Glory Turned Sour
Success in Hollywood sometimes comes with a price tag nobody mentions. You get the fame, the money, the recognition. But what if the role everyone loves is the one you wish you'd never taken?
Robert Pattinson
The British actor has spent over a decade mercilessly roasting the vampire franchise that made him famous, calling it "weird" and admitting he would "mindlessly hate it" if he hadn't starred in it himself. Pattinson confessed to interviewer Chris Van Vliet that he's never really watched any Twilight movie by choice.
Screenshot from Twilight, Summit Entertainment (2008)
Robert Pattinson (Cont.)
During filming, the actor was so determined to make Edward Cullen as "emo" and "arty" as possible that studio executives warned him he was on the verge of being fired. His managers literally told him to do the opposite of what he'd been doing or he'd be terminated by day's end.
Screenshot from Twilight, Summit Entertainment (2008)
George Clooney
George Clooney has turned apologizing for Batman & Robin into something of a personal crusade. The 1997 disaster holds an abysmal 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the man doesn't shy away from calling himself "terrible" in it while acknowledging that everything else also failed spectacularly.
Screenshot from Batman & Robin, Warner Bros.(1997)
George Clooney (Cont.)
He once met the original Batman TV star, Adam West, and immediately apologized for ruining the character. The film became such a notorious career low point that Clooney credits it as the turning point that taught him to take control of his projects rather than just showing up as an actor.
Screenshot from Batman & Robin, Warner Bros.(1997)
Kristen Stewart
The overwhelming fame hit Stewart like a freight train when she was just 17 years old. She described her four-year Twilight journey as a period where she "crashed and burned" due to working constantly without balance, desperately wanting to make other films while contractually obligated to the vampire saga.
Screenshot from Twilight, Summit Entertainment (2008)
Kristen Stewart (Cont.)
What frustrated Stewart most wasn't the films themselves but the suffocating aftermath—every single conversation, whether with strangers or old friends, inevitably began with Twilight. Director Catherine Hardwicke admitted feeling guilty about pouring that level of fame on Stewart and Pattinson, recognizing they were "indie spirit" people.
Screenshot from Twilight, Summit Entertainment (2008)
Halle Berry
This woman did something almost unheard of in Hollywood: she showed up in person to the 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards to accept her Worst Actress trophy for Catwoman, clutching her actual Academy Award in one hand. Her speech was legendary—thanking Warner Bros for putting her in "a god-awful movie".
Gabriel Hutchinson Photography, Wikimedia Commons
Halle Berry (Cont.)
Berry even brought her manager onstage, sarcastically thanking him for convincing her to do projects even if they were terrible. She admitted the biggest issue was the "soft" superhero story of Catwoman saving women from dangerous face cream instead of saving the world like male superheroes do.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
Kate Winslet
Did you know that Winslet can't watch herself in Titanic without cringing at virtually every scene she's in? The actress, who was just 21 when filming the 1997 blockbuster, has been brutally self-critical about her performance, particularly her American accent, which she describes as "awful" and “appalling”.
Screenshot from Titanic, Paramount Pictures (1997)
Kate Winslet (Cont.)
In interviews during the film's 3D re-release in 2012, Winslet admitted watching herself made her think, "Really, really? You did it like that? Oh my God”. Professional accent coaches later confirmed her self-assessment, rating her attempted Philadelphian accent just 2.4 out of 5.
Screenshot from Titanic, Paramount Pictures (1997)
Viola Davis
Despite earning her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress, Davis has repeatedly stated that The Help remains one of her biggest career regrets. The movie about Black maids in 1960s Mississippi was a critical and commercial success, but Davis later realized the fundamental problem linked with prejudice.
Screenshot from The Help, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011)
Viola Davis (Cont.)
Her character Aibileen Clark's voice, she felt, wasn't heard enough in the final product, which catered primarily to white audiences rather than telling the whole truth of Black women's experiences. Davis told The New York Times and Vanity Fair that she felt like she “betrayed myself, and my people”.
Screenshot from The Help, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011)
Katherine Heigl
Knocked Up was a massive box office hit and critically acclaimed, which makes this woman’s public criticism of it all the more shocking. Just months after the film's release, Heigl gave a scathing interview to Vanity Fair, complaining that it painted women as "shrews, as humorless and uptight".
Screenshot from Knocked Up, Universal Pictures (2007)
Katherine Heigl (Cont.)
At the same time, men were portrayed as "lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys”. She questioned why her character had to be such a joyless killjoy, lamenting the exaggerated portrayal. She later backtracked somewhat, clarifying that her issue was more with the character than the film itself.
Screenshot from Knocked Up, Universal Pictures (2007)
Harrison Ford
Ford's complicated relationship with his most iconic roles might surprise fans who view Han Solo as the ultimate space smuggler. Ford spent decades actively campaigning to have Han Solo killed off in the Star Wars franchise, believing the character had served his purpose and should meet a "meaningful" death.
Screenshot from Star Wars, Twentieth Century-Fox (1977)
Harrison Ford (Cont.)
During a Q&A session, Ford wrote that Solo's demise "ought to have happened a long time ago," expressing frustration that the character lingered across multiple films when his arc felt complete. His regrets weren't limited to Star Wars, as he also harbored serious issues with Blade Runner.
Screenshot from Star Wars, Twentieth Century-Fox (1977)
Carrie Fisher
When asked if she'd known how famous Princess Leia would make her, Carrie Fisher responded bluntly: she wished she “would have never done it”. This stunning admission came during a 2008 Today Show interview, where Fisher revealed the suffocating reality of being forever defined by a single role.
Screenshot from Star Wars, Twentieth Century-Fox (1977)
Carrie Fisher (Cont.)
The iconic white dress, the cinnamon buns hairstyle, the "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi" hologram—all of it became an inescapable identity that followed her for nearly four decades. Fisher once joked that she felt the need to "de-Leia the house" because Star Wars memorabilia had taken over her Beverly Hills mansion.
Screenshot from Star Wars, Twentieth Century-Fox (1977)
Sharon Stone
This star’s most famous scene in Basic Instinct, that infamous interrogation moment, is also the one she never consented to film. The actress has maintained for years that she didn't know the full extent of what would be shown on screen.
Screenshot from Basic Instinct, TriStar Pictures (1992)
Sharon Stone (Cont.)
She discovered the explicit nature of the scene only when she watched the completed film in a theater packed with people. Stone's reaction was immediate and visceral: she reportedly slapped director Paul Verhoeven across the face upon first seeing what he'd captured.
Screenshot from Basic Instinct, TriStar Pictures (1992)
Christopher Plummer
Apparently, Plummer called his role as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music the most challenging of his entire distinguished career, and not in a good way. During a 2011 Hollywood Reporter roundtable, the legendary actor admitted that the musical was actually a source of professional embarrassment for him.
Screenshot from The Sound of Music, 20th Century Fox (1965)
Christopher Plummer (Cont.)
Plummer famously referred to the film as The Sound of Mucus in interviews, making no secret of his disdain for the saccharine sweetness that audiences adored. While Julie Andrews' Maria became an iconic character, this man felt trapped in a role he considered beneath his classical theater training.
Screenshot from The Sound of Music, 20th Century Fox (1965)
Daniel Radcliffe
Another star has made it clear: don't hold your breath waiting for him to reprise the role of Harry Potter. Radcliffe told Time Out magazine that even if Rowling wrote a sequel—which he considers unlikely—it would take "a LOT of talking round" to convince him to return.
Screenshot from Harry Potter, Warner Bros. Pictures (2001)
Daniel Radcliffe (Cont.)
Radcliffe explained that he's "done so much work to establish myself as something outside that series" that he'd be "really hesitant to go back," even if the hypothetical films were set later in the timeline. His reluctance stems from the decade he spent becoming synonymous with the boy wizard.
Dimitrios Kambouris, Getty Images
