Every actor dreams of landing their “big break”, the role that will leave people talking about them for years. Unfortunately for some Hollywood stars, that big break comes with some heavy baggage. Once the public sees an actor becoming an iconic character, shaking that notion can be harder than they think, for better or for worse. On this list, we’ll go over 10 actors and actresses who have expressed some, let’s say, “distaste” for the roles that made them stars.
10. Daniel Radcliffe
Unlike most celebrities on this list, Daniel Radcliffe loved playing Harry Potter in the iconic film series. It was the role of a lifetime for Radcliffe and everyone involved, but that also means that standards were pretty high – especially for a budding actor who always strives for more.
Radcliffe, always the perfectionist, has mentioned how he loathed his own work in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, saying that he felt his performance was subpar or even a step back compared to most of the series.
9. Kate Winslet
Fresh off two stunning performances in Heavenly Creatures and Sense and Sensibility, Kate Winslet would suddenly strike gold with James Cameron’s Titanic. One of the most ambitious films ever produced, this historical drama told a story of forbidden love entangled with the world’s most famous nautical disaster.
Winslet has never criticized the film for what it is, but she has expressed some harsh reviews of her acting. The English actress has been explicitly critical of her “American” accent, which she believed was “Awful.” Considering most audiences had seen Keanu Reeves struggle to come up with a “British” accent in Bram Stoker’s Dracula a few years before, maybe her accent wasn’t as terrible as she thinks.
8. Jamie Dornan
Dornan has been diplomatic but honest about his disdain for the character that brought him to international fame. Fifty Shades of Grey was scientifically designed to be as controversial as possible, and, understandably, some (if not all) of its leads find it hard to relate to their on-screen personas.
In Dornan’s case, playing the possessive and “toxic” Christian Grey in the film trilogy wasn’t something that came naturally to him at all. He constantly mentioned how he would never want to be anything like Grey, or how unlikable he considered the character. Dornan’s passion for indie projects and more complex characters might also help explain why he didn’t enjoy playing the lead in such a high-profile blockbuster.
7. George Clooney
After Batman & Robin effectively put the Batman film franchise on ice (thanks, Mr. Freeze) for nearly a decade, George Clooney had to face the music and apologize to fans for his performance in the notoriously terrible movie. It’s not so much that his portrayal as the Caped Crusader was bad as it was that everything else about the project seemed cursed.
In 1997, when the movie came out, Clooney was still getting started in Hollywood after building his reputation with his role on ER. A blunder like Batman & Robin could have easily squandered his Hollywood dreams – which is why he still keeps a picture of himself in his Batman suit in his office: a cautionary reminder of the consequences of picking up bad roles.
6. Christopher Plummer
The Sound of Music is one of those films that have become almost sacred among film fans. Most would agree that it’s one of the most historically significant musicals ever made. However, if you asked Christopher Plummer (who played Baron von Trapp in the film) what he thought of The Sound of Music, you’d be surprised to know how much he loathed the film.
Famously, Plummer used to call the film “The Sound of Mucus,” saying it was overly sentimental and saccharine. As a classically trained actor, Plummer felt his role in the film was beneath his skills. Over the decades, he began warming up to the film, even if he was its most ardent detractor for years.
5. Harrison Ford
Han Solo might be the coolest guy in the galaxy in Star Wars, but Harrison Ford wasn’t always a big fan of the rogue smuggler. He famously begged George Lucas to kill his character as soon as possible, just so he could finally distance himself from the project. Solo is frozen in carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, just as a backup plan in case Ford would quit Star Wars before another movie was made.
4. Katherine Heigl
Some actors hate the characters that made them stars – but Katherine Heigl hates everything about the movie that turned her into a mainstream celebrity. Knocked Up is hardly what you would call a “sophisticated” comedy, but Heigl’s opinion on the 2007 film is nothing short of “pure hate”.
From calling the movie sexist and humorless to saying that it ridicules women as a whole, Heigl had no love for that Seth Rogen flick. Her comments sparked a massive debate in Hollywood, ultimately making her known as a “difficult” celeb and stunting her career.
3. Jacob Elordi
Recently, Jacob Elordi has become one of the most coveted male performers in Hollywood. With his outstanding work in movies like Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights, Elordi is steadily but surely becoming a mainstream figure. It would be safe to say that he has a knack for playing troubled characters with classical backgrounds – which is the polar opposite of the role that launched him into stardom.
Netflix’s The Kissing Booth was a streaming success, for some reason. Elordi played one of the main roles in the Kissing Booth trilogy. All three of them. The intense scrutiny surrounding his role in the trilogy almost forced him to quit acting altogether.
2. Robert Pattinson
It would be safe to say that Robert Pattinson is one of the most complete actors working in Hollywood today. Whether he’s starring in a comic book film or playing a lone lighthouse keeper in a surreal historical thriller, Pattinson is devoted to his craft. That would also explain why he never skipped a chance to criticize the Twilight saga while he was still playing the main role in that affair.
Though millions of teenagers fell in love with Edward Cullen, Pattinson mocked the character in virtually every interview. He has grown to “love” the character for all the wrong reasons, making Edward sound more like a caricature than a brooding vampire – which is accurate, to be honest.
1. Sean Connery
For a man who played James Bond seven times, Sean Connery had a unique distaste for 007. Connery felt underpaid and underappreciated as Bond, going as far as mentioning that he would “Like to kill” James Bond. It seems like Mr. Connery was more Dr. No than James Bond in real life. Still, Bond was an empire in the seventies, forcing Connery to keep coming back to the character. He would finally retire from playing 007 in 1983, after portraying Bond for two decades.
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