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11 Actors Who Hated Their Own Films
Mental Floss ^ | Colin Patrick

Posted on 10/09/2014 2:29:04 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

The Half Man of Two and a Half Men ripped his own show in a YouTube video making the rounds today. "If you watch Two and a Half Men," Angus T. Jones said, "please stop watching Two and a Half Men. I'm on Two and a Half Men. I don't want to be on it. Please stop filling your head with filth." Of course, plenty of actors haven't been thrilled with things they've worked on. Even big movie stars. Here's a list of actors who hated their own films, that we originally published back in January.

1. Sylvester Stallone, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Sly doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to his film career. Despite co-starring with the delightful Estelle Getty as the titular violence-prone mother, Stallone knows just how bad the film was:

"I made some truly awful movies. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot was the worst. If you ever want someone to confess to murder, just make him or her sit through that film. They will confess to anything after 15 minutes."

2. Alec Guinness, Star Wars.

By the time he played Obi-Wan Kenobi in 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope, Guinness had already appeared in cinematic classics like The Bridge on the River Kwai, Great Expectations and Lawrence of Arabia. During production, Guinness is reported to have said the following:

"Apart from the money, I regret having embarked on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps being changed and only slightly improved, and I find myself old and out of touch with the young."

The insane amount of fame he won for the role as the wise old Jedi master took him somewhat by surprise and, ultimately, annoyed him. In his autobiography A Positively Final Appearance: A Journal, Guinness recalls a time he encountered an autograph-seeking fan who boasted to him about having watched Star Wars more than 100 times. In response, Guinness agreed to provide the boy an autograph under the condition that he promise never to watch the film again.

3. George Clooney, Batman & Robin. Sure, Batman & Robin made money. But by every other imaginable measure, the film was a complete failure, and a nightmare to the vast majority of the Caped Crusader’s most fervent fanatics. Star George Clooney recognized what a stinker he helped create and once plainly stated, “I think we might have killed the franchise.”

4. David Cross, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. When actors have a movie out, it's customary that they publicize the film by saying nice things about it. Earlier this year David Cross took a different approach. When it came to describing his new film Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, the veteran comedian — better known for Mr. Show and Arrested Development — went on Conan and called the film a “big commercial for Carnival Cruise Lines” and told people not to go see it.

5. Bob Hoskins, Super Mario Brothers. He was in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. As far as I’m concerned, Bob Hoskins is forgiven for Super Mario Bros. Hoskins, though, doesn’t seem to be able to forgive himself. Last year the Guardian spoke with the veteran actor about his career and he summed up his feelings rather succinctly:

What is the worst job you've done?
Super Mario Brothers.

What has been your biggest disappointment?
Super Mario Brothers.

If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I wouldn't do Super Mario Brothers.

6. Katherine Heigl, Knocked Up. Judd Apatow’s unplanned pregnancy comedy was a huge hit and helped cement her status as a bankable film actress. After the film’s release, however, Heigl didn’t have all good things to say. In fact, what she specifically said about it was that the film was:

"…A little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys.”

7. Bill Cosby, Leonard Part 6. You’d think a film that features Cosby riding away from a dangerous situation on the back of an ostrich would be great, right? Not exactly. Cosby himself disliked the film so much that he told people they’d be throwing their money away to go see it. That’s probably why the $24 million production made back just under $5 million at the box office and won a Razzie for Worst Actor, Worst Screenplay and Worst Picture.

8. Charlize Theron, Reindeer Games. The 2000 action film Reindeer Games starred Ben Affleck, Gary Sinese and Charlize Theron and was directed by John Frankenheimer. But it all somehow failed to come together. In the end the film lost a lot of money and compiled a wealth of negative reviews – including one from its star actress who simply said, “Reindeer Games was not a good movie.”

9. Mark Wahlberg, The Happening. Mark Wahlberg doesn’t exactly seem like a guy who lives his life afraid of trees. But that is the odd position M. Night Shyamalan’s 2008 film The Happening put him in. Wahlberg, as it turns out, doesn’t look back too fondly on the film. He went on record during a press conference for The Fighter when he described a conversation with a fellow actor:

"We had actually had the luxury of having lunch before to talk about another movie and it was a bad movie that I did. She dodged the bullet. And then I was still able to … I don’t want to tell you what movie … alright “The Happening.” F*** it. It is what it is. F***ing trees, man. The plants. F*** it. You can’t blame me for not wanting to try to play a science teacher. At least I wasn’t playing a cop or a crook."

10. John Cusack, Better Off Dead. John Cusack reportedly hated his cult 80s comedy so much that he walked out of the screening and later told the film’s director Steve Holland that Better Off Dead was "the worst thing I have ever seen" and he would "never trust you as a director again."

11. Christopher Plummer, The Sound of Music. The Sound of Music is considered a classic and has delighted many generations of fans. But the film's own lead actor, Christopher Plummer, isn’t ready to sing its praises. Mr. Von Trapp himself declined to participate in a 2005 film reunion and, according to one acquaintance, has referred to the film as The Sound of Mucus.



TOPICS: Music/Entertainment; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: actors; films
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1 posted on 10/09/2014 2:29:04 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Were you paid?

Then shaddupaboutit.


2 posted on 10/09/2014 2:31:47 PM PDT by workerbee (The President of the United States is PUBLIC ENEMY #1)
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To: SeekAndFind

Better Off Dead is great.


3 posted on 10/09/2014 2:34:00 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: SeekAndFind

Cusack needs to lighten up. Better Off Dead is a fine movie with some of the best lines ever (”waste of a perfectly good white boy” being my favorite).


4 posted on 10/09/2014 2:34:16 PM PDT by discostu (We don't leave the ladies crying cause the story's sad.)
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To: workerbee

Michael Caine said he would take any film role that met his salary demand ... if it had a decent location shooting site. “Sure, the movie was crap ... but you should see the house it paid for!”


5 posted on 10/09/2014 2:34:35 PM PDT by Tax-chick (Feeling fine about the end of the world!)
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To: EEGator

P.S. F*** Ben Affleck.


6 posted on 10/09/2014 2:34:49 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: EEGator

“I want my 2 dollars!”


7 posted on 10/09/2014 2:36:59 PM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: SeekAndFind
"In his autobiography A Positively Final Appearance: A Journal, Guinness recalls a time he encountered an autograph-seeking fan who boasted to him about having watched Star Wars more than 100 times. In response, Guinness agreed to provide the boy an autograph under the condition that he promise never to watch the film again."

Now THAT is funny.

8 posted on 10/09/2014 2:37:22 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: Tax-chick

Alas, fame is hell.


9 posted on 10/09/2014 2:38:33 PM PDT by workerbee (The President of the United States is PUBLIC ENEMY #1)
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To: SeekAndFind
John Cusack reportedly hated his cult 80s comedy so much that he walked out of the screening and later told the film’s director Steve Holland that Better Off Dead was "the worst thing I have ever seen" and he would "never trust you as a director again."

As much as I hate his politics, I've always loved the '80s/early '90s movies with Cusack. Better off Dead is one of my favorites.

Cusack, much like other actors, seems to always play himself in the movies.

A manic, self-conflicted, angst-ridden dork who talks a mile a minute. Guaranteed.

10 posted on 10/09/2014 2:39:00 PM PDT by IYAS9YAS (Has anyone seen my tagline? It was here yesterday. I seem to have misplaced it.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Katherine Heigl always complaining about the movies she is in, which is why she isn’t in too many these days.


11 posted on 10/09/2014 2:39:14 PM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: TurboZamboni

“You’d make a fine little helper. What’s your name?”
“Charles De Mar.”
“Shut up geek.”


12 posted on 10/09/2014 2:39:18 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: fieldmarshaldj

That’s why they shouldn’t give actors a Sir title.


13 posted on 10/09/2014 2:41:01 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie (zerogottago)
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To: SeekAndFind

I actually kind of liked Reindeer Games....


14 posted on 10/09/2014 2:41:30 PM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: Tax-chick

I wonder how much he got for Jaws The Revenge


15 posted on 10/09/2014 2:42:03 PM PDT by chargers fan
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To: SeekAndFind

“Mario Bros” was perhaps one of the worst films of all times on a lot of levels.


16 posted on 10/09/2014 2:45:09 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: SeekAndFind

Star Wars was allright for its genre.

Sound of Music was a classic that my own daughter grew up watching many times... with my blessing. No, I wouldn’t take a date to see it, but for what it was - sort of a wartime Chitty Chitty Bang Bang musical - it was great. The child roles were excellent. (Ever wonder why there’s scads of great child actors and few great child everything else? - Me neither... which is why what actors say means next to nothing to me.)

I never saw any of the other movies in the list.


17 posted on 10/09/2014 2:45:23 PM PDT by MarineBrat (Better dead than red!)
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To: SeekAndFind

I saw Cary Grant when he was going around doing a little series of college tours, and somebody asked him about “Arsenic and Old Lace,” and he winced, and said how much he HATED his performance in it. I guess it means he wound up disliking the resulting film itself. He sure seemed to exhibit some disgust/embarrassment about it.


18 posted on 10/09/2014 2:48:11 PM PDT by greene66
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To: SeekAndFind
10. John Cusack, Better Off Dead. John Cusack reportedly hated his cult 80s comedy so much that he walked out of the screening and later told the film’s director Steve Holland that Better Off Dead was "the worst thing I have ever seen" and he would "never trust you as a director again."

One of my favorites from the 80s.

19 posted on 10/09/2014 2:48:34 PM PDT by al_c (Obama's standing in the world has fallen so much that Kenya now claims he was born in America.)
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To: EEGator

Agreed! “Better Off Dead” is Cusacks BEST film. It was funny back then and is STILL funny. My kids and their cousins howled a few weeks ago when I showed it to them. (the only thing I had to really explain was Howard Cosell.

John needs to lighten up and appreciate what made him. He just takes himself SOOOOOOOOOOOOO seriously nowadays. It’s a shame.


20 posted on 10/09/2014 2:49:04 PM PDT by joethedrummer
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