Landing starring roles in big-budget mainstream movies isn’t always a dream. While it’s one way for rising stars to get their names out there, there are multiple risks involved. From poor reviews to negative filmmaking experiences to future issues with typecasting, major parts in big films can lead to disastrous results.
Still, without their roles in these films, some of the actors on this list may not be household names. Working on movies they later came to regret gave many of these actors the credit they needed to transition into better opportunities. Other actors below made poor choices at the height of the careers, working on movies that turned out to be more embarrassing than calamitous.
Megan Fox – Transformers (2007)
Megan Fox is outspoken about how horribly director Michael Bay treated her on the set of the first two Transformers films, which proved to be an insanely popular and profitable franchise. Fox plays mechanic Mikaela Banes, a skilled engineer who is hypersexualized in the movies.
After comparing Michael Bay to Hitler in an interview, Fox was fired from the third installment in the franchise. While she later worked with Bay again on 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fox has worked hard to separate herself from the Transformers movies.
Robert Pattinson – Twilight (2008)
Robert Pattinson is not a fan of Twilight or any of its sequels; in fact, he sees his character Edward Cullen as “a manic-depressive who hates himself.” Without playing the heartthrob vampire, though, the British actor would not have been able to pursue such a dynamic career so quickly.
These days, Pattinson is preparing to play the next Batman after proving himself in numerous dark dramas and experimental, independent films. The actor managed to push his way out of the supernatural romance genre without any issues.
Viola Davis – The Help (2011)
Viola Davis received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of black maid Abileen Clark in the film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel The Help. Davis later opened up about her disappointment with the film, pointing out her character’s lack of voice and nuance.
“I had a lot of issues with The Help,” Davis shared with BAFTA. Despite being critically acclaimed, The Help has been scrutinized for containing historical inaccuracies and harmful stereotypes about domestic workers of color.
Channing Tatum – G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) And G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
“Look, I’ll be honest. I hate that movie,” Channing Tatum admitted to Howard Stern in 2015 about G.I. Joe. Due to his contract with Paramount Studios, the actor was forced into making the two big-budget action movies – which generated tons of dough for everyone involved.
The fallout for Tatum is that he struggles to find roles outside of action movies. Fortunately, director Steven Soderbergh, though, has redeemed Tatum with roles in Magic Mike and Logan Lucky.
Halle Berry – Catwoman (2004)
When Halle Berry accepted her Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actress for her titular role in Catwoman, she made it clear she agreed with the decision. One of the few to accept the honor in person, Berry didn’t hold back during her speech.
“He loves me so much that he convinces me to do projects even when he knows that it is s***,” she shared about her manager. Berry also expressed contempt for the film’s direct, Pitof.
George Clooney – Batman And Robin (1997)
Halle Berry isn’t the only actor to regret participating in a film set in Batman’s universe. In fact, George Clooney has nothing good to say about his stint as The Caped Crusader in the sequel to Batman Forever.
Joel Schumacher’s movie sees Clooney donning a contoured, muscular Batsuit replete with nipples. “I thought at the time Batman & Robin was going to be a very good career move,” Clooney explained on The Graham Norton Show. “It wasn’t.”
Kate Winslet – Titanic (1997)
Kate Winslet blames her poor American accent for the overwhelming sense of regret she feels about her portrayal of Rose DeWitt Bukater in James Cameron’s Titanic. “Every single scene, I’m like ‘Really, really? You did it like that? Oh my God,'” she told CNN.
Winslet and her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio went on to become A-list actors thanks in large part to Titanic‘s massive success in theatres. While it may be hard for Winslet to get through the film, it remains one of the most beloved romantic dramas of all time.
Zac Efron – High School Musical (2006)
Despite being in his thirties now, Zac Efron still struggles to be seen as more than the singing high school basketball star Troy Bolton from the Disney High School Musical movies. There’s no doubt this career choice helped Efron with future roles, but the actor sure hopes this isn’t the character he will ultimately be remembered for.
In addition to work on raunchy, slapstick comedies, Efron has also flexed his dramatic muscles in films like The Paperboy and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile – playing infamous serial killer Ted Bundy in the latter. Recently, he’s been traveling the world on the Netflix series Down to Earth with Zac Efron.
Katherine Heigl – Knocked Up (2007)
In a Vanity Fair interview, Katherine Heigl criticized her character Alison Scott’s nature in Judd Apatow’s comedy Knocked Up. After agreeing with the interviewer that the film leans toward sexist with its depictions of female characters, Heigl received flack for painting the movie in a negative light.
Heigl later clarified her comments on Howard Stern. Her intention wasn’t to lambaste Knocked Up; instead, Heigl wanted to be honest about how she felt about her character.
Ryan Reynolds – Green Lantern (2011)
Not every superhero movie is guaranteed to be a hit. Before the success of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds nearly ruined his career starring in Green Lantern – or so the actor thinks.
Green Lantern flopped in theatres, causing Warner Bros. to cancel all the planned sequels. Reynolds cannot watch Green Lantern all the way through, even though his performance is considered the highlight of the movie.
