15 Actors Who Criticized Their Own Movies

Summary

• Colin Farrell regrets the lack of story in Miami Vice as a result of prioritizing visuals over substance.
• Sandra Bullock remains embarrassed by Speed 2: Cruise Control, acknowledging the lack of support from fans and wishing she hadn’t done it.
• Viola Davis felt The Help didn’t give adequate space for Black characters’ voices despite the film’s acclaim.

When a film receives many negative reviews, it’s only a matter of time before the actors provide their own critiques. The criticisms of their work vary, but a common critique shared by actors deals with problems surrounding the films’ script. Actors such as Colin Farrell and Ryan Reynolds have reflected on films they starred in and criticized the prioritization made for visual elements of the film, eliminating any substance within the stories.

However, acclaimed films aren’t safe from critiques by their stars either. The Help and Star Wars aren’t loathed by audiences, but Viola Davis and Alec Guinness have made their negative feelings towards the respective films known. Similarly, actors such as Eddie Murphy and Chris Hemsworth have expressed negative feelings towards some of their most beloved and well-known characters. The two actors are just some of the latest to be candid about their work.

15 Colin Farrell (Miami Vice)

Visuals Were Regrettably Prioritized Over A Compelling Story

Retrospective reviews of Michael Mann’s Miami Vice are a bit more forgiving of the film’s script as it has grown a cult following over the years. Starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, Miami Vice is an adaptation of the popular TV series from the ’80s. Upon its release, Miami Vice didn’t sit well with critics because it focused heavily on stylistic choices rather than the story.

Farrell has similar critiques and stated his regrets about the film, saying, “Miami Vice? I didn’t like it so much — I thought it was style over substance and I accept a good bit of the responsibility.” (via Miami New Times). On the serious tone in Miami Vice, Farrell has said, “I think we missed an opportunity to have a friendship that also had some elements of fun.”

14 Sally Field (The Amazing Spider-Man)

She Dislikes The Lack Of Depth In Her Role

Although Aunt May is an important figure in Spider-Man films, the focus is not on her. Aunt May has a supportive role in both the script and Peter Parker’s life. The sidelining of the character is why Sally Field isn’t entirely fond of her time working on The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel. In an interview with Howard Stern, Field says the character is difficult to make three-dimensional, and she only took part in the films as a favor to her friend who worked as a producer.

Field mentions she had a great time creating a relationship between Aunt May and Andrew Garfield’s Peter, but as her character, Field bluntly states, “You work it as much as you can, but you can’t put 10 pounds of s*** in a five-pound bag.“

Sally Field also played Mary Todd Lincoln in
Lincoln
(2012), earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

13 Sandra Bullock (Speed 2: Cruise Control)

She Wishes She Hadn’t Signed On For The Disliked Sequel

While promoting The Lost City in 2022, Sandra Bullock shared that she’s still embarrassed to have been in Speed 2: Cruise Control. The film is a sequel to 1994’s Speed, in which Bullock starred alongside Keanu Reeves. The original film was a great success with critics and audiences, but the sequel was widely panned by all. Speed 2‘s lack of success is just one of the reasons Bullock has regrets about starring in the film.

The plot of Speed 2 doesn’t make sense to Bullock and acknowledging that fans of the original have yet to turn around on the sequel, she says, “That’s one that I wished I hadn’t done.”

12 Halle Berry (Catwoman)

She Criticized The Film While Accepting A Razzie For Her Performance

Playing the title character in Catwoman, Halle Berry won a Razzie Award for Worst Actress. In her acceptance speech, Berry gave a shoutout to Warner Bros., saying, “Thank you for putting me in a piece of s***, God-awful movie. It was just what my career needed, you know? I was at the top, and Catwoman just plummeted me to the bottom!” The comments were made playfully as Berry accepted her Razzie with her Academy Award in hand for the film Monster’s Ball.

DID YOU KNOW:
Catwoman
had a tumultuous production history, with 28 screenwriters involved, and several actresses considered for the role before Halle Berry was cast.

Berry doesn’t have strong negative feelings towards Catwoman, but she is aware of its flaws. Recently, Berry spoke with Entertainment Weekly, reflecting on the backlash of the film and the stain it left on her career in particular.

11 Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra)

He Passed On The Film Before Starring As The Lead

Growing up, Channing Tatum was a big fan of G.I. Joe. When he got the call to star in the action film based on the toy line, Tatum was initially excited. It wasn’t until he read the script and learned he’d be the lead of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra that his negative feelings towards the film began to take shape (via Variety).

It wasn’t until he read the script and learned he’d be the lead of
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
that his negative feelings towards the film began to take shape.

Tatum declined to star in G.I. Joe seven times but was eventually made to portray the protagonist due to a contract. Recently, Tatum confessed to Vanity Fair that it was his choice to have his character return in the sequel with a short-lived appearance, and it’s a decision he doesn’t regret.

10 Dakota Johnson (Madame Web)

Superhero Roles Aren’t Her First Choice Anymore After Madame Web

Audiences and critics agree that Madame Web is a clunky superhero film with many technical and storytelling errors. Dakota Johnson portrays the titular character and during press junkets, she made subtle comments about the film’s changing script.

In an interview with Bustle, Johnson further explains her feelings toward Madame Web, saying, “I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world.” Johnson has made it clear in interviews that the project she signed up for was not what Madame Web ended up being. Due to the drastic changes made and the poor final result, Johnson understands the critical backlash to the film.

9 Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up)

The Women In The Film Were Painted In Poor Light Compared To The Men

In the late 2000s, Katherine Heigl made comments about her experience working on Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up. Discussing the film with Vanity Fair, Heigl describes the comedy film as “a little sexist,” further explaining, “It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys.”

The depiction of her character was difficult to work through, but Heigl made it clear she enjoyed her time on set. Still, her comments, in addition to those about her time on Grey’s Anatomy, gave Heigl the unfair reputation of being difficult to work with. Recently, Heigl has earned praise for speaking up, and she remains justified in her comments about her character in Knocked Up (via TODAY).

8 George Clooney (Batman & Robin)

He’s Repeatedly Apologized For His Part In The Franchise

Batman & Robin is known to many as the least popular Batman movie and one of the most negatively received superhero films. Both passionate fans of the famous character and the film’s cast agree on Batman & Robin‘s flaws. Despite being eager to take on the titular hero when he was offered the role, George Clooney has continuously apologized for being in the film as he feels he negatively altered the franchise.

Batman & Robin
is known to many as the least popular
Batman
movie and one of the most negatively received superhero films.

Clooney dislikes Batman & Robin for numerous reasons, including the poor execution of ADR and costuming. While being interviewed on The Graham Norton Show, Clooney put his feelings plainly, saying, “I thought, at the time, this was going to be a very good career move. It wasn’t.”

7 Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern)

The Titular Character Was A Second Thought

Recently, Ryan Reynolds found great success and comfort in the Deadpool films. Reynolds’ acting skills complement the writing and characterization of Deadpool on-screen and is well received by fans. However, that isn’t the case for the 2011 film Green Lantern, in which Reynolds plays the hero.

When reflecting on his time working on the film, Reynolds admits more thought went into the film’s special effects, rather than the development of the title character. Reynolds says filming Green Lantern was fun, but the feelings that stemmed after the premiere are ones he doesn’t want to revisit. Reynolds says, “Sitting in that premiere, watching that, oh my God. It’s tough.” (via Variety).

Reynold’s Deadpool films

6 Robert Pattinson (Twilight)

He Found The Films Ridiculous And Didn’t Understand The Fanfare

Robert Pattinson is famously known for his dislike of The Twilight Saga film series. Compilations can be found online of Pattinson making note of his character’s creepy behavior, plot holes within the films, and his confusion as to how they garnered such a passionate fan base (via InStyle). While promoting the fourth installment in 2011 with Moviefone, Pattinson joked he would “mindlessly hate” the films if he weren’t part of them.

Much of what Pattinson points out aligns with the harsh realities of Twilight years later, which highlight what many devoted fans might’ve ignored during the height of the film series. However, distance from the Twilight craze has allowed Pattinson to look back on his experience positively, appreciating the soundtracks of the films and younger audiences’ connection to their stories (via USA Today).

5 Viola Davis (The Help)

She Says The Film Doesn’t Do The Black Characters Justice

Though many actors criticize films of theirs that didn’t do well critically, there are some exceptions. The Help performed well at the box office and was praised by critics and audiences. Four Academy Award nominations were given to The Help, including a Best Actress nomination for Viola Davis. Despite the acclaim and accolades earned by the film, Davis has regrets about taking on her role.

Speaking to The New York Times in 2018, Davis critiqued The Help for its inability to give the Black maid characters adequate space to share their stories. Understanding the errors in The Help‘s narrative is an ongoing issue in Hollywood, Davis feels as though she betrayed herself and her community by taking part in the film (via Vanity Fair).

4 Jamie Lee Curtis (Virus)

She Calls It A Dreadful Movie

As a familiar face in the horror genre, Jamie Lee Curtis has had her fair share of horror successes and failures. One of the latter is the sci-fi horror film, Virus. Curtis doesn’t speak fondly of Virus, having called it dreadful in an old interview with IGN. Many critics agreed with Curtis, citing Virus‘ aged special effects and unoriginal plot as its weakest factors.

However, Curtis found a positive side to the negatively reviewed film. In the same interview, Curtis recalls a party her friend hosted in which guests brought clips of their worst projects. Curtis said, “That’s the only good reason to be in bad movies. Then when your friends have [bad] movies you can say ‘Ahhhh, I’ve got the best one.’ I’m bringing Virus.”

3 Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop II & III)

Neither Were As Original Nor Funny As The First

Beverly Hills Cop received lots of acclaim following its release due to its humor and Eddie Murphy’s leading performance. The character Murphy plays, Axel Foley, has defined a large portion of his career, but the two sequel films about Axel that followed weren’t as highly praised. Murphy himself said Beverly Hills Cop II was “mediocre” and had many similarities with the original film, only with less humor (via Far Out Magazine).

Whilst promoting the fourth installment of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Murphy spoke with Screen Rant and pointed to a missing element in the third film that was part of its failure. The film relied on clichés seen in the genre and Murphy said, “This is when you can tell a movie’s not going to work: when you have one of those lines that you’ve seen millions [of times].”

2 Alec Guinness (Star Wars)

The Script Wasn’t Ideal

As exciting as it may be to be part of a large franchise like Star Wars, it isn’t always the best experience for actors. With a lengthy list of stage and on-screen credits to his name, Alec Guinness is known to many as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy.

In a letter sent to a friend while filming, Guinness described his dislike towards the writing in the films, calling it “rubbish dialogue“ (via Geek Tyrant). Though Guinness continued to distance himself from the films and the character, as the role brought him an overwhelming amount of unwanted attention, he remained grateful for the money that came from all of it.

1 Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love And Thunder)

Thor Turned Into A Parody

Throughout his time in the MCU, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has gone through a noticeable shift in characterization. It’s only in Thor: Ragnarok that the character’s humor is at the forefront. The comedic portrayal of Thor continued with his following appearances, including the fourth Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunder. However, this time, the comedy was too much for fans.

Hemsworth admitted to GQ that Love and Thunder “became too silly,” but he didn’t delve too far into his personal feelings about the film. Only recently, when interviewing with Vanity Fair, did Hemsworth open up about the poor response to Love and Thunder. Hemsworth takes responsibility, saying, “I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself.”