Biopics The Actors Regret Filming

As aspiring actors clamber their way to the top of the A-list, they're bound to star in some duds. Some have taken embarrassing early roles they'd probably rather forget, such as Tom Hanks' debut in the 1980 low-budget slasher "He Knows You're Alone." Meanwhile, other actors have had regrets over the roles that made them famous, like Robert Pattinson's open disdain for "Twilight" — the franchise that turned him into a teen heartthrob.

After they become big enough box office draws, sometimes actors will get offered roles in biopics. As No Film School notes, that can often lead to an Oscar nomination since the Academy seems to love a biopic. Unfortunately, not all biographical movies end up being successful. Some, in fact, end up irritating the actual subject of the movie either due to the storytelling or the actor's skills.

Of course, not getting the seal of approval from the real-life counterpart of the characters they're embodying on-screen can certainly hurt a star's ego and lead to the audience's ridicule, which can sour the whole experience for an actor. For other actors, the demanding nature of a role and getting into their subject's head can also lead to some real-life consequences. Whatever the case, these stars have regrets about the biopics they've starred in.

Eddie Redmayne is no stranger to a good biopic. He famously won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his turn as Stephen Hawking in 2014's "The Theory of Everything," and appeared in 2011's "My Week with Marilyn" as production assistant-turned-filmmaker Colin Clark. A year after playing Hawking, Redmayne took on the role of Lili Elbe, an artist and one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery, in "The Danish Girl."

While Redmayne received praise for the role (and snagged nominations both at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes), there was also a fair share of criticism, with some critics believing that the role of Elbe should have gone to a trans star. Years after the film's release, Redmayne himself spoke out in a 2021 interview with The Sunday Times, sharing his thoughts on the controversy. "I wouldn't take it on now," the actor reflected, adding, "I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake. The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don't have a chair at the table." 

Not everyone agreed with Redmayne, however. Often-quarrelsome journalist Piers Morgan tweeted in response to the actor's interview, "What next — only real Mafia mobsters can play Mafia mobsters?" For the most part though, many A-listers agreed with Redmayne's stance, such as trans star Yasmin Finney of "Doctor Who" fame. While applauding Redmayne's performance, Finney also pointed out the problematic reality of placing a cisgendered person in a trans role, as it can validate certain painful misconceptions that people have about trans folks (via The Guardian).

The disaster that was the 1956 adventure flick "The Conqueror" haunted its leading star John Wayne for years after its release. The two-hour epic, which placed Wayne as the Mongol leader Genghis Khan, was an utter critical failure, not to mention problematic, as the American actor was put in yellow-face to look like this Asian historical figure (via The Telegraph).

It wasn't just the harmful portrayal of Khan that resulted in this flop, however. According to The Telegraph, screenwriter Oscar Millard butchered the script to make it grammatically incorrect and instructed Wayne to speak with an Asian accent — which Wayne dropped halfway through the movie, bringing back his signature Western drawl instead. The film was a critical catastrophe. As revealed by film critic Emanuel Levy, Wayne participated in "The Conqueror" as a favor to RKO owner Howard Hughes and was left totally humiliated. According to Emanuel Levy, Wayne once mused that "People would simply not accept me as Genghis Khan. I've been extolled as rough American personality, and they won't take anything else."

Along with Wayne, Hughes was also embarrassed to be associated with the epic. Per The Telegraph, in the final years of his life, Hughes had become a recluse and bought all copies of "The Conqueror" to prevent anyone from seeing the film. He would sit for hours in his bedroom, obsessively watching "The Conqueror" on a projector. In fact, Hughes demanded that his personal projectionist wear a blindfold throughout its runtime to ensure that no eyes but his own saw the doomed picture.

Joan Crawford was a legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The glamorous beauty had quite a long-lasting career (from 1925 to 1970) and won an Oscar in 1946 for her leading role in the noir drama "Mildred Pierce" (via Biography). Sadly, Crawford was also known for her turbulent personal life, and shortly before she died of a heart attack in 1977, news broke that one of her adoptive daughters, Christina, was writing a tell-all book about growing up with her famous mother (via Vanity Fair).

The biography "Mommie Dearest" was released a year after Joan's death, with her daughter portraying Crawford as an abusive, self-centered mother. The book caused a sensation and in 1981, a film adaptation was released, starring a fellow Hollywood icon: Faye Dunaway. Dunaway, who rose to popularity in the '70s by playing hard-as-nails women like Bonnie in "Bonnie and Clyde" and Evelyn in "Chinatown," was excited at the opportunity to play Crawford. In an interview with People, Dunaway revealed that she hoped the film would offer up a "window into a tortured soul, but it was made into camp."

According to Dunaway, she believes that starring in the camp classic "Mommie Dearest" left the public with a poor impression of her — a hard pill to swallow considering she was already known for her alleged diva antics on set, according to The Guardian. As she mused to People, "I should have known better, but sometimes you're vulnerable and you don't realize what you're getting into. ... You make a decision, and then you have to live with the consequence."

André Lauren Benjamin — better known as André 3000 of the hip-hop group Outkast — first started acting in 2005 when he starred in "Be Cool" and "Four Brothers." Perhaps his foray into the world of Tinseltown had to do with the fact that the "Hey Ya!" hitmakers have been on hiatus since 2007. That's why, when director John Ridley approached Benjamin about acting in a Jimi Hendrix biopic, the artist told Billboard he was "happy to have something to dive into."

"I felt this isn't about trying to attract the right actor for the role. This is about trying to attract the right person who embodies a certain spirit," declared Ridley to Rolling Stone ahead of the flick's release in 2014. Yet, Benjamin had his doubts, telling Billboard that he thought he wasn't young enough to portray Hendrix in the early years of his career. This worry manifested into full-on regret when the filming of "Jimi: All Is By My Side" went underway. "I was like, 'Man, why did I take this job? Who plays Hendrix? He's the coolest guy in the world,'" recalled the rapper on the "Late Show with David Letterman" (via Essence).

The movie wasn't a financial hit, although it did get decent reviews from critics. Part of the issue came from the film's inability to use original Hendrix compositions, since the Hendrix estate never supported the production (via The Wall Street Journal). Yet, as Benjamin told Collider, while he doesn't consider himself a true actor after this experience and struggled to capture Hendrix's confidence — particularly in trying to play the guitar with his left hand — he's still willing to take on projects he's invested in.

Salma Hayek's turn as Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in 2002's "Frida" is a testament to her perseverance and love for her craft. In an op-ed for The New York Times, Hayek revealed that the revolutionary artist was a major source of inspiration when it came to pursuing her Hollywood career. "She had the courage to express herself while disregarding skepticism. My greatest ambition was to tell her story," Hayek declared.

Hayek co-produced "Frida," and she took the movie to Miramax, which was then run by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. What followed was an utter nightmare in getting the biopic made, with the actress dodging Weinstein's sexual advances, rage, verbal threats, and attempts to sabotage the film (via The New York Times). Once filming began, the producer complained that Hayek didn't look attractive enough in the role and demanded that she get rid of Kahlo's signature unibrow. Hayek kept the facial hair, but Weinstein threatened to shut down production, unless she included a sex scene in the film. Hayek felt pressured to do the scene, which ultimately left her physically ill and with the first and last nervous breakdown of her career.

The film was a critical success, taking home two Academy Awards and earning Hayek an Oscar nomination. Despite being able to bring her hero to life, the making of "Frida" came at a great emotional cost for Hayek due to Weinstein's abuse. While Hayek has been open about her complicated experience making "Frida," she has also expressed a more surprising regret from doing the film: growing a mustache to play Kahlo. Speaking to the Globe (via Hindustan Times), Hayek quipped, "Now I'm all messed up, because in real life, I have a mustache if I don't wax. When I get older, I'm probably going to look like Pancho Villa."

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