These celebs have expressed regret about some of their most iconic roles. From Carrie Fisher in Star Wars to Kate Winslet in Titanic, these actors still wish they could travel back in time and take it all back.
Sean Connery - James Bond Movies
The original 007, unfortunately, looks back on these films with anger and regret. As audiences, we can probably agree that we would’ve watched at least 10 more James Bond films with Sean Connery as the famous spy.
His resentment for the franchise began with the first film, Dr. No. He felt like he was underpaid for his appearance in the franchise, and by the sixth film, he was so sick of playing Bond, he began giving his salaries from the films to charity.
After Diamonds Are Forever, the Scottish actor claimed he would never play Bond again saying, “I have always hated that damn James Bond. I’d like to kill him.”
Kate Winslet - Titanic
Titanic was a film that sent both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to the top of the A-list. The notorious Blockbuster broke records and received the title of the biggest movie of all time (a title later claimed by Avatar). Although Winslet has had a plethora of memorable roles, we still credit her initial rise to fame to Titanic.
So, why does she absolutely loathe her performance in this notable film? She argues that she was lacking style and quality in her performance.
She told CNN, “Every single scene, I’m like, ‘Really, really? You did it like that? Oh my God.’ My American accent, I can’t listen to it. It’s awful.” Sounds to us like Winslet is a little too hard on herself.
Matt Damon - The Bourne Ultimatum
So, this one is a little difficult to understand seeing as Matt Damon reprised his role as Jason Bourne for the fourth time in 2016.
Damon has clarified in interviews that there was a specific film in the Bourne franchise that he knew he shouldn’t have been greenlit.
In 2011, Damon was very vocal about his hesitation in filming 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, claiming that the script was unreadable. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “This is a career-ender. I mean, I could put this thing up on eBay, and it would be game over for that dude. It’s terrible. It’s really embarrassing. He [Tony Gilroy] was having a go, basically, and he took his money and left.”
He must not have minded too much though, seeing as he did one more film as the antihero following the trilogy.
Christopher Plummer - The Sound of Music
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF - uh, resentment? During a round table with The Hollywood Reporter in 2011, Christopher Plummer admitted that his most challenging role to date was his role as Captain von Trapp in the classic musical The Sound of Music.
In 2010, he told The Boston Globe, “I was a bit bored with the character. Although we worked hard to make him interesting, it was a bit like flogging a dead horse.” He said the reason for this was “because it was so awful and sentimental and gooey."
The film, directed by Robert Wise, is now considered a Hollywood classic, and Plummer was 36 years old during the time of its release.
Plummer often refers to the movie as “The Sound of Mucus,” or “that movie.” Yikes.
Megan Fox - Transformers
So, it turns out there was a significant drama between Megan Fox and director Michael Bay during their time on set for the first two Transformers films, which may have convinced Fox to leave the franchise for good. Fox was recorded saying of Bay, “He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and so he is.”
Although many teenagers thoroughly enjoyed Fox’s appearance in the films (and not necessarily for her acting), Fox felt that the film didn’t challenge her or display any skill. She became aware that the film was meant to highlight her looks, not her talent. She was replaced with Victoria’s Secret model, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
Shia LaBeouf - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
In 2010, Shia LaBeouf told the Los Angeles Times that he really “dropped the ball” by deciding to play Mutt Williams in the fourth Indiana Jones film. He will likely NOT be appearing in any future Indiana Jones related films in the future.
Not only did he express his disappointment for the film, he also expressed his contempt with working with famous director, Steven Spielberg.
He said that working with the prominent director was like pulling the curtain away from the Wizard of Oz, explaining, “You get there, and you realize you’re not meeting the Spielberg you dream of. You’re meeting a different Spielberg, who is in a different stage in his career. He’s less a director than he is a f****** company.”
Not cool, Shia.
Robert Pattinson - Twilight
If this is news to you, then you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years. It was never really a secret that Robert Pattinson absolutely despised playing the emotional vampire-boy Edward Cullen, and he made sure to make that very clear.
In fact, fans of Twilight have hilariously highlighted videos where Pattinson’s disdain for the film is made evident.
All it takes is a quick search on google using the words ‘Robert Pattinson hates Twilight,’ for thousands of giggle-worthy memes and videos to render.
He described the sound of Twilight fangirls screaming as “the sound you hear at the gates of hell,” and admitted, “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.”
There you have it, folks. Indeed, nobody hates Twilight more than Robert Pattinson.
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter
If you’re someone who is desperately hoping that Daniel Radcliffe will one day reprise his role as Harry Potter, don’t hold your breath.
Of course, he knows there are big opportunities that come with the franchise, but he has basically shut down any chance of him playing Harry Potter in the future.
Daniel Radcliffe spoke with Time Out magazine and confirmed, “Even if [J.K. Rowling] wrote a sequel, which is unlikely, I’d take a LOT of talking round. I’ve done so much work to establish myself as something outside that series I’d be really hesitant to go back. Even if they were set later in time.”
Andrew Garfield - The Amazing Spider-Man
When there were release dates for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4, fans were shocked when star Andrew Garfield dropped out of the franchise as the titular web slinger.
In 2015, rumors suggested that Garfield had been fired by Sony, but many say that Garfield purposely set himself up to be fired.
When The Guardian asked him what happened, he said, “What I’ll proudly say is that I didn’t compromise who I was, I was only ever myself.”
Looks like we’ll never actually know what happened, but we do know that Tom Holland has since taken over the role, debuting his Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War.
Sharon Stone - Basic Instinct
Sharon Stone’s performance as Catherine Tramell in the thriller Basic Instinct is hands down her most iconic. Unfortunately, while she doesn’t regret the entire movie, she does regret a certain scene...Yes, THAT scene.
Stone has made a point to say that even though the scene where she flashes the camera is one of the most famous scenes in the film, she didn’t consent to it.
It was reported that, when she first saw the film, she slapped director Paul Verhoeven across the face.
Verhoeven claims that Stone DID consent, but he admitted that he asked her to remove her underwear because its white color was interfering with the shot.
Harrison Ford - Star Wars
Not everyone loves appearing in Star Wars movies. It seems that Harrison Ford has had quite a tumultuous relationship with his character, Han Solo, and although he is thankful for the opportunity, he also has some regrets.
The Huffington Post pointed out that Ford actually begged George Lucas to kill off Solo at the end of Return of the Jedi, because he wanted to wipe his hands with the character.
In a 1983 interview, Ford admitted, “Three is enough for me. I was glad to see that costume for the last time.” However, he still appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 and finally got his wish to kill off the rascally smuggler, marking the last time he played the character.
Michelle Pfeiffer - Grease 2
Ahhh, Grease 2. Many of you probably saw this one coming. Yes, the intolerable sequel to the 1978 classic was sure to make this list. Those who were hopelessly devoted to the original have very, uh, strong feelings towards this sequel, and so does Michelle Pfeiffer.
During an interview with Hollywood.com, she admitted, “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.”
For those who refused to see the film, Pfeiffer plays Pink Lady leader, Stephanie (essentially the girl version of Danny in Grease), who wins the heart of Sandy’s uncool British cousin, Michael. You can guess how the rest goes, since it’s just a gender-swapped version of the original.
Halle Berry - Catwoman
Three years after Halle Berry won an Oscar for Monster’s Ball, she slipped into the leather catsuit and became Catwoman, for the film of the same name. Apparently, she didn’t say a word about the film until she collected a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the movie.
In her thank you speech, she called Warner Bros. out, saying:
“You know, I’ve got so many people to thank, because you don’t win a Razzie without a lot of help from a lot of people...First of all, I want to thank Warner Bros. Thank you for putting me in a piece of sh*t, god-awful movie. You know, it was just what my career needed, you know? I was at the top, and then Catwoman just plummeted me to the bottom.”
Ben Affleck - Daredevil
Ben Affleck revealed his true feelings to TimeTalks about the 2003 superhero film saying, and I quote, “I hate Daredevil so much.” …..That’s all you really need to know.
In fact, the reason behind his decision to do Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice was because he “wanted for once to get one of these movies and do it right - to do a good version.”
He also expressed a twinge of jealousy towards the Netflix television adaptation of Daredevil saying, “the Netflix show does really cool stuff. I feel like that was there for us to do with that character, and we never kind of got it right.”
Carrie Fisher - Star Wars
This may come as quite a shock, seeing as Princess Leia is a considerable part of Carrie Fisher’s legacy, but it is the legacy itself she ultimately regrets. She told The Today Show in 2008, that if she had known how famous she would become for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, she “would have never done it.”
For many of us, this seems strange. Isn’t the point of being an actor or actress to become known for your immense talent in specific roles? Apparently not.
When Time asked Fisher why she even returned for 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, she replied very forwardly. She explained that she took on the role because “it’s difficult to get work after [turning] 30” for women in Hollywood.
Jessica Alba - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
There’s plenty of people who aren’t fans of the 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but we promise you, Jessica Alba isn't either. She straight up admitted that the movie made her want to stop acting.
On working with director Tim Story, Syfy.com had an all-time quote about filming…
“The director was like, ‘It looks too real. It looks too painful. Can you be prettier when you cry? Cry pretty, Jessica. Don’t do that thing with your face. Just make it flat. We can CGI the tears in.”
She revealed that it was the director’s choice to veer her character away from “being a person” that made her hate the film.
Sir Alec Guinness - Star Wars
Despite being his most famous role, Sir Alec Guinness said the only thing he didn’t regret about playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars was the huge paycheck.
George Lucas gave Guinness 2 ½% of the movie’s gross to convince him to sign on, and Star Wars quickly became the biggest film of all time.
Why the hate? Guinness felt the film “led to a worldwide taste for a fantasy world of secondhand, childish banalities.” In an autobiography, Guinness recalls signing an autograph for an excited young fan, on one condition – that the boy never watch Star Wars again.
The boy burst into tears, and his mother called Guinness a nasty man. Dang, Obi-Wan.
David Cross - Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
David Cross didn’t waste any time denouncing the entire process that went into making Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, the third film in the Alvin and the Chipmunks cinematic universe.
In 2012, he appeared on Conan and explained that his time on the film was the “most miserable experience [he] ever had in [his] professional life.”
He said he was “forced at legal gunpoint” to spend a week on a Carnival cruise to shoot scenes dressed in a pelican costume. He told audiences not to see the film, as it was just a “big commercial for Carnival Cruise Lines.”
Rumor has it that the only reason Cross took the franchise deal was so he could purchase the country home he wanted.
Zac Efron - High School Musical
For many ladies out there, this is heartbreaking news.
Zac Efron became a teeny bopper favorite when he appeared as Troy Bolton in High School Musical in 2006. Although it’s the movie that sparked his career in the film industry, he has a lot of negative things to say.
Efron has stated that he wishes he could go back in time and beat up his naive, teenage self. He told Men’s Fitness:
“I step back and look at myself and I still want to kick that guy’s a** sometimes. Like, f**k that guy. He’s done some kind of cool things with some cool people, he did that one thing [Neighbors} that was funny, but I mean he’s still just that f**cking kid from High School Musical.”
Tragic.
Ryan Reynolds - Green Lantern
Honestly, does this entry surprise anyone? Green Lantern was supposed to be the film that launched a new DC franchise, but instead, it ended up being one big flop.
Star Ryan Reynolds has now found a new superhero home in Deadpool, but looking back, he now understands why Green Lantern didn’t work.
In an interview with EW, he said, “I don’t think anyone ever figured out exactly what it was. It also fell victim to the process in Hollywood which is like poster first, release date second, script last. At the time, it was a huge opportunity for me, so I was excited to try and take part in it.”
At least he left the set with costar Blake Lively’s heart, which is a win on its own!
Will Smith - After Earth
You don’t need an introduction to one of the biggest stars in the world. While Will Smith has starred in some iconic blockbuster movies throughout his career, he’s also been in some duds.
Being Will Smith means that you can kind of say whatever you want without any direct consequences.
After Earth was a film by M. Night Shyamalan that both Smith and his son, Jaden Smith, appeared in. Smith has divulged that this film is one of the lowest points in his career, and he was saddened that his son was brought down with him.
In an interview with Esquire, he declared that it was the “most painful failure” of his career.
Gwyneth Paltrow - Shallow Hal
Gwyneth Paltrow, A.K.A the Goop lady, has taken her film career down a few notches over the past few years while she runs her wellness brand.
Paltrow has expressed some disdain towards some of her earlier films, which is understandable since many actors make some cringey movies over the course of a long career.
Paltrow says that one of the more regrettable films was Shallow Hal. In the movie, she and co-star Jack Black fall in love, but the film is controversial due to its fat-shaming and constant weight jokes.
Both Paltrow and Black later agreed that making the film felt like selling out.
Emilia Clarke - Game of Thrones
Before everyone starts a full-blown internet uproar, let us clarify! If you’re an avid watcher of the series, then you know all about the violence and nudity that occurs in Game of Thrones, and that includes Emilia Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen.
It’s not that she completely regrets stripping down for some scenes, since she was fully aware of its was necessary for the plot. She explained on Live with Kelly that she regrets her parents saw her in her birthday suit on the show more than one time.
Speaking on Season 6, in particular, she admitted:
“So it was kind of like, my parents said, ‘We’re watching the show, but darling, you’re not doing much this season!” I said, ‘Well, watch this one. Watch tonight,’ and they were trying to get spoilers out of me and on and on, so I sat them down and said, ‘Let’s watch it!’ and then instantly regretted it...My dad’s like, ‘Again?’”
Katherine Heigl - Knocked Up
Looking back on the 2007 comedy Knocked Up, star Katherine Heigl has admitted that the film was “a little sexist.” Although she apologized to costar Seth Rogen and writer-director Judd Apatow for her comments on the film, she has clarified that she just wasn’t fond of the way her character came across to audiences.
During an interview with Vanity Fair in 2008, she claimed the film:
“paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I’m playing such a b**** ; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women?”
Miley Cyrus - Hannah Montana
Remember when Miley Cyrus was known as that girl from The Disney Channel?
She got her start playing the title character in Hannah Montana, and after the series was over, it took a lot of effort on Cyrus’ part to rid herself of her squeaky-clean image.
When asked to look back on the memories of the show during the 10th anniversary of the premiere, Cyrus didn’t have many positive things to say.
She admitted that being in the public eye at such a young age caused her to develop body image issues, and it caused her to experience an identity crisis. She said that being on the show also sparked anxiety attacks and hot flashes.
Marlon Brando - A Streetcar Named Desire
The film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ famous play A Streetcar Named Desire was Marlon Brando’s big break. This would’ve been his most iconic role had he not taken up The Godfather. The biggest scandal of the film that emerged was Brando’s intense hatred for Stanley Kowalski.
Brando complained that his character’s sex symbol status ended up ruining the overall impact of his performance.
In his autobiography, Brando speaks on how he hated being compared to the character, and that he based his performance off of men who were “muscles, inarticulate, aggressive animals who go through life responding to nothing but their urges and never doubting them.”
Michael Caine - Jaws: The Revenge
Although Michael Caine is a two-time Oscar winner, his career wasn’t always smooth sailing.
It seems that the 1980s were a bit rough on Caine, especially 1986, which was when he shot the fourth film in the Jaws franchise.
It was because of his commitment to the shark film that he couldn’t accept his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters in person.
In his 1992 autobiography, What’s It All About, he wrote of Jaws: The Revenge, “I have never seen it, but by all accounts, it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific.”
George Clooney - Batman & Robin
As the Hollywood legend goes, every full moon, George Clooney sets some time aside to apologize AGAIN for partaking in 1997's Batman and Robin.
He thought this film was so terrible that it single-handedly killed the franchise.
We can thank Christopher Nolan for reviving the character a few years later in the Dark Knight trilogy.
Although Clooney regrets playing his part in the film now, he admits that, at the time, he thought it was a great choice, telling The Graham Norton Show, “I thought at the time that this was going to be a very good career move. Ummmmmm, it wasn’t.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Red Sonja
Arnold Schwarzenegger completely regrets making Red Sonja, the 1985 film he starred in with Brigitte Nielsen.
He often refers to this adaptation of the Marvel comic as, “the worst movie I have ever made.” He’s also said that he uses the film as a punishment when his kids are misbehaving.
Schwarzenegger said, “Now, when my kids get out of line, they’re sent to their room and forced to watch Red Sonja 10 times. I never have too much trouble with them.”
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, and Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a staggering 15%.
Bill Murray - Garfield: The Movie
This one may (or may not) come as a surprise since Bill Murray had wanted to do a cartoon movie for a long time.
Garfield: The Movie was snubbed by critics even though it brought in $200 million worldwide. Many wondered why Murray even agreed to do the film, and the story behind his reasoning is hilarious.
In Hollywood, there are currently two directors who share similar names. One of them is director Joel Coen (of the famed Coen brothers) who worked on films like The Big Lebowski and Fargo.
Then, there is Joel Cohen, who wrote Cheaper By The Dozen, Daddy Day Camp, and Garfield: The Movie.
Murray thought the script was written by Coen and, being a fan of his films, accepted the role. He was quite surprised when he found out it had actually been written by Cohen, but went through with it anyway.
Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan - Fifty Shades of Grey
Look, we’re sure both actors can agree that the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise put them on the map. Unfortunately, they have very mixed feelings about the films.
Dakota Johnson has said that her regret, “comes in waves.” She said she often has feelings of embarrassment that come with being associated with the novels, but she admits that it helped her reach bigger opportunities.
Her leading costar, Jamie Dornan, admitted that even though he took the role to gain notoriety, he is embarrassed by his role in the films, and was thrilled when the franchise ended.
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson is in the same boat, admitting that she regrets working on the first film.