Top 20 Actors Who Regret Their Iconic Roles

There are no regrets in life, just lessons! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the entertainers who have regretted taking on popular roles- even if they led to fame and awards. Our countdown includes actors Robert Reed, Zoe Saldaña, Channing Tatum and more! Have any of your favorite actors regretted taking on a role? Let us know in the comments below!
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#actors #regret #iconic #movies #roles #superman #batman #indianajones

[@WatchMojo]

Have any of your favorite actors regretted taking on a role? Let us know in the comments below! For more content like this, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJrFgaiad9GeisU Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

TBH, I expected Shia LaBeouf to be on this list. KOTCS isn’t as bad as people say it is. It just needs some rewatching to appreciate it.

[@joshuariccio9754]

You left out Jaleel White as Steve Urkel

[@erzaender]

robert pattinson

[@henryqu19]

Robert Pattinson for me now is known as Battinson , he owned in the movie , thank God I can look at him and not thought about Twilight

[@JorenMyers]

Rob Pattiecakes I think was the the most “comics-accurate” Batman. But also in my opinion the least entertaining/enjoyable.

[@m.u.sik4eva]

The Batman sucks. Real Batman fans hate it. Stop the cap

[@henryqu19]

@@m.u.sik4eva "real Batman fans" lol , this isn't a Stand-up comedy , but you made me laugh 😆

[@LostHope84]

lol I can’t. His Batman movie was so boring.

[@TheJoseGarcia325]

​@@m.u.sik4evanah u cappin bro real batman fans know his version is the most comic accurate one thats like saying tom hollands spidey sucks yet its the most accurate 🤦🏾🤦🏾

[@lucahf3805]

Ryan Reynolds actually appeared in Blade Trinity and X men origins wolverine before he played green lantern

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

"Fifty Shades of Gray" is a ridiculous franchise!

[@ellnats]

its an un sexy porno

[@trinaq]

It's heartbreaking that Jennette had such a horrible time on the set of "iCarly." I hope that she's in a better place emotionally now, and that she's actually doing something that she genuinely loves.

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

Agreed. Dan Schneider only cared about making money with no regard for how his co-workers felt. Anyone like that needs to take a long look in the mirror.

[@nickcopeland6915]

She is. She's now writing and directing.

[@rachaelhargreaves3619]

She's doing freaking amazing! 🥰

[@mrrogergph]

Tf you rambling about🫵🫵🫵🫵

[@rachaelhargreaves3619]

@@mrrogergph are you serious?

[@Steven-pn8kd]

I heard the Olsen Twins didn't like doing Full House and don't always participate in cast reunions, especially Fuller House.

[@trippyboi91]

I just want George to know I LOVED his Batman.

[@bennywark3103]

Well Twighlight I understand, and Fifty shades of Grey. It's still sad what happened with George Reeves 😢

[@Toledotourbillion]

What a crazy world we live in when a black woman has to apologize and say her role should be played by a black woman.

[@stefanpassamante9385]

Right Dominicans are black lol

[@stingrey1571]

Another issue with green book is it was another “white savior” movie and dr Shirley was a costar or even sidekick in his own biopic.

[@janehopke878]

Thanks for stating this. Peter Farrelly needs to stick to gross out comedies with his brother instead of making a story about systemic racism worse.

[@heartfiliaxserena1111]

Still waiting on Top 20 Directors Who Hate Their Own Movies and Top 20 Worst Movies of the 2000s.

[@bronzepumpkin]

I do know that Oscar Isaac regretted playing in X men Apocalypse, and Liam Neeson regretted playing in Star Wars the Phantom Menace.

[@cocoaorange1]

I am glad Christopher softened toward the Captain Trapp role decades later.

[@mattalan6618]

Alec Guinness hated working on Star Wars but you better believe he didnt hate getting those royalty checks every month

[@Denis-89]

Despite rumours he did not actually hate it. He praised his co-stars and Carrie Fisher said he was great and gave acting advice. What he hated was that people only associated him with the role. He has done so much and yet people only saw him as Obi Wan

[@COMPFUNK2]

15:10-15:22 - _That’s_ not Viola Davis; that’s Octavia Spencer.

[@leoalcaraz6153]

Some to these actors truly didn’t know what they were getting themselves into like Alec Guinness but the others like Pattinson knew full well it was a way to get their name in the heads of teen girls and to ensure a built in fanbase i call it the decaprio

[@mattalan6618]

man you really have to feel bad for George Reeves. while his time as The Man of Steel was iconic it was real tough on him trying so hard to not be typecast

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

What? I thought Kate Winslet did a GREAT American accent in "Titanic"!

[@Steven-pn8kd]

If it wasn't for Green Lantern, Ryan Reynolds wouldn't have met his current wife.

[@Eshabear1213]

That’s ok I would’ve married him 😂

[@daniellewis4154]

I could recall that Marlon Brando also regretted being in Last Tango In Paris. He said that he felt very uncomfortable with many of the explicit scenes, especially the infamous butter scene

[@mattalan6618]

i cant watch that scene with feeling ill

[@NailsByAsh813]

​@@mattalan6618 I will never watch that scene because I love butter so much. I don't wanna get grossed out by that. 😂😂

[@thecrowpit24]

​@@NailsByAsh813 Butt-er.

[@penelopejane5285]

Yeah… uncomfortable is a tame word for how he should feel. He was complicit

[@AnitaLonski]

George Reeves was a great Superman & Kate Winslet was Terrific in Titanic

[@mattalan6618]

yeah he was. what he hated about it was being typecast

[@jonmendelson1104]

I'm guessing Alec Baldwin regrets his role as Harland Rust...I'd argue despite not being released (I think) a significant number of people think of that when they think of him which to me makes it an iconic role.

[@catherinedebough8879]

You should have added Ruby Rose to the list of actors who regretted there role since she had a hard time on set on Batwoman.

[@conoroflaherty2433]

John Travolta Should Have Regretted Battlefield Earth

[@darthmartin0076]

Dishonourable mentions: Michelle Pfeiffer (Grease 2) Zac Efron (High School Musical) Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four) Sylvester Stallone (Judge Dread) Robert Downey Jr (Dr Dolittle) Harrison Ford (Blade Runner) Idris Elba (The Wire)

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

I'm also glad that Mr Ali and Mr. Redmayne made it up to the people who were offended by their casting!

[@mattalan6618]

i remember Jim Carey saying that he regretted his role in Kick Ass 2 a few years after it came out cause it didnt line of with his beliefs on gun violence or something

[@janehopke878]

It was released around the Sandy Hook massacre, which caused the regret.

[@katashworth41]

It was before it even came out.

[@nataku66666]

Thats why in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Desting.. Shin's character was killed off by the main bad guy. explain to Indy that he killed him

[@Aragorn7884]

Since they regret their iconic role they should refund the studio 🤑😅

[@jimbo9208]

why

[@Aragorn7884]

@@jimbo9208 bruh, sarcasm 🤦

[@shadrachgeorge108]

​@@Aragorn7884Not his strong suit 😭

[@christophermerlot3366]

As soon as I saw this title, I knew Alec Guinness would factor in. If you want to see him at his best try 'Kind Hearts and Coronets.'

[@janehopke878]

I liked him in “Bridge on the River Kwai” too.

[@mattalan6618]

@@janehopke878 i liked him in Star Wars

[@christophermerlot3366]

Another great performance--agreed. @@janehopke878

[@HeronCoyote1234]

“Kind Hearts and Coronets” and “The Lavender Hill Mob” were both delightful.

[@janehopke878]

@@mattalan6618 you’re missing the point.

[@hunterrousseau3770]

No. 12, then Dakota Johnson will definitely regret even more on her take on "Madame Web" in the upcoming movie in the crammy Sony's Spider-Man Universe soon 🕸️

[@ninaklein8154]

And Persuasion. Ugh.

[@hunterrousseau3770]

@@ninaklein8154 Never heard of that one

[@ninaklein8154]

On Netflix

[@mori1bund]

The comment aged like fine wine. ^^

[@hunterrousseau3770]

@@mori1bund Thank you

[@TheXerosyn]

Yes, poor them. They landed a role that made them thousands of dollars. poor poor actors.

[@SiVlog1989]

Mark Wahlberg has for many years since his role as Eddie Adams, aka Dirk Diggler, in the 1997 film Boogie Nights, regretted his role in that film. Specifically, it's to do with the scene where his character is involved in an adult film shoot where he's having sex with Julianne Moore's character, Amber Waves

[@dianamcmahon51510]

We all regret Katherine Heigl being in Knocked Up. I can't stand that woman, so glad she left Grey's.

[@COMPFUNK2]

Did Shia LaBeouf regret that role, or did everyone who worked _with_ him regret it?

[@kseegoolam]

Great work, yet again. Also honorable mention to Bob saget, who also disliked the role in full house, daddy tanner, rip.

[@jpz2009]

Did he really?? Because he actually returned for Fuller House.

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@jpz2009 Similar to Robert Reed in “Brady Bunch”, Bob Saget admitted to taking the role of Danny Tanner for the cash and hated how sappy “Full House” was, even though he became lifelong friends with the cast and returned to “Fuller House”.

[@janehopke878]

It was a polar opposite of his stand up shows, for sure…and I lived for it!

[@mattalan6618]

@@jpz2009 i dont ever remember him saying he hated the character

[@cristhianflores674]

Thumbnail: Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers in an alternate universe

[@jenniferpowers7006]

A lot of these newcomers got known for the movie roles! Don’t whine now. You got a big paycheck, go whine elsewhere…

[@denko3203]

I’ll forever be pissed that Kate didn’t win that Oscar for Titanic in 1998. She was so good.

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

I can understand why a lot of the people on this list regret making these particular movies and tv shows!

[@elinadragomirescu6449]

No regret! Very good actors! This made me go crazy! Why regret their rules! Very good actors qnd omg for their roles!

[@theditty.itmasterlhammafia4346]

Actual cannibal Shia LaBeouf

[@cyclopstb]

Well I heard Reeves enjoyed playing Superman

[@heath1948]

My wife loves Batman and Robin it's one of her favorite movies

[@hunterrousseau3770]

Really? She likes a film that awful you mean?

[@heath1948]

@@hunterrousseau3770 she's a huge Chris O'Donnell fan and he's

[@Gor85]

It's ok. Why not? Her choice

[@mattalan6618]

@@hunterrousseau3770 so what? i to enjoy the movie even though its bad. its called having a guilty pleasure. you should try it sometime when you aren't to busy making fun of people on the internet for liking what they like

[@hunterrousseau3770]

@@heath1948 Has she missed the previous "Batman" movies before that one that almost killed the franchise before?

[@HeronCoyote1234]

Please listen to Don Shirley’s albums, if you can find them. He was brilliant!

[@Gor85]

I understand regretting roles for some. Shame Shia regrets Indiana and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull. It's pretty good. I understand Ryan. He's not Green Lantern. Kate is fantastic in Titanic! I'm glad Jennette is ok now. Robert Pattinson is great Batman. I watched it in the movies with my aunt. Excellent movie! Shame Cristopher Plummer hates his movie so much. And role and everything. It seems like really sweet movie. Plus Julie Andrews. But it's his opinion. Great video

[@Eshabear1213]

He did a great job in Remember Me and Water for Elephants. I cried in both movies. I love Rob Pattinson

[@Gor85]

@@Eshabear1213 sound like really great movies.maybe i'll watch

[@sheilaholmes996]

We regret Shia being in Indiana Jones.

[@user-lb9xw4xf2q]

I think Johnny Depp regrets playing Captain Jack Sparrow.

[@jpronan8757]

Alec Guinness is great in every film he stars in "Barnacle Bill" "Bridge of River Kwai" "Kind Hearts and Cornetts" and "The Ladykillers" are some of his best. He's a great supporting actor in "Great Expectations" "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Scrooge" at least that's all the films I've seen him in and I don't remember him for Obi Wan Kenobi if anything Professor Marcus is who comes to mind when I think of Alec.

[@aquelairving6190]

I was surprised to see that Marlon Brando regretted A Streetcar named Desire. That movie fostered my love of old movies

[@mori1bund]

Poor Dakota Johnson now has another role she certainly regrets, maybe even more. ("Madame Web")

[@joeb.evrythngEclectic5571]

Adam west wasn't the original Batman. there were the two actors who played Batman in 1940s

[@dieseljester3466]

Dakota Johnson and Jami Dornan, I think, are to blame for 50 Shades being as much of a train wreck than it already was (the other half of the blame being on the book and script writing itself). They had no chemistry with each other on the screen and I am genuinely baffled by anyone who agrees to do a movie based off of an erotica novel and then turn around to have a "no nudity" clause in their contract.

[@ellnats]

robert patterson hates his twilight, god i wish he felt the same way about batman

[@kmart1396]

Idk, making fun of Clooney's Batman just feels like y'all are disrespecting Adam West at this point. Campy iterations of Batman are fun, important, & should be celebrated (i.e. Lego Batman), he's more than all of his trauma ffs, he's allowed to be silly sometimes, please for the love of god please! Same BAT TIME same BAT CHANNEL, Adam West pioneered the role to even allow for all the iterations of Batman we have today. Sure the Batman & Robin is kind of a shitshow, but even just between Arnold's over use of Ice Puns and the damn _Bat Credit Card_ it really feels like a love letter to the original TV show & I just can't get why others cannot see that.

[@mattalan6618]

im sorry but i cannot take you seriously

[@Waaagh40KRed]

0:00-0:04 Hollywood in a nutshell

[@arhamsayeed319]

RIP GEORGE REEVES [1914-1959]

[@cameronholt8240]

Sir Alec Guinness said in later years that once he realised Star Wars had a good story filming it wasn't so bad. You should have replaced him with Harrison Ford. He's said numerous times that he hates Han Solo and even tried to convince Daisy Ridley to pull out of the sequels saying that doing Star Wars will ruin her life

[@Animeguy300]

Top 20 movie fictional cities/towns

[@user-lb9xw4xf2q]

It's been many years since I've seen Knocked Up, yet I recall Heigl's character was portrayed more positively than Rogen's character.

[@cliffcorson4000]

Biggest issue with Green Lantern is they had him play Hal Jordan. He'd have been great as Guy Gardner

[@sadem1045]

I feel like calling The Help a "white savior" movie is more than a bit of a stretch. All the white character did was get a book published - she never claimed the stories within its pages as her own and she did not publicly take any credit for the book (she was a ghost writer). I don't know about the novel the movie was adapted from, but I do know that, in the movie, the Black housekeepers' experiences are the ones we're meant to care about the most (including Skeeter's former nanny).

[@cocoaorange1]

Little did Mr. Brady realize that in 50 years, dogs and cats are very welcome at weddings.

[@baileyanderson244]

Ugh Shia seems so ungrateful!!! I loved the 4th Indiana jones

[@user-ov6zo8si3s]

i knew that every moment Ben Barnes Of Imagine Dragons.

[@amberhoward7807]

True Twi fans love to hate it and hate to love it.... It's a balancing act... But I will end my year with watching it tonight before bed... haha!

[@WilliamJames48]

When he thawed out Robin lmao!

[@BigJeremyBeyer]

I saw an interview where Kate Winslett said people were coming to her with her nude shot from Titanic and asking her to autograph it. I get she's hot and the scene was great and all, but that's a bit much.

[@FakeJules]

Love the vids ❤

[@richardhoehn9922]

Didn't Burt Reynolds later razz on-slash-try distancing himself from his role as "Jack Horner" in Boogie Nights?

[@jakealter5504]

Ryan Reynolds

[@WinsberryEntertainment]

Surprised Sean Connery didn't make the list, for James Bond.

[@thecrowpit24]

When did he say he regretted playing the role of James Bond?

[@WinsberryEntertainment]

@thecrowpit24 He wanted to be known for more than just playing James Bond. Apparently, his friends knew not to bring Bond up in front of him because he was tired of hearing it. Once saying he wanted to "kill James Bond". He probably didn't regret it, because he knew it's what started his career. But he wanted to escape it and never could.

[@BC_Animus]

I liked Green Lantern. The mask was hideous, but the movie was okay I thought. No idea why it was so hated.

[@richardhart9204]

"Thank you for helping him with the letters." LOL! Green Book if looked at strictly as a work of fiction is a wonderful movie - damn the so-called facts.

[@TheOneManWhoBeatYou]

Don Shirly explicitly talked about his friendship with Tony in Lost Bohemia and and even told Tony's son to not speak with any of them

[@richardhart9204]

@@TheOneManWhoBeatYou Them?

[@TheOneManWhoBeatYou]

@@richardhart9204 His family

[@randomguy6695]

I would add Faye Dunaway to this list for Mommie Dearest. She hates that she took that role and doesn’t like talking about it.

[@theunknowncommenter725]

I don't believe George Clooney actually regrets being batman, I think it's just a running back he made of himself and it's gone too far and too long about it. Also, you can't really kill a franchise when it's managed to get a successful revival and still going strong today. Besides, there is a movie that is much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much worse that totally deserves the title of franchise killer. The Last Jedi.

[@jeremywilliams5141]

Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone is different from Zoe Saldana playing Gamora from the MCU. Gamora is a fictional character with green skin so any famous, regardless of race or color, could do the character justice if done well. But Nina was a real-life person and Zoe wasn't the right person to play the character. Maybe someone like Viola Davis or Whoopi Goldberg. But Zoe in prosthetics and darkened skin felt like an insult and a disservice to the legacy of Nina Simone.

[@Ad_Astra2023]

Well it’s a typical Hollywood story though, isn’t it? Actors knowingly make a poor choice in a movie role to become a star, but when they do become rich and famous from doing what they did, they later complain about it. They never complain about the money though.

[@Denis-89]

Most of these were not poor choices at the time. Just that the perception of the role has changed. No one would say Kate Winslet in Titanic was a poor choice. And George Clooney's Batman was not a poor choice until people saw the movie

[@beethovensfidelio]

⁠@@Denis-89Some of them were poor choices. They knew the script was terrible, but took the job because MONEY! That being said, some actors didn’t resent their roles but instead resented getting typecast or pigeonholed because of certain roles they played (George Reeves in “Adventures of Superman” is a tragic example of this).

[@kittywasch6491]

Surprised Harrison Ford wasn't mention sonce he hated the role and wanted to be killed off in the original 3 movies

[@lovefromwonderland]

Who wouldn’t regret being in the Twilight and Fifty Shades movies? 😭

[@WilliamDearthwd]

21:18 Like what has been said by Three Stooges characters, "Smells like a dead horse!"

[@TwojaStaraIFrytki]

I think no one hates twilight more then the cast xD

[@princessmewtwo]

if Jamie Doran regrets 50 shades, its a good thing Robert Patterson turned it down when he was offered

[@joeb.evrythngEclectic5571]

representation? okay how about a real serial killer playing a serial killer? good enough?

[@miriamdiggler1288]

what about tom cruise in legend? he hated that.

[@beethovensfidelio]

That’s another good example! It’s even more telling that Tom Cruise didn’t appear in the film’s “making of” documentary for the “Legend” DVD.

[@joelistovar8397]

It's easier to hate the characters you've portrayed in cases like Kate Winslet and Robert Pattinson because they made a lot of money from those films and not in cases like Katherine Heighl's who practically ended her career jajajajaja

[@skidawg22]

17:28 Mr. Pattinson, have you met Jason Kelce, who called your work "absolutely terrible" yet gave a very detailed description of the series you did? I also feel the need to remind you that Clooney voiced a gay dog in South Park.

[@jorgeadairramos7469]

Hello good afternoon

[@adenbiggs13]

Viola Davis went on to play a slave maker... just sayin'...

[@SonsOfLore]

I wouldn't have disliked the Twilight series, if it wasn't for the vampires turning into bling bling in the sunlight. It was distracting. When they showed their ferocity, it made it look like a punch line.

[@WilliamJames48]

They had time travel in the last Indy, did they go back and save Shia? Nope.

[@bones642]

It’s clever that it was only set to go right back to the one who made it.

[@jazbarry13]

The Help is a book first, and a movie second. I don't understand Viola Davis regretting the role when there essentially was a blueprint for the role. 🙄

[@janehopke878]

Because no matter what the medium is, it is a white savior story, and we need fewer of these kinds of stories and more REAL stories about racism.

[@jazbarry13]

@@janehopke878 My point is, if you really feel that it's a "white savior story" WHY DID YOU TAKE THE ROLE? All she had to do was research the book and decline the role. Instead, she accepted the job, made her money, and complained about it later like she had no prior knowledge that it fit this category. And as a black woman myself, I think there are plenty of stories about "real racism." We need entertainment. That's why so many woke, diverse films have been major box office flops these past few years., and movies like Top Gun: Maverick have exploded. People are tired and just want to be entertained without an agenda being forced down their throats. Myself included.

[@rara1800]

I think we all regretted the twilight movie 😂

[@joeb.evrythngEclectic5571]

otherwise called 20 ungrateful actors!

[@gallery7596]

It's understandable how the trans community would've preferred a trans actor to play Redmayne's role, but they should also try and look at it from the producer's point of view. If the filmmakers feel that casting a known actor with a built-in fan base might help them to earn back the considerable investment they've made in producing the film, that's worthy of a little consideration, too.

[@bossfan49]

Also... Redmayne resembled the actual person he was portraying. And is a fine actor. What are the odds there is a trans actor that meets those requirements?

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

I hate the "Twilight" franchise!

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

It did a real disservice to the vampire genre!

[@NailsByAsh813]

Same here!! It's good meme-fest franchise tho. 😂😂

[@nightslayer6951]

I don’t understand what was so bad Fifty Shades and the Twilight franchises, I found everyone of them enjoyable. As much as I loved Jeannette iCarly and Sam & Cat I’m happy she’s free from a life that was forced on to her

[@janehopke878]

Because in Fifty Shades, the author and screenwriter had no clue what BDSM really is that even more people don’t get what it really is. That series of books and films really piss me off, because what they did is harmful for a practice that is all about communication, trust, and negotiation for EVERYTHING that happens in a session. The Top/Dom does NOT get carte blanche in a session with a bottom/sub…EVER.

[@waittillfamewtf2385]

Paris Hilton - "One Night in Paris" Kim Kardashian - "Kim K Superstar"

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Twilight and fifty shades are so bad. At least robert has batman now

[@taaya6037]

Honestly, I'm sad that Clooney apologises for Batman & Robin. To me it was the ONLY really good superhero movies ever. (I mean, there's Black Panther and Doctor Strange, but neither really feels like a superhero movie. One is a classic SciFi, the other a classic fantasy.) It's exactly that goofiness that is NEEDED to make a movie FEEL like it's adapting a comic book, because comic books can be dark or philosophical as fuck, they still have a layer of goofiness in the words they NEED to express sounds. And every other comic book-inspired movie completely ignores that, resulting in it feeling like just another interchangable movie, not anything special. It makes them feel ... somewhat LESS than they should be. Why should I watch a comic book adaptation instead of a normal book adaptation, if the comic book adaptation is not made differently?

[@MarquisFerguson444]

Wait… Zoey isn’t a whole black women?