20 famous roles these actors regretted taking

It’s no secret that Robert Pattinson hated playing Edward in Twilight. He ragged on the film series every chance he got, even while he was supposed to be promoting it. Still, we can’t imagine anyone other than RPatz portraying the iconic vampire. 

Although she liked the other cast members, Anna Kendrick wasn’t too thrilled to be part of the first Twilight film, either, and she didn’t mingle with her co-stars much while on set. Kendrick has shared that she’s since essentially blocked out her time in Twilight and even tweeted once about randomly remembering she’s part of the film. 

At this point, it might be harder to find someone who doesn’t regret acting in the Twilight series than someone who enjoyed it. Kristen Stewart’s regrets were more personal and less creative, though. The actress has shared multiple times how much she grappled with the incredible amount of fame the role of Bella brought her. 

Though she found the movie entertaining, Viola Davis feels a sense of betrayal of her community over starring in The Help. While the film was lauded upon its release, it’s since been criticized for upholding tenets of systemic racism. 

When Timothée Chalamet signed on to act in A Rainy Day in New York , he was thrilled to work with the famous filmmaker Woody Allen. However, soon after agreeing to do the film, Allen was accused of sexual abuse, resulting in a years-long legal battle over the release of the movie and actors, like Chalamet, publicly expressing their regret over working with Allen. 

We can’t really blame Shailene Woodley for regretting taking her role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In retrospect, that show was unhinged. Woodley said the role turned into something much different than she expected when she first took the part, and had she known how the show would evolve, she wouldn’t have joined. 

Hugh Grant doesn’t have much good to say about the made-for-TV movie The Lady and the Highwayman. Luckily for Grant, it’s hardly his most notable role. Had he never copped to regretting his acting in the film, many people wouldn’t have even known it existed. 

Not long after the Transformers film series kicked off, Megan Fox expressed her regret over her role due to clashing with director Michael Bay, whose directorial style she did not like. Fox, however, later expressed regret for expressing her regret, noting that her statements were the reason she wasn’t asked back for later installments. 

Theo James was seemingly positioned as the next big thing when he starred in Divergent, but his career didn’t pick back up in a notable way until years later when he starred in the second season of The White Lotus. James says he had trouble finding roles that were different than Four in Divergent. 

Sandra Bullock has made no bones about her disdain for Speed 2: Cruise Control. The Oscar winner has said she doesn’t think it makes sense and that she doesn’t know anyone who enjoys the film. Despite it being decades old, Bullock is still embarrassed she was in Speed 2. 

When you’re a fan of the film, it stings to learn that an actor regrets playing that role. Such is the case with Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up. Heigl has called the hit comedy sexist and says she doesn’t like the character she played. She’s since recanted a bit by saying she likes the film, but she stands by her opinions on her character. 

Ben Affleck may regret his role in Daredevil, but his regret led him to play another iconic character. That’s right: the poor outcome of Daredevil motivated Affleck to sign on as Batman. Affleck hasn’t expressed any regret over his second attempt at playing a superhero. 

When Carrie Fisher agreed to play Princess Leia, she, like most people, had no idea that Star Wars would become the massive cinematic universe it became. For that reason, Fisher regretted playing the role. She said she wouldn’t have taken it on if she had more foresight.  

While Eddie Redmayne enjoyed playing his role in The Danish Girl and was proud of the film and telling the story, he wouldn't take the role if he could do it over. Instead, he’d want the part to be played by a trans person for more authenticity. 

Will Smith and his son, Jaden Smith, both starred in After Earth, an abject failure by every movie standard. However, Jaden was the one who took the brunt of the criticism for the film, and Will regrets having put his son in that position. 

Sometimes, things don’t go quite as we anticipated they would, and Dakota Johnson knows that firsthand. The actress suspected the film Fifty Shades of Grey would turn out much differently than it did, and the outcome of the film led her to regret playing her role. 

Jacob Elordi spat on all three of The Kissing Booth films when he shared that he didn’t want to be part of the films even before he signed on. When news broke, it sparked debate over whether actors should be so critical of the roles that jumpstarted their careers. 

Channing Tatum didn’t want to star in either G.I. Joe film. He was contractually obligated to film the first, and he hated it so much he asked to be killed off in the second so he wouldn’t have to return for a third. While he regrets acting in the film series, he does not regret requesting his character’s death. 

Jessica Alba regrets acting in the Fantastic Four series for many reasons. She didn’t like the scripts, the films were not well-received, and she didn’t feel valued on set. Sounds like a recipe for regret. 

Basic Instinct is Sharon Stone’s most iconic role, but the actress doesn’t have many good memories associated with the film. Stone has often opened up about her mistreatment on set over the years and regrets it despite it being her breakout role.