Here's What Happened in the Explosive Lily Tomlin David O. Russell Fight on Set

Actor Lily Tomlin's character in Grace and Frankie frequently got into squabbles with her counterpart on the show, but the actor is not a person you'd think would be inflammatory on set.

However, she did get into a series of explosive arguments with writer/director David O. Russell on the set of I Heart Huckabees. The "explosiveness" of the episodes was mostly from David's side, but Lily didn't back down. Here's what happened.

A viral YouTube video caught the actor and director exchanging charged words on set. In the first video, Lily is sitting at a desk as she's working on a scene, with David directing her. Lily is frustrated with his directions and explains that it's difficult to work when his instructions keep changing. She says, "It's impossible ... One actor's doing one thing, another actor's doing another ... I'm not as brilliant as you ... I can't keep up with you."

David says, "No, but we're being very patient with you." Lily replies, "You're being impatient ... I couldn't understand you, and it's not the first time."

In the next clip, David went off the rails, slinging expletives and kicking and hitting things on the set for emphasis as he talked.

David said, "F--k you. I’m just trying to f--king help, you understand me? I’m being a f--king collaborator ... B---h, I’m not trying to be f--king yelled at. I’ve worked on this f--king thing for three f--king years, and I’m having some f--king c--t yell at me ... I’m trying to f--king help you, b---h. Figure it out yourself."

Lily stood up calmly and said, "Why don’t you f--k your whole movie, 'cause that’s what you’re doing? We better get some insurance against the director." After that, David somewhat comically burst through another door on the set and told Lily to act like a grown-up.

Another clip went viral where Lily Tomlin and two other actors are sitting in a sedan on set. Viewers can hear Lily yelling at David, but David's dialogue isn't audible. She tried to storm off, but couldn't get out of the car. Lily later told a reporter that David was yelling expletives and making rude gestures outside of the car.

On Popcorn with Peter Travers, Lily said that she and David are good friends, despite their fights on set. She said, "I adore David O. Russell. He’s the director and the writer. And he could really do no wrong as far as I was concerned. And he and I got into a big fight at one point … It went viral on the internet."

Lily admitted that she lost her temper on set, but said that she did so for good reason. She regrets that it was videotaped, though. Lily joked, "I wish my mother was alive so I could have played it for her."

Speaking about their arguments on set, she said, "It didn’t bother me that much. Things happened on set." Lily said that she probably apologized to the director at some point.

She said of David, "He’s a very volatile, creative guy. I really love him." She then added that she'd work with him again "in a heartbeat."