10 Movie Roles Actors Admitted They Regret, From Will Smith To Ben Affleck

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Will Smith After Earth George Clooney Batman Harrison Ford Deckard Blade Runner Custom Image

Summary

Even acclaimed actors regret involvement in poorly-received films due to lack of control over final product.
Major flops often result from actors signing on to big-budget blockbusters or films with sensitive topics veiled.
Some actors speak openly about regretting roles, like George Clooney in "Batman & Robin," shaping industry insight.

Plenty of actors have been able to speak plainly regarding their most poorly-received movies, often expressing open regret for their involvement in certain projects. It can be difficult to determine how the public will receive a given film prior to arriving on set for actors, who often get locked into lengthy multi-movie contracts regardless of their thoughts on the franchise as a whole. By the time many actors can recognize they're participating in critical and box office flops, it's often too late, with hindsight being 20/20.

The films actors regret often fall into the same recurring categories. Sometimes, big-budget blockbusters, often in the superhero movie genre, manage to sign on acclaimed actors before they know what a mess they're getting into. In other instances, performers will fall prey to changing cultural values, regretting their participation in movies that don't treat sensitive topics like race and gender with the nuance they deserve.

10 Batman

George Clooney Admitted to Having The Weakest On-Screen Version

Of all the many actors to play Batman in live-action, George Clooney has thus far been the only one to wholeheartedly regret the experience. After Val Kilmer didn't return following Batman Forever, Joel Schumacher recruited famous heartthrob George Clooney for the cape and cowl. Sadly, the result, Batman & Robin, went down in infamy as the single most poorly thought-out Batman film ever conceived, something Clooney himself has since acknowledged.

Allegedly, Clooney even kept a photograph of his Batman on his office desk to serve as a reminder of the danger of making a film " Solely for commercial reasons. "

George Clooney has straight-up apologized for Batman & Robin publicly multiple times at conventions, admitting to being ashamed of his involvement in the film. Allegedly, Clooney even kept a photograph of his Batman on his office desk to serve as a reminder of the danger of making a film "Solely for commercial reasons" (Via Deadline). That being said, Clooney didn't let this outlook stop him from cashing in on a quick cameo as Batman in the DCEU's The Flash.

9 Cypher Raige

Will Smith Sees After Earth as His Biggest Failure

Being such a lauded star with an incredibly decorated filmography, it shouldn't be a surprise that Will Smith has had a few misses throughout his lengthy career. While turning down The Matrix to star in Wild Wild West could easily be seen as his biggest Hollywood blunder, Smith himself cites the failed sci-fi epic After Earth as his biggest cinematic regret. Starring Will Smith alongside his real-life son, Jaden, the film centers around a father-son duo played by the two that crash lands on a hostile planet.

Will Smith seems to regret After Earth the most because of his son's involvement, which made the film's box office failure sting so much worse (Via Esquire). The film's pop culture damage was so bad that Jaden Smith actually sued for emancipation from his father at the tender age of 15, citing After Earth as evidence. Not only did After Earth put a dent in Will Smith's supposedly bulletproof career, but it caused genuine damage to his relationship with his son.

8 Rick Deckard

Harrison Ford Was Never a Huge Blade Runner Fan

Few actors seem to operate with more outright disdain for their most famous roles than Harrison Ford does. Ford famously has little love or patience left for Star Wars, the series that catapulted him into fame, and has been reported as being unintended about his involvement in the MCU on the set of Captain America: Brave New World (Via Variety). But despite Blade Runner having two different edits in circulation, Harrison Ford seems to think lowly of his role as Deckard in particular.

Harrison Ford has openly disparaged the character of Rick Deckard, calling him a "Detective who did no detecting" (Via GQ). On top of that, Ford infamously clashed with both director Ridley Scott and co-star Sean Young, growing tired of the lengthy shooting schedule and voice over work that the film required. Because of all these factors, Blade Runner may be the single film that Harrison Ford regrets the most of his entire career.

7 Nina Simone

Zoe Saldaña Deeply Regrets Rer Involvement in The Controversial Biopic

Not every film a famous actor participates in is necessarily regrettable because of its critical or box office failure.Nina was a deeply controversial biopic focusing on the life and times of musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone, played by Zoe Saldaña. To better look the part, Saldaña agreed to darken her skin and wear a prosthetic nose, a choice that justifiably put the film under fire by critics.

Since the release of the 2016 film, Zoe Saldaña has expressed regret for agreeing to accept such a proposal. Saldaña has elaborated that "I thought back then that I had the permission because I was a Black woman, and I am. But it was Nina Simone, and Nina had a life, and she had a journey that should've been honored to the most specific detail." (Via Entertainment Weekly). It's clear that Nina is an awkward blemish on Saldaña's otherwise highly-grossing and successful career.

6 The Invisible Woman

Nearly Caused Jessica Alba to Quit Acting Altogether

The Fox Fantastic Four duology has an uneven reputation these days, being equal parts charming mid-2000s throwback and equal parts woeful misinterpretation of the source material. If there's one former participant in the films who makes no effort to hide her distaste for them, it's Jessica Alba, who played Susan Storm, a.k.a. The Invisible Woman.

Alba went on to speak out against the filmmaking practices of director Tim Story.

Jessica Alba recalled how, during one scene in which her character was supposed to be upset, that Story's direction told her that she was making the moment too real and visceral. Instead, the director asked Alba to "cry prettier", putting a justifiably poor taste in the actor's mouth. The incident nearly caused Jessica Alba to quit acting altogether, making her time spent on the set of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer more than regrettable.

5 Lili Elbe

Eddie Redmayne Shouldn't Have Been The One to Tell Elbe's Story

While Eddie Redmayne might be better-remembered for his role as Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts Harry Potter prequels, he also starred in the lesser-known film The Danish Girl in 2015. The movie is loosely based on the life of a real woman, Lili Elbe, a painter who was one of the earliest recipients of modern gender-affirming surgery in the world. Controversially, The Danish Girl starred Redmayne in drag as the lead.

Even if he may have made the film with good intentions, Redmayne has since claimed that he wouldn't accept the role if it was offered to him today ( Via Today ), calling his involvement in The Danish Girl "a mistake."

Rather than using an actual transgender woman to tell the tale of such an important figure in LGBTQIA+ history, The Danish Girl's use of Eddie Redmayne for sheer marquee value was regrettable indeed. Even if he may have made the film with good intentions, Redmayne has since claimed that he wouldn't accept the role if it was offered to him today (Via Today), calling his involvement in The Danish Girl "a mistake."The criticism the film received for such a choice confirms his regrets decisively.

4 Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds has made a point of making fun of his past mistakes

The seldom-remembered film Green Lantern was one of the biggest misses by a DC property at the movies before the advent of the shared cinematic universe's dominance as a concept. Between the clunky script and the awkward CGI, those that do remember Green Lantern don't look back on it fondly, including the star of the film, Ryan Reynolds. If anything, Reynold's continued hatred of the film has been the only thing keeping it in the pop culture zeitgeist at all.

Famously, Reynolds made multiple jokes at the film's expense in his more successful superhero forays, the Deadpool trilogy. In Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson even goes as far as to go back in time to shoot his actor, preventing him from accepting the role. Reynolds has even warned fans against watching Green Lantern -- Calling his feelings regarding his participation in the film regret is an understatement.

3 Daredevil

Ben Affleck is pained by his first superhero outing

Ryan Reynolds isn't the only movie star to be haunted by his first attempt at a superhero. Ben Affleck's Daredevil in 2003 went down in infamy as a terrible representation of the beloved comic book character of the same name. While Affleck has since gotten to redeem himself as the DCEU's Batman, his first time wearing a vigilante's cowl remains a painful regret.

Ben Affleck has confessed that Daredevil is the only single film in his entire expansive filmography that he straight up regrets (Via IndieWire). Affleck explained, "I love that story, that character, and the fact that it got ****ed up the way it did stays with me," suggesting a deep remorse surrounding the film. Affleck has also admitted that his failures on Daredevil may have been a large source of his fuel to succeed as Batman in the DCEU.

2 Madame Web

Dakota Johnson didn't hide her dislike for Sony's final product

While it usually takes years for actors to admit their dislike of a given project, due to the many NDA agreements, contracts, and social standings with directors holding them back, actor Dakota Johnson was quick to revile her position as Madame Web in Sony's superhero movie of the same name. Adapting the story of a curiously obscure side-character from the comics, Sony hoped present a unique Spider-Man-adjacent tale for Johnson to star in. The resulting box office flop was one of the worst turnouts of the year at the time of writing.

Even during the press tour for the film, Johnson seemed to be wholly uninterested by the entire experience, making no secret of her thinly-veiled dislike of the final product and superhero movies in general. Eventually, Dakota Johnson got brutally honest about Madame Web, admitting that she didn't "belong in that world". By the sound of following interviews, it seems as though Johnson was essentially tricked into thinking she would star in a MCU film, only to find herself in Sony's less-than-capable hands.

1 Tiger Lily

Rooney Mara hates that she played a whitewashed character

A gritty retelling of the classic tale of Peter Pan, Pan has gone on in infamy as one of the worst box office flops of all time. Among it's many failures, one of the most eyebrow-raising was the film's casting of Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily, a Native American princess. The original Disney animated version of Peter Pan may not have had the most sensitive portrayal of Native Americans, but one could've expected the 2015 live-action film to do better in this regard.

" I don’t ever want to be on that side of it again. I can understand why people were upset and frustrated. "

Mara has since spoken out against her casting in the film, expressing a deep regret for her participation in whitewashing a beloved character. In response to the film's immediate backlash for this decision, Mara was more than understanding, stating "I don’t ever want to be on that side of it again. I can understand why people were upset and frustrated." (Via Variety). It's clear that Rooney Mara's participation in the movie is not something she's still proud of.

Sources: Variety, IndieWire, Today, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, Esquire, and Deadline

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