A story I came across while websurfing the other night.

Maybe this is just an urban legend, but it sounds plausible. (Of course that would qualify it to be an urban legend).

While making the film "Angel Face" (1952), director Otto Preminger had some kind of issue with actress Jean Simmons, and made Robert Mitchum and Simmons do many takes of a scene where Mitchum’s character slaps Simmons across the face: likely a "stage slap", but still uncomfortable and no fun.

After the tenth take Mitchum walked up to Preminger and slapped him really hard and said “you mean like THAT?”

Preminger then moved shooting on to the next scene.

BTW, of those multiple slap-scene takes, here's the one that made it into the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufqwdhxrziy