Typically, actors will work their hardest to promote a film to the best of their ability… at first, that is. Sometimes, years (or months) after said movie releases, the stars will not hold back on their true feelings. See for yourself by taking a look at some of the, so-called, worst movies starring famous actors, who would admit that even they agree with the most brutal critiques.
Ben Affleck (Daredevil)
Most would agree that he is one of the best live-action Batman actors, but Ben Affleck’s first stab at playing a superhero in 2003 was not very well received. The actor himself wasn’t pleased either, as he told EW (via E!) that he agrees Daredevil “didn’t work, at all.” However, he later explained that what he appreciates about DD is that his commitment to accurately portraying Matt Murdock’s blindness paid off, at least.
Christian Bale (Newsies)
Newsies — a musical retelling of the 1899 New York newsboy strike — was a flop for Disney in 1992 but gained a cult following that star Christian Bale is not a part of. He told EW that the “wounds” he feels he suffered from starring in it healed over time. I’ also guest that leading some great live-action Batman movies and winning an Oscar for The Fighter helped him as well.
Halle Berry (Catwoman)
When Halle Berry accepted her Razzie for Worst Actress of 2004 for Catwoman in person. She was one of the few actors to do so and thanked Warner Bros. for putting her in such a “god-awful movie.” At least the actor — who also has an Oscar for Monster’s Ball and a few well-received comic book movies under her belt (the X-Men movies) — has a sense of humor about starring in a DC movie that even John Rogers, one of its writers, thinks is bad.
Josh Brolin (Jonah Hex)
Future MCU and Deadpool 2 star Josh Brolin made his comic book movie debut in 2010 as the titular character in the DC Comics-inspired Western, Jonah Hex. The actor (and star of one of the best Neo-Westerns and, simply, best movies of the 2000s, No Country for Old Men) later told CBR (via CinemaBlend) that he would remake it if he had the chance, as he was not happy with how it turned out.
Sandra Bullock (Speed 2: Cruise Control)
Speed is considered one of the best action movies of all time, but Speed 2: Cruise Control is not remembered so fondly by most, including by star Sandra Bullock. The Oscar winner brought up the 1997 sequel — which is set on a cruise ship — when asked by TooFab about movies she was initially embarrassed by before coming around later. However she never actually changed her tune on this one.
George Clooney (Batman & Robin)
While there are some people who actually do enjoy Batman & Robin, George Clooney — who played Bruce Wayne in the 1997 flop — is not one of them. On The Graham Norton Show, the Oscar winner talked about his propensity to constantly apologize for, as he believed at the time, ruining the Dark Knight’s big screen legacy forever, before Christopher Nolan saved it.
It’s a shame to learn that an actor is not proud of their final live-action acting credit, such is the case with the late Sean Connery and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The former James Bond actor recalled in a 2007 interview unearthed by Heat Vision (via THR) how he tried to salvage the 2003 Alan Moore adaptation in the editing room and described director Stephen Norrington as insane.
David Cross (Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked)
According to The Washington Post, David Cross once felt the need to defend his participation in 2007’s Alvin and the Chipmunks, but he wasn’t so kind about its 2011 threequel. During an appearance on Conan, the comedian recalled his “miserable” experience making Chipwrecked and recommended that the audience that was present not see the family film.
Viola Davis (The Help)
Even though her performance as 1960s Mississippi maid Abilene expanded her notoriety and earned her an Oscar nomination, Viola Davis regrets starring in 2011’s The Help. As she told Vanity Fair, “there’s a part of me that feels like I betrayed myself, and my people, because I was in a movie that wasn’t ready to [tell the whole truth]” and was “created in the filter and the cesspool of systemic racism.”
Colin Farrell (Miami Vice)
When Michael Mann brought Miami Vice to the big screen in 2006, the action flick get the best reviews, based on its Rotten Tomatoes score of 47%. Lead actor Colin Farrell wasn’t too hot on it either, revealing to Total Film (via Far Out) that he “didn’t like it so much,” adding he felt it was “style over substance.” Additionally, he even accepts some of the responsibility for that.
Crispin Glover (Back To The Future)
How could anyone dislike one of the best time travel movies ever made, 1985’s Back to the Future? Well, George McFly actor Crispin Glover told AV Club that he felt the ending — which saw Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly return to an alternate present in which his family is rich — sent a misguided message, which is why he opted not to appear in the sequels.
Alec Guinness (Star Wars)
The Force was not strong with the Star Wars movies’ original Obi-Wan Kenobi actor, Alec Guinness, apparently. In 1975, the Oscar winner wrote a letter to his friend, Anne Kaufman — which was quoted in his biography and republished by Business Insider in 2013 — describing George Lucas’ script as “fairy-tale rubbish.”
Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up)
In 2008, Knocked Up cast member Katherine Heigl told Vanity Fair that it was “hard for [her] to love the movie,” as she believed it portrayed women in an unfavorable light. While the 2007 comedy is still remembered as one of the best Judd Apatow movies, the former Grey’s Anatomy cast member’s honest comments about sexism would have a negative impact on her career, unfortunately.
Bob Hoskins (Super Mario Bros.)
In 2011, the late Bob Hoskins was asked by The Guardian about his worst job, biggest disappointment, and element he would edit out from his past? His answer to each question was the infamous video game movie adaptation, Super Mario Bros., from 1993.
Jennifer Lawrence (Passengers)
Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence revealed to The New York Times that Adele actually recommended that she say “no” to 2016’s Passengers — in which she and Chris Pratt played characters waking up from a commercial interplanetary journey way too early. Lawrence then said she wished she hadn’t ignored the advice from the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.
Lindsay Lohan (I Know Who Killed Me)
According to a 2013 report by The Daily Mail, Lindsay Lohan was once tweeted at by a fan who told her she had watched I Know Who Killed Me twice the night before. The Parent Trap star replied by saying this fan had watched the 2007 psychological thriller “two times too many.”
Bill Murray (Garfield)
When Bill Murray said he regretted making Garfield during his iconic Zombieland cameo, that was not just a joke. In fact, it was during an interview with GQ that Murray said the only reason he agreed to voice the 2004 live-action movie’s titular cat was because he thought one of the Coen Brothers was writing it, only to learn to late that the scribe was Joel Cohen.
Paul Newman (The Silver Chalice
According to the Irish Film Institute, Paul Newman’s choice for the “worst motion picture produced during the 1950s” was his screen acting debut: The Silver Chalice. Despite his feelings about it, the late, legendary actor actually received a “Most Promising Newcomer” Golden Globe nomination for playing the Holy Grail’s sculptor in the 1954 drama.
Robert Pattinson (Twilight)
There’s no denying that playing Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies made Robert Pattinson the star he is now, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s not big on the films. His 2011 interview with Vanity Fair, in which he says “representing something you don’t particularly like” is “weird” in reference to the teen vampire romance stories, is just one of many times the Batman star has admitted to this.
Christopher Plummer (The Sound Of Music)
When asked about his most challenging role during a roundtable interview with THR, Christopher Plummer’s answer was Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. His reasoning was nothing akin to Julie Andrews’ rough time shooting the iconic hill sequence, but it was that he found the beloved 1965 musical itself to be “so awful and sentimental and gooey.”
Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern)
Has an actor ever been more shamelessly and frequently vocal about their disdain for their own work than Ryan Reynolds with Green Lantern? Most recently, Reynolds shared his horrified reaction to the 2009 DC flick at London’s Just for Laughs festival in 2023 (according to The Independent). But his most public and unapologetic expression of disappointment is resulted in both Deadpool movies.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Red Sonja)
While recognized as a cult favorite today, 1985’s Red Sonja — which is being rebooted — is certainly not a film Arnold Schwarzenegger would call one of his best movies. In fact, the former California governor is quoted in Far Out as saying that he used to punish his children by forcing them to watch the 1985 comic book adaptation, which stars Brigette Nielsen as the titular warrior.
Sylvester Stallone (Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot)
Apparently, Sylvester Stallone has Arnold Schwarzenegger to blame for his decision to star in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, which the Rocky star later told Ain’t It Cool News was “one of the worst movies in the entire solar system.” According to SlashFilm, the Terminator star revealed he tricked his then-rival, Stallone, into signing on for the panned 1992 comedy by feigning interest in the script.
Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra)
Radio host Howard Stern once named G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra as guest Channing Tatum’s star-making moment. In turn, Tatum bluntly admitted he hates the 2009 cinematic adaptation of the action figure line, claiming he was “pushed into” making by Paramount. That explains why he requested to be killed off in the 2013 sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Charlize Theron (Reindeer Games)
Academy Award winner Charlize Theron did not hold back when telling Esquire that she believes 2000’s Reindeer Games is a “bad, bad, bad movie.” However, she does not regret starring in the Ben Affleck-led Christmas action flick, as it a gave her the chance to work with director John Frankenheimer.
Mark Wahlberg (The Happening)
On a ranked list of M. Night Shyamalan movies, most people might put The Happening at a pretty low spot, including one of its star. During a press conference for The Fighter (via EW), Mark Wahlberg revealed that Amy Adams was up for Zooey Deschanel’s part in the unintentionally hilarious 2009 disaster thriller and later went on an expletive-filled tirade against it.
Sam Worthington (Clash Of The Titans)
Despite the fact that 2010’s Clash of the Titans remake is one of his bigger hits outside of the Avatar movies, Sam Worthington is not a fan. He revealed to IndieWire that he put the blame on his “bland performance” as Perseus and promised to make up for it with the 2012 sequel, Wrath of the Titans.
Gwyneth Paltrow (Shallow Hal)
When Gwyneth Paltrow tested her friend and assistant Kevin Keating’s knowledge of her for a video on Netflix’s X account, he (almost) correctly names her least favorite performance of hers as Rosemary in Shallow Hal. The Academy Award winner and MCU star then describes the Farrelly Brothers’ 2001 fantasy rom-com, which also stars Jack Black, as a “disaster.”
Nicole Kidman (Australia)
Nicole Kidman revealed in an interview with a Sydney radio station (via Daily Mail) that she rarely watches her own movies but did attend the premiere of Australia, which reunited her with Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann. However, she found herself squirming in her seat over her performance in the 2009 romantic period drama, which paired her with Hugh Jackman.
Alec Baldwin (Rock Of Ages)
His fondness for director Adam Shankman and admiration for the all-star cast, including Tom Cruise and Catherine Zeta-Jones, convinced Alec Baldwin to star in Rock of Ages. However, as he revealed in a 2013 interview with American Magazine Media Conference in New York (via The Wrap), the 2012 movie based on a Broadway hit featuring ’80s rock tunes was a “complete disaster” in his eyes.
Brad Pitt (The Devil’s Own)
An action movie starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt sounds like a surefire success by those details alone but, as Pitt would share with Newsweek, The Devil’s Own is not all it’s cracked up to be. Apparently, the 1997 thriller was a disaster from behind the scenes with the cast and crew being forced to make up the story as they went along after the previous “great script” was “tossed for various reasons.” In addition, Pitt and Ford couldn’t get on the same page.
James Franco (Your Highness)
When James Franco jokes about not wanting to do a homemade sequel to 2011’s Your Highness in This is the End, he wasn’t exactly kidding. The actor told GQ in 2013 that he thinks the medieval stoner comedy from director David Gordon Green “sucks.”
Whether or not you agree with these celebrities’ opinion of their own films, you cannot deny that it takes guts for an actor to admit when one of their own films missed the mark in their eyes.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
