hatred Vivien Leigh carried for Rex Harrisonâan animosity so intense it haunted her for decades. Behind the shimmering façade of Golden Age cinema, the legendary star of Gone with the Wind hid a fury that was nothing short of volcanic.

Vivien Leighâregal, radiant, and reveredâwas not merely a star; she was a phenomenon. But on the set of the 1937 film Storm in a Teacup, she collided headfirst with a force she found unbearable: the icy arrogance of Rex Harrison. What was meant to be a charming onscreen pairing erupted into a toxic war of egos that scorched everything in its path.
Sources from the set describe a nightmare dynamic. Leigh, driven by raw emotional power and artistic vulnerability, found herself clashing with Harrison’s elitist, razor-sharp cynicism. She reportedly left rehearsals tremblingânot from fear, but from pure rageâafter enduring his smirking dismissals and condescending barbs.
âHe was the most conceited man I ever met,â Leigh famously spat, but insiders say that remark barely scratched the surface of her contempt.
The breaking point came when Leigh discovered Harrison had sneered to colleagues that she was ânothing but a pretty face.â The insult cut so deeply that it ignited a lifelong grudge. And fate, with cruel irony, delivered the ultimate revenge: only two years later Leigh would explode into superstardom, winning an Oscar for Gone with the Windâwhile Harrison floundered in her shadow.

When Harrison finally reached triumph with My Fair Lady, Leigh didnât hesitate to take a razor-edged swipe:
âAt least he found a role where cold arrogance was an asset.â
A line so brutal it stunned even her closest friends.
But the hatred didn’t fade with timeâit calcified. Those who knew Leigh say she would stiffen, recoil, or even leave a room if Harrisonâs name was mentioned. Her loathing wasnât just personal; it became symbolicâa rebellion against the narcissism and misogyny she believed poisoned the entertainment world.
âHe treated me like a schoolgirl who should be grateful for his attention,â she confided. And she never forgave him for it.
Despite her struggles with mental health and the crushing pressures of fame, Leigh rose above the industryâs darkest undercurrents. Yet the shadow of Harrison lingered foreverâa ghost from a painful past she refused to bury.
Vivien Leighâs secret hatred of Rex Harrison is more than a feud; it is a dramatic, tragic, and deeply human chapter in the mythology of Hollywoodâa reminder that beneath the glitter lies a battlefield where even icons can bleed.