Seeing your ex after a breakup can be difficult, but if you're lucky, most of the time it can be relatively painless. But as an actor, there's always an off chance that you might have the misfortune to be cast alongside an ex in a project. 

Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor were married for twenty-two years. Both were actors. The two had dated previously for about three years before tying the knot, only to get divorced in 1951. According to Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman by Dan Callahan, Stanwyck said that Taylor wanted the divorce. She stated, "I'm not the kind of person who wants somebody if he doesn't want me. I just say, 'There's the door, you can open it. You've got a good right hand, just turn the knob, that's all you have to do. If you can't open it, I'll do it for you."

Stanwyck never remarried, while Taylor married Ursula Thiess in 1954. Still, the two were able to remain on good enough terms that they were both cast in the 1964 film The Night Walker, directed by William Castle. 

While both were able to remain professional about the situation, they were aware enough of the strangeness that they spoke to reporters about it.

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Barbara Stanwyck did many of her own stunts on ''The Big Valley''

According to the Times Daily, Taylor confirmed, "Barbara and I have remained good friends," assuring the public that there was no lingering awkwardness. Stanwyck herself seemed to agree with Taylor, as she commented that she was frequently pressed over whether she had taken issue with his casting in the film. She said, "Of course not — but you'd better ask Mr. and Mrs. Taylor." 

Robert Taylor again confirmed, "It's all right with me if it's all right with her." But Taylor's wife, Ursula Thiess, was a bit more ambiguous with her answer. The article stated that when prompted whether it was all right with her, Thiess stated, "Not necessarily" while "smiling enigmatically." 

So maybe working with exes will never be as easy as it would be if the two of you had been strangers, but at the very least, you can make some great movies out of it in the meantime.