Christopher Plummer, Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music
Though the beloved musical starring Julie Andrews is considered a classic,Christopher Plummerdeemed it one of his most regrettable movie roles. Playing the hard-nosed Captain von Trapp who learns to love music again, Plummer foundThe Sound of Musicscript to be cheesy, to say the least.
Often calling it “The Sound of Mucus,” Plummer also said the musical’s script was “so awful and sentimental and gooey.” Though he admitted recently that he doesn’t completely hate the Rodgers and Hammerstein favorite, don’t expect to see him belting out tunes in movie musicals any time soon.
Ben Affleck, Daredevil
“I hateDaredevilso much,” saidBen Affleckin a2016 interview about his former movie roles. The 2003 big budget comic adaptation of the story of Matt Murdock, blind attorney by day, blind crime fighter by night, was a box-office bomb. Ratings were poor from critics, audiences, and apparently, the star himself.
Affleck said thatDaredevilwas the only role he truly regretted taking. That means a lot from the star ofReindeer GamesandGigli.Daredevildidn’t stop Affleck’s affinity for superhero roles, as he donned the cowl to play Batman inBatman v Superman. Though since he’s rumored to be trying to leave the DC Universe, Affleck might soon add Batman to his list of regretful roles.
George Clooney, Batman & Robin
Speaking of Batman,George Clooneywasn’t too thrilled with his turn as the caped crusader. The 1997Batman & Robinwas known for its cheesy lines, tacky visuals, and nippled suit. Oh, those infamous Bat-nipples.
Both directorJoel Schumacherand Clooney have apologized forBatman & Robin. Clooney joked that his role got him disinvited to Comic-Con for about 20 years and that he was afraid his nipple-suit had ruined the character forever. Fortunately,Christopher Nolancame along to reinvigorate the character and Clooney became an Oscar winner, acclaimed director, andtequila billionaire.
Alec Guinness, Star Wars
An Oscar winner with a 50-year career,Alec Guinnessshould be known for a range of legendary films. Instead, he’s best known for sporting a lightsaber as Obi-Wan Kenobi inStar Wars.
While filmingStar Wars, Guinness was unimpressed, calling the script “mumbo jumbo” with “bloody awful lines.” After the film became a phenomenon, Guinness resented the fact thatStar Warsdefined his movie roles. Allegedly, a child once asked Guinness for an autograph, saying he’d seenStar Warshundreds of times. Guinness said he’d sign the autograph, only if the kid promised to never watch the film again.
Kelly Clarkson, From Justin to Kelly
Hot off her win as the very firstAmerican Idol,Kelly Clarksongot to star in a film with her Idol runner-up,Justin Guarini. Unfortunately, that movie wasFrom Justin to Kelly, a lame musical with dull songs, a nothing plot, and a skirt made out of ties.
Turns out that Clarkson never wanted to take on the role of Kelly.“I cried for a solid hour on the phone with the creator ofAmerican Idoland pleaded to be let out of the contract that said I had to filmFrom Justin to Kelly,” she said inUS Weekly. Luckily, the 2003 flop didn’t hurt her career, just don’t expect a lot of Clarkson films in the near future.
Sally Field, The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Manwas not an amazing time forSally Field. As Peter Parker’s Aunt May, Field was given exciting scenes of giving quiet advice, looking worried, and folding laundry. Needless to say, the Oscar winner wasn’t happy about the role.
Field later admitted she took the part as a favor andtoldHoward Sternthat she tried to give the flat role some life but, “you may’t put ten pounds of s*** in a five-pound bag.” Though apparently, Field’s colorful expression of regret wasn’t enough to deter another A-lister from trying out the part:Marisa Tomeigamely took up the torch as Spidey-Aunt in 2016’sSpider-Man: Homecoming.
Bill Murray, Garfield
Bill Murray’s involvement in the 2004 CGI-assistedGarfieldgave us all a very important lesson: Know your Co(h)ens!TheGarfieldscript was written byJoel Cohen. Murray thought that meant he was getting an offer to work with one of theCoen brothers(Fargo,No Country for Old Men,etc.) when he accepted one of his most embarrassing movie roles to date.
Unfortunately, theGarfieldJoel had an “h” in his name and no history of quirky, Oscar-winning films (to be fair, Joel Cohen did writeToy Story…andEvan Almighty). Murray already agreed despite the Coen/Cohen mix-up and didn’t seem to enjoy his time as the lasagna-loving cat.
Michelle Pfeiffer, Grease 2
ThoughGreasehelped make John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John household names,Grease 2didn’t make much of a splash. Playing Stephanie, a Rydell high schooler who’s just looking for a “Cool Rider,”Michelle Pfeifferdoes not look back on her Pink Lady days fondly.
“I hated that film with a vengeance and could not believe how bad it was,” said Pfeiffer. “At the time, I was young and didn’t know better.” Fortunately,Grease 2didn’t hurt her career, becoming a Hollywood A-lister and probably the most famous Catwoman beforeAnne Hathawayshowed up. Pfeiffer she even went on to star in another movie musical,Hairspray.
Whoopi Goldberg, Theodore Rex
Whoopi Goldbergdidn’t just regret signing up for cop-dinosaur buddy comedyTheodore Rex. She sued to get out of it! And based on the film’s IMDB description, we don’t blame her: “In an alternate futuristic society, a tough female police detective is paired with a talking dinosaur to find the killer of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.”
Unfortunately for Goldberg, the producers insisted she fulfill her contract or pay millions of dollars in fines, so she had to suck it up and play scenes against a guy in a dinosaur suit. Ultimately, the film cost $35 million, was released direct-to-video, and has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jessica Alba, Fantastic 4
“Cry pretty, Jessica,” saidthe directorofFantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surferto starJessica Alba. Throughout the film, Alba was pretty much told to just stand there and look pretty. The director even said they’d CGI in the tears to avoid her having an “ugly” crying face.
The condescending direction made the superhero sequel extremely unpleasant. In fact, she almost quit acting because of her bad experience as Sue Storm. For better or worse, Alba has continued to appear in movies likeLittle Fockers,The Love Guruand theEntouragemovie. Alba also runs The Honest Company, a nearly billion dollar health and wellness brand.
