Everybody has a favorite actor, but it’s likely that you love them for one performance in particular. What would you do if you found out that your favorite actor regretted their most famous role? Bad decisions at work are never fun, but we’re glad these actors messed up…
A film that cleaned up at The Oscars..
The Help, directed by Tate Taylor and based on Kathryn Stockett’s novel, achieved remarkable success upon its release in 2011. The film, set in the racially segregated 1960s American South, garnered critical acclaim for its powerful storytelling, exceptional performances, and social commentary. It won Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress, amongst other nominations.
But left one actress feeling disappointed
Viola Davis, who plays Aibileen Clark, was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in The Help. Although she did a stellar job in this rile, she wasn’t happy with the final product when she saw the film. In an interview with The New York Times she said, “I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard.”
A famous action flick
Who doesn’t love cars that turn into massive robots and smash stuff up? The transformers franchise, directed by action film icon Michael Bay, was extremely successful and grossed over $4.8 billion in the box office. And that’s not including the TV shows and merchandise associated with the franchise. Transformers remains a beloved part of pop culture.
That didn’t do much for this actress
But, not everyone agrees. Megan Fox, who became a household name after these films, had some choice words about director Michael Bay and said that he behaved like Hitler on set. She later apologized for these comments and said that she was acting out of anger, but there’s no doubt that she regrets taking on this role.
Knocked Up
Knocked Up is a classic romantic comedy from 2007 starring actors like Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan. And like any rom-com from that time, the gender roles in the film are a little concerning. It’s definitely one of those ones that you watch back and realize that the jokes aren’t all that funny, but one actress felt uncomfortable at the time…
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl is probably best known for her role in this film, but has said that she found filming tough some days. “”It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys”… when she puts it like that, it does sound a little problematic…
A sci-fi classic…
The 1982 Bladerunner film became an immediate success and is still, today, a big moment in pop culture history. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film made $42 million in the box office, but the star of the show wasn’t so keen on the plot…
That confused Mr. Ford
Harrison Ford, always the action film aficionado, does an excellent job in the role of former police officer Rick Deckard. However, Ford admitted that he found the plot to be very complicated and that the script was hard to relate to.
An iconic film franchise
The James Bond films have produced some of Hollywood’s greatest actors. Sean Connery, Piers Brosnan and Roger Moore, to name a few. These spy films capture the epitome of British classiness and are one of the biggest film franchises in history!
That one 007 regretted
However, our reigning James Bond, Daniel Craig, said that he was done with the franchise after his first movie. He said, “I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists” than star as 007 one more time. A big pay-check must have motivated him to reconsider and carry on his reign!
A angsty teen classic
The Twilight films, based on the books by Stephanie Meyer, were an immediate hit with teenager girls and their moms alike. Although the acting in these movies is sometimes scoffed at, the franchise kickstarted the careers of the leads, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.
That left this heartthrob feeling drained
It looks like even Edward wasn’t on Team Edward. Although he had millions of fans swooning over him, he made it very clear that he didn’t like the film franchise. He even said that had he not starred in it, he knows that he would have outwardly hated the whole thing. Luckily, it hasn’t stunted his career at all and he’s now a household name, outside of vampire teenage romance flicks.
Fantastic Four
Although superhero movies nowadays might win Oscars, like Black Panther, this wasn’t always the case. In the early 2000s, superhero films weren’t works of art, but they did help some actors take their first steps towards super-stardom. Fantastic Four, released in 2005, was a box office hit and even had a sequel.
Was not so fantastic for some
However, Jessica Alba, who played Susan Storm, was not so excited by this role once she started working on set. She said that she would often be told that her acting looked too real and that her job was to ‘cry prettier’. This ultimately left Alba feeling under-appreciated and she states that she regrets taking the role in the first place.
The film that launched her career
Titanic, released in 1997, starred a young Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Both actors were praised for their performances and this was the film that shot Winslet to global stardom. The film was praised for it’s production values and ability to make literally everyone who watched it come out of the cinema bawling.
But she thinks she gave a sinking performance
Winslet, who now has an Oscar for best actress, says that she cannot watch her earlier films, including Titanic. She told The Telegraph, “”Every single scene, I’m like ‘really, really? You did it like that? Oh my God’. Even my American accent, I can’t listen to it. It’s awful” – it’s almost impossible to imagine when it’s so well loved!
A big role in a flop sequel
After the success of Grease’s release in 1978, of course production teams wanted to replicate that the success. The sequel, however, had only one of the original cast members and, despite being set in the same school, was just a bad knockoff of the first original.
Michelle Pfeiffer’s Stephanie
This was Pfeiffer’s first major role, so she was very excited at the prospect that this might be her big break. She states that she knew the script was terrible at the time and by the time she went on to star in her next movie, Scarface, she was much more critical of scripts she read. Good thing Scarface was such a big hit.
Another superhero
The Catwoman film was a major box office disappointment and were was widely seen as a total flop. Unfortunately for the star of the show, Miss Halle Berry, the role is probably her most famous, partly because of the iconic character, and partly because the film was just so terrible.
That was left feeling catty
She was one of the only actors to accept a Golden Raspberry award in person for this role. These awards are like the anti-Oscars and are given to the worst films of the year. The film won seven of these awards and Berry spoofed her own Oscar acceptance speech saying that her manager loves her so much, that he puts her in projects even though he knows they’re terrible. Meow!
A true classic
The Sound of Music is one of the most classic feel-good films out there, loved now across multiple generations. There’s singing, dancing and good old nostalgia all to the backdrop of the Austrian hills, what’s not to love? Whilst Julie Andrews enjoyed the film, her co-star had a different view…
That didn’t work for Captain Von Trapp
Christopher Plummer, who got his breakthrough role as Captain Georg Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, felt that the script was too ‘soppy’ for him to be able to interject any real comedic moments to his role. The stern Captain Von Trapp was not happy, his face here says it all!
Stop, Or Mom Will Shoot
This cop film was not the worst out there, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. At this point, Sylvester Stallone had made a name for himself in Rocky and Rambo, and was hoping to continue this streak with another great action film. Although the film got terrible reviews, it did gross over $70 million. Silver linings!
Left Rocky ready to throw some punches
Speaking of the film, in 2006 Stallone listed this as the one role he regrets, saying that it was “maybe one of the worst films in the entire solar system, including alien productions we haven’t even seen.” It seems that Rocky throws punches outside the ring too!
And just like that…
The Sex and The City franchise made massive waves in the 90s and is still going strong with quick wit and effortless glamour. After the series ended in 2004, producers decided that they weren’t done making money off of this thing, and neither was SJP! In 2008 and 2010, they made a film and sequel which were decidedly less popular, but still cleaned up at the box office.
Carrie was over it
Speaking of her reprise as Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker said, “I can see where we fell short,” she told an audience at Vulture festival. “I understand, I actually get it. I will say, I also understand how much frickin’ money it made. I feel like that is forgotten in the discussion.” Still didn’t stop them making two series (so far!) of a further reboot, though…
A silver screen classic
“The Silver Chalice” is a 1954 American historical drama film directed by Victor Saville. It stars Paul Newman in his film debut and tells the story of a Greek artisan who is tasked with creating the chalice used in the Last Supper. The film was celebrated for it’s advanced filming techniques and modern look.
That left the lead dissatisfied
Paul Newman was not happy with this film, and although it’s unsure why he didn’t like it, he made sure to deter people from watching it. He even went as far as to take out ads in newspapers urging people not to watch the TV broadcasts of the film, calling it, “The worst motion picture produced during the 1950s”.
Brad Pitt has some awful movies
Although Pitt is one of the most famous actors to ever grace our screens, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been in some stinkers. If you’ve ever seen the 1992 flick called Cool World, you’ll catch the drift. Whilst it seems as though Pitt had many to choose from, one stuck out for him when asked about roles he regretted…
But this one is hellish
The Devil’s Own, released in 1997 featured Brad Pitt starring alongside Harrison Ford. Pitt called it, “the most irresponsible bit of filmmaking, if you can even call it that, that I’ve ever seen.” The film still grossed $140 million, probably because people just bought tickets to see these two Hollywood giants act alongside each other.
A Disney classic
When High School Musical came out as a Disney Channel original film, it was an immediate success. Disney went on to make 2 more films and a TV series that is still going. The film franchise was responsible for a lot of young actors rise to the top and most of them are grateful, although one cast member doesn’t see it that way.
Where the lead wasn’t playing ball
Zac Efron immediately gained the attention of teenagers across the globe when he burst on our screens as Troy Bolton in 2007, aged just 18 himself. Although this is the role that made him famous, he regrets taking the role and wishes he was famous for something else, “I step back and look at myself and I still want to kick that guy’s a** sometimes, , he’s still just that kid from High School Musical.”
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
No, this one isn’t a regret for Harrison Ford himself, thankfully. This was the fourth Indiana Jones film and, although it made a lot of money in the box office, it is often viewed as the weakest film in the franchise. A film as big as that is going to give any actor a huge platform, so no wonder many actors were keen to join the franchise.
Shia LaBeouf
However, one actor felt that he let the fans of the franchise down in his performance in the film. Talking about the film, he said: “You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg]. But the actor’s job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn’t do it. So that’s my fault. Simple.”
The Amazing Spiderman
The Amazing Spider-Man film, released in 2012, achieved remarkable success. Starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, it revitalized the Spider-Man franchise with its fresh take on the iconic character. The film’s compelling storytelling, impressive visuals, and charismatic cast resonated with audiences, leading to box office success and critical acclaim.
Wasn’t so amazing for one actress
But for Sally Field, the film wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She told Howard Stern, “It’s really hard to find a three-dimensional character in it.” There was even talks of there being an Aunt May film, but it’s doubtful that Sally Field would have taken anyone up on this suggestion.
A Robin…
Batman & Robin, released in 1997 with George Clooney as Batman, faced critical and commercial disappointment. Its campy tone and excessive use of puns and gadgets alienated fans. Despite the star-studded cast, it failed to capture the dark, brooding essence of Batman, making it one of the least successful entries in the franchise.
With an unhappy Batman
Lots of great actors have played Batman, only one of them have worn a suit with batnipples. “Let me just say that I’d actually thought I’d destroyed the franchise until somebody else brought it back years later and changed it,” he said of the role. “I thought at the time that this was going to be a very good career move. It wasn’t.”
A wizard
The Harry Potter franchise is a family favorite, and the world watch young actors like Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe grow from little tikes into full-blown Hollywood stars. Radcliffe was only 11 when he took on the role of the boy who lived, which is a huge commitment for such a young wizard!
Who wasn’t sure he wanted to return to Hogwarts
Although Radcliffe started at a young age, that didn’t stop him from being critical of his performance throughout the franchise. “I’m just not very good in [The Half Blood Prince],” he told Playboy in 2012. “I hate it. My acting is very one-note and I can see I got complacent and what I was trying to do just didn’t come across.”
An Ultimatum
The Bourne franchise was incredibly well-received around the globe and Damon’s performance made him very successful. His intense and convincing performance as a skilled, amnesiac spy with a troubled past added depth and authenticity to the character, making the film a standout in the action genre.
For Matt Damon
Damon, though is not so keen on the third film, The Bourne Ultimatum, saying the original script, written by director Tony Gilroy, was awful. “It’s really the studio’s fault for putting themselves in that position.” Damon told GQ. “I don’t blame Tony for taking a boatload of money and handing in what he handed in. It’s just that it was unreadable. This is a career-ender.”