Worst2First: My Top Ten Actors Who Hated Their Own Films
Worst2First:
My Top Ten Actors Who Hated Their Own Films
**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**
#10
Nicole Kidman
Australia
Nicole Kidman and director Baz Luhrmann made beautiful music together in the classic "Moulin Rouge!" but when it came to starring in his 2008 film "Australia," the song was more of a sour note. The sweeping, epic story of an Australian and English aristocrat as they encounter the hardships of Australia between 1939 and 1942 seemed to lack any real chemistry between its stars Hugh Jackman and Kidman (who, despite being Australian herself, played the role of the English aristocrat), and while the film did earn a respectable $211 million worldwide and garnered an Academy Award for Costume Design, Kidman was less than pleased with the product, stating that "I can't look at this movie and be proud of what I've done. It's just impossible for me to connect to it emotionally."
#9
Michelle Pfeiffer
Grease 2
Grease 2
The first "Grease" was a huge success, making household names out of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, propelling both their careers and providing iconic songs like "We Go Together" and "Greased Lightning" that are still being sung today. The same can't be said for "Grease 2," where no one can remember a single song from the unmitigated and unnecessary sequel that didn't even feature Travolta or Newton-John, but two new newcomers Max Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film was a huge bomb, and while it totally killed the career of Mac Caulfield (who said, "before 'Grease 2' came out, I was being hailed as the next Richard Gere or John Travolta. However, when 'Grease 2' flopped, nobody would touch me. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown in my face"), Michelle Pfeiffer's career soared as she went on to star in iconic roles in "Batman Returns" as well as garnering three Academy Award nominations. Yet while thinking back on her breakout role, she stated in a hollywood.com interview that "I hated that film with a vengeance and could not believe how bad it was. At the time, I was young and didn't know any better."
#8
Christopher Plummer
The Sound of Music
The hills were certainly not alive with the sound of music for acclaimed actor Christopher Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp. Despite the film's iconic status and winning five Academy Awards, the actor was very displeased with the product, having called it "The Sound of Mucus." While talking with the Boston Globe in 2010, he said that he was "a bit bored with the character. Although we worked hard enough to make him interesting, it was a bit like flogging a dead horse. And the subject matter is not mine. I mean it can't appeal to every person in the world. It's not my cup of tea." He went on to say for The Hollywood Reporter in 2011 that "it was so awful and sentimental and gooey. You had to work terribly hard to infuse some minuscule bit of humor into it."
#7
Katherine Heigl
Knocked Up
Despite the fact that "Knocked Up" kick-started Seth Rogen's career and allowed director Judd Apatow to really showcase his talents behind the director's chair, it wasn't all sunshine and roses for co-star Katherine Heigl, who played a straight-laced successful female who gets knocked up by a low-brow loser. Especially now in the era of #metoo, this film really doesn't hold up well, and Heigl went on to call the film "a little sexist." In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2008, Heigl said that the movie "paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. I had a hard time on some days. Why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you're portraying women?" She later somewhat backtracked her statement by saying that she didn't hate the film, just her character, but the damage was done.
#6
Jessica Alba
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
One year before Marvel would perfect their cinematic universe with "Iron Man," there was the terrible "Fantastic Four" films. While they were pretty awful especially compared to today's superhero films, it's what happened to Sue Storm actress Jessica Alba behind the scenes that was so degrading for the actress. In a 2010 interview with Elle Magazine, Alba said she almost gave up acting because of the sequel, citing problems with director Tim Story and his desire for her to "be more prettier when you cry."
#5
Channing Tatum
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
The beloved Hasbro toy series has had a rough go at translating their toys and animated television series to the big screen (apart from the cult classic animated 80s film). "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" was supposed to kickstart a new franchise with leading man Channing Tatum steering the ship as the leader of the Joes, Duke. Yet in an interview with Howard Stern after the movie, Tatum said: "I'll be honest, I f***ing hate that movie. I was pushed into doing it. The script wasn't any good. And I didn't want to do something that I was a fan of since I was a kid and watched every morning growing up." He so disliked the film that he opted out of being the leading man in the sequel "Retaliation," instead appearing as a cameo to fulfill his obligation with the production company.
#4
George Clooney
Batman & Robin
When you rank all the actors who've portrayed the Caped Crusader on the big screen, almost always you'll find George Clooney's name at or near the bottom - and it's something Clooney would agree with. Yet it wasn't always the case, as Clooney was more than thrilled when he got cast, saying "I called my friends and they screamed and I screamed and we couldn't believe it!" He believed the role would kick-start his film career (which, to its credit, it did) and move him from television to the big screen, but the final product was less than satisfying for the Oscar-winning actor. In an interview in 2011 with Total Film, he said "with hindsight it's easy to look back at this and go, 'woah, this was really s--- and I was really bad in it." At least he owns up to his poor performance and those awful Bat-nipples.
#3
Ryan Reynolds
Green Lantern
Ryan Reynolds is now known for bringing the Merc With a Mouth Deadpool to the big screen, but he also played another superhero - Hal Jordan's Green Lantern. The film was a huge bomb, and Reynolds has gone on to insult the film and his role in it during multiple interviews and most notably making fun of it in "Deadpool" and "Deadpool 2," citing that he doesn't want to be turned "green" and that hugely humorous mid-credit scene in "Deadpool 2." Reynolds didn't even watch the entire film until 2021, and watched it "with the aid of a good amount of Aviation Gin" (which is the liquor company he owns). But it wasn't all bad, as he found true love with wife Blake Lively on the set - so that's a plus.
#2
Halle Berry
Catwoman
Halle Berry has not minced words when talking about her box office bomb film "Catwoman." When she "won" the Worst Actress Award at the Razzies, the actress actually went on stage to accept her award, saying in part: "I want to thank Warner Bros. for casting me in this piece of s---, god-awful movie. It was just what my career needed - I was at the top, now I'm at the bottom." She also took issue with the character, as she was once excited to portray a superhero of color, but believed that her character was too flawed. "I remember having that argument: 'Why can't Catwoman save the world like Batman and Superman do? Why is she just saving women from a face cream that cracks their face off?'" she argued with the executives, but ultimately she was "just the actor for hire. I wasn't the director. I had very little say over that."
Just for fun, here's Halle Berry "accepting" her Worst Actress Razzie (while also holding the Oscar she won previously for "Monster's Ball":
Just for fun, here's Halle Berry "accepting" her Worst Actress Razzie (while also holding the Oscar she won previously for "Monster's Ball":
#1
Robert Pattinson
Twilight
Despite being a worldwide pheonemon and jump-starting the careers of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and...um...the other guy...Pattinson has gone on to repeatedly bash his performance as the sparkling vampire Edward Cullen. He has not been shy at showing his disdain not just for the films, but the source material. "When I read it," he said in an interview, "I was convinced that Stephenie [Meyer, the author] was convinced that she was Bella. It was like it was a book that wasn't supposed to be published, like reading her - her sort of sexual fantasy. Especially when she says that it was based on a dream, and it's like 'oh, then I had a dream about this really sexy guy,' and she just writes this book about it. I was just convinced that this woman is mad, she's completely mad, and she's in love with her own fictional creation." When talking about the role itself, Pattinson said that "the more I read the script, the more I hated this guy, so that's how I played him, as a manic-depressive who hates himself. Plus, he's a 108-year-old virgin, so he's obviously got some issues there." Thankfully the role wasn't a career-ending issue for Pattinson, who's gone on to earn wide acclaim for his independent films "Good Time," "High Life," and "The Lighthouse," and will soon appear as the newest Batman in "The Batman."
Comments
Post a Comment