he stars of The Golden Girls had such incredible chemistry onscreen, it's hard to believe they were anything less than the best of friends in real life. But in the 25 years since the show ended, several candid interviews have revealed an underlying tension—and, at times, downright hostility—among the actresses, especially between Betty White and Bea Arthur.
There's no doubt both stars played a role in the drama, but even Arthur's son admits the woman who portrayed substitute teacher Dorothy Zbornak was not the most diplomatic person.
"My mom unknowingly carried the attitude that it was fun to have somebody to be angry at," her eldest son, Matthew Saks, told Closer. White became her "nemesis," the person she could roll her eyes about, he added. (It's hard to imagine Arthur didn't take pleasure whenever Dorothy's lines included snapping, "Oh, shut up, Rose!" at White's character.)
"She was not that fond of me," White said of Arthur in a 2011 talk, the Village Voice reported. "She found me a pain in the neck sometimes. It was my positive attitude — and that made Bea mad sometimes. Sometimes if I was happy, she'd be furious!"
Working long hours together over the course of the show's seven-year run, as well as having markedly different acting philosophies, added fuel to the fire.
The former star of All in the Family spinoff Maude, "[Arthur] came from the old school of [television writer] Norman Lear where sitcoms were filmed like stage plays and done with up-close reactions," said Jim Colucci, author of Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Biography. "[White] was from the Mary Tyler Moore school where everything is a very subtle character moment. The jokes are more gentle."
Described as a "very eccentric woman" by costar Rue McClanahan, Arthur was a complicated person with numerous quirks.
She hated wearing shoes so much that it was in her contract that she could walk around set barefoot if she promised not to sue the producers if she was injured as a result. She also hated birds and chewing gum.
"If you were chewing gum on the set, she would try to have you fired," Colucci told Fox News.
Betty White's habit of talking with the live audience between takes especially irked Arthur, who preferred to stay concentrated and in character, either waiting in place or backstage.
"Sometimes Betty would go out and smile and chat with the audience and literally go and make friends with the audience.
Which is a nice thing — a lot of them have come from all over the country and are fans," Matthew Saks told The Hollywood Reporter. "I think my mom didn't dig that. It's more about being focused or conserving your energy. It's just not the right time to talk to fans between takes. Betty was able to do it and it didn't seem to affect her. But it rubbed my mom the wrong way."
