Marvel have simply tricked us. We see the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Pratt in press conferences and promotional events for their Marvel films and it creates the illusion, for actors and actresses in Hollywood, that it is the norm to feel in perfect harmony with the characters whom they play on the big screens. It has also become the norm to blur the barriers between fiction and reality in order to create a sensation, for the interest of fans, that these 'heroes' walk amongst us. This happened somewhat with The Avengers, and most recently Ryan Reynolds, who adopted the corrosive Deadpool identity to the point of his own personal Twitter account. However, this is not always the case.
Is it possible that these stars of the big screen essentially act as a cog in a machine, or do they genuinely enjoy playing these roles? Both of these cases, as a matter of fact, could go hand in hand. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure, not every actor or actress has the same idyllic relation with their alter ego behind the scenes. Throughout the history of cinema, many actors haven't bonded well with their alter egos, especially those which have given them fame, some of whom have had no objections publicly denouncing dislike for the characters. In fact, sometimes they want to prolong the promotion of their films so they can continue to condemn their characters.
A thousand reasons to hate you
There are a range of reasons as to why an actor or actress grows to dislike their own characters. For example, the popularity of a certain film can typecast an actor into a stereotypical role for future films. Furthermore, actors may not agree with the opinions or ideas that their characters present, they may have only accepted the job for monetary reasons, or simply the job is unbearable.
In this article, we take a look back at some prime examples of actors and actresses who have struggled to get along with their alter-egos.
1 Robert Pattinson ('Twilight')
The dislike that Robert Pattinson developed for his character, Edward Cullen, and the 'Twilight' saga as a whole is not new news to fans around the world. In fact, the actor never endeavoured to hide it, even during the promotion of films.
During interviews, Pattinson was proving to be visibly put off by Edward Cullen, as he admitted dislike towards the character the moment he read the script. In 2008 he described the character as 'the most ridiculous person in the world'. Pattinson's carelessness towards 'Twilight' grew and grew and as the saga continued he was continued to show his disapproval, becoming it's most relentless critic. For him, it was a nightmare, but gave the public something to laugh and talk about.
2 Carrie Fisher ('Star Wars')
Although Carrie Fisher returned as Leia Organa in 'Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens, as well as agreeing to play a part in 'Star Wars: Episode VIII, for a long time the actress expressed dissatisfaction towards the saga.
The main reason as to why Fisher felt resentment towards Princess Leia for so long was because she had been made into one of the biggest sex symbols of world cinema, having to deal with constant objectification. She never enjoyed being portrayed as a sex symbol, as her image was constantly under public scrutiny, a burden that even continues today, as her return to the big screens sparked the debate of how she had aged. It is safe to say that Fisher, George Lucas and 'Star Wars' have always had a very authentic love-hate relationship.
3 Sean Connery (James Bond)
Although Sean Connery has played James Bond an impressive seven times, he has never had the greatest fondness with his character as we all think. At the age of 86, Connery is still associated with everyones favourite secret agent, which for him is more of a burden that an honour.
The British actor has said on several occasions that he is grateful for how the character of Bond has opened the doors of Hollywood for him, but has also confessed throughout his time as the 007 agent that the role and character did not fill him with the enthusiasm. This was evident when Connery surprisingly claimed that "I have always hated James Bond. I'd like to kill him".
4 Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up)
Since her days in 'Grey's Anatomy', Katherine Heigl gained a reputation as a deified and problematic star, mainly due to her surprise withdrawal from the Emmy nominations during season 4 of the series because she wasn't happy with the material she had been given. Shortly after the premier of the Judd Apatow comedy 'Knocked Up', Hiegl boycotted the movie and suddenly cut herself off. The actress strongly criticised the film, saying that it was sexist, and that the female characters, especially hers were "greatly exaggerated". Almost ten years later, during a podcast interview, Heigl claimed her comments were taken the wrong way.
5 Shia LaBeouf (Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull')
Shia LaBeouf became famous in 2007 with the first installment of the successful 'Transformers' series, and from then on in the problems started. LaBeouf continued to star in 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' but had no hesitation in openly criticising the film and his own performance during its promotion.
Something similar occurred with his appearance in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which LaBeouf was the son of the hero, played by Harrison Ford. Although the blame is not solely his fault, the actor made a public apology to Mutt Williams on several occasions. LaBeouf acknowledges that they went wrong way with the film, and that his character was a fair distance short of an action hero.
6 Kate Winslet ('Titanic')
"Hate" may be too strong a word in this case, because Kate Winslet does not hate 'Titanic', as in the few last years she has made it clear that the successful film has a special place in her heart.
Nevertheless, the actress was never satisfied with the interpretation, and took quick dislike to her alter-ego. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph a few years ago, she claimed "In every scene I kept saying to myself 'Seriously?! Is that what I sound like? My god... I can't listen to this American accent. It is horrible'".
Winslet also admitted that for her it usually takes a lot to watch herself on the big screen, and that she can be very self-critical with the work she does. However, with regards to 'Titanic' it seems worse than normal. Of course, the public and the Academies don't agree, since the actress was awarded with an Oscar nomination for the movie and won over the fondness of thousands of fans who continue to associate her with Rose Dawson.
7 Alec Guinnes ('Star Wars')
According to numerous sources, Alec Guinnes regretted taking the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in 'Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope' because, according to the actor, the script was "extremely poor".
From there on in, Guinness failed to successfully portray the character, in fact he despised his alter-ego so much that was ecstatic when he discovered that the Jedi was to be killed off. As the popularity of 'Star Wars' grew, so did Guinness' hatred for the saga and, of course, his character. It grew to the point of not wanting to have anything to do with the fan favourite Obi-Wan Kenobi. One of the most famous, and saddest, anecdotes on this topic is when a young boy approached the British actor to ask for his autograph, only to be told he would only give him one if he would not come to see the movie again.
8 Megan Fox ('Transformers')
Megan Fox is perfectly aware that 'Transformers' made her into a Hollywood star, but that hasn't stopped her from openly expressing her negative opinion on the movies, as well as her resentment towards Michael Bay during the production of the films.
For Fox, 'Transformers' was a nightmare due to Bay's possessive and misogynist behaviour (it is believed that he made the actress clean his Ferrari in a bikini in order to get the role), and she even went as far to compare him to Hitler in a famous interview. Although they ended up making peace (more or less) after numerous arguments, Fox doesn't carry forward the fondest of memories towards her character, Mikaela Banes, or the film which gave her so much fame.
9 Marlo Brando ('A Streetcar Named Desire')
Before playing the famous Vito Corleone or the Colonel Kurtz, Marlon Brando became one of the most famous figures of his generation after playing Stanley Kowalski in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Brando perfected his characters persona as a rude, arrogant and violent man, whilst adding an alluring component him leading to the actor becoming one of the oldest sex symbols in cinematic history.
As a matter of fact, this was precisely what caused the actor to develop such a dislike towards his alter-ego, to which already couldn't stand due to his "brutal aggression". Kowalski's sexy touch was not intentional and the fact that his work in the film depicted him as a sexual icon made the actor feel slightly "repulsive". Even so, we doubt that Brando had to endure so much as Carrie Fisher.
10 Christopher Plummer
Everyone loves 'The Sound of Music'. Well, maybe apart from the protagonist himself, Christopher Plummer, who grew to dislike his character, Captain von Trapp. The Canadian actor accepted the role because he wanted to do a musical, but from the beginning he had his doubts. The main reason was, according to him, that the captain was very dull, which greatly frustrated the actor, as he found it was very difficult to play such a boring character.
It had to take the likes of Oprah Winfrey to convince Plummer to attend a cast reunion in 2010, and 45 years later, the actor returned to watch 'The Sound of Music', which he actually admitted was very good. However, he remained sceptical about the film, claiming the worst part of the film was his alter-ego and went onto explain that the captain was not "sufficiently human".