Why Bea Arthur Didn't Like Working With Betty White
There have been plenty of times when actors and actresses have worked together while not liking each other at all. Harrison Ford and Sean Young hated each other when filming "Blade Runner," per Marie Claire; the same went for Joan Collins and John Forsythe when they were working on "Dynasty," and former couple, Jerome Flynn and Lena Headey, from "Game of Thrones," got to the point of not even speaking to each other. One wonders how rapidly they shed the illusion when the director yelled, "Cut!"
The reason for the tension between actors may be simple — they spend a lot of time together on set. Eventually, that might cause clashes. Other times, it can be a matter of ego. One person might think that another is stealing too much of a spotlight that should be reserved for them. Show business is dominated by those who have, let's say ... a lot of self-confidence.
Bea Arthur and Betty White played close friends on "The Golden Girls" but were not tightly bonded off set. When it came to the show, Arthur's character, Dorothy, usually had the most acidic lines for her ex-husband Stan (played by Herb Edelman) and for White's character, Rose, mostly in the form of sarcastic responses to Rose's foolish questions. Apparently, it was not entirely acting on Arthur's part when it came to her interactions with White on the show.
Bea Arthur's personality was completely different than Betty White's
This is not to say that Bea Arthur had a problem with how Betty White did her job — both of them were consummate professionals — though Arthur did like to stay in character between takes and she may have frowned upon White breaking character and talking to the studio audience, according to Southern Living. The more reserved and cynical Arthur was mainly not trusting of White's eternal optimism off the set. The Village Voice reported White once said Arthur didn't know what to make of her "positive attitude" and even found White to be a "pain in the neck."
Arthur may not have harbored as many bad feelings toward White as some think — she did respect her, and they did bond during the first season over the two of them losing their mothers, per OK Magazine. She may also have had trouble expressing herself.
Ultimately, though, the two worked together beautifully on "The Golden Girls," along with Estelle Getty as Sophia and Rue McClanahan as Blanche. Though they may have been different off-set, the show's running theme was what it was like to truly be a friend.