20 actors who have rejected the role that made them famous

Jacob Elordi has made it very clear that he does not like The Kissing Booth movies. There are more than a few people who disagree with him, and fans of the franchise felt a little betrayed when they heard his opinion. 

Miley Cyrus has openly hated on Hannah Montana and Disney in the past. But in 2017, she spoke with MTV News and said she was "stoked that that was part of my life." Cyrus said she needed to separate herself from Hannah for a while, which is completely understandable. 

Blake Lively’s career skyrocketed from her role as Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, but while playing the character, she struggled to accept how the character she was portraying was so different than who she is as a person. There’s no denying that Serena has a questionable moral compass. 

Sean Connery had a complicated relationship with playing James Bond, and he even quit playing the character on two separate occasions. Other Bonds have come and gone since Connery played the iconic role, but he’ll remain the definitive Bond actor in the eyes of many. 

No one hates Twilight more than Robert Pattinson hates Twilight. The man openly dissed the films every time he did a press tour, making everyone wonder why he took the role in the first place. No matter how he feels, we can imagine anyone other than Pattinson playing Edward Cullen. 

Marlon Brando was not a fan of his role in A Streetcar Named Desire, and apparently, his co-stars weren’t fans of his while they were filming. Brando didn’t want to play the part to begin with, so it’s easy to imagine that the filming experience was poor for everyone involved. 

Jason Segel became a household name by starring in How I Met Your Mother, but he wasn’t happy filming the series for the last few seasons (h/t The Hollywood Reporter). This led to feelings of inadequacy and doubt, and Segel feared for his future career after the sitcom ended. 

Katherine Heigl has had more than a few negative things to say about her role in Knocked Up. The actor wasn’t a fan of her character. Heigl can feel how she wants about the film; we like it enough to make up for her disdain. 

Kate Winslet doesn’t have bad things to say about the film, per se, but she didn’t like her performance in Titanic. It just goes to show that sometimes you’re your own worst critic because most others can agree that Winslet was fantastic as Rose. 

This one we completely understand. Shailene Woodley has stated she signed up for her role on The Secret Life of the American Teenager without knowing what the show would turn into, and she wouldn’t accept the role today. In retrospect, we’re shocked the series was even greenlit to begin with. 

Jamie Dornan could see the writing on the wall. He was certain that critics wouldn’t like his work in Fifty Shades of Grey, and he was absolutely right. Dornan has said he won’t play another character like Christian Grey in the future. 

Alec Guinness famously had a complicated relationship with his role in the Star Wars franchise. The actor publicly expressed regret for taking the role in the film because he wanted to remain a relatively unknown character actor. Having a part in one of the most famous movies of all time made sure that his hope was crushed. 

Christopher Plummer didn’t like his character in The Sound of Music, which is absolutely devastating news to fans of the film. Plummer didn’t like the film’s sentimentality, and he found his character boring. We would care to disagree. 

We can see why Megan Fox wasn’t thrilled with her work in Transformers, and she made that known very publicly. She’s since expressed her regret for some statements she made against Michael Bay, but many see merit in what Fox said about the director. 

Maybe playing James Bond isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Daniel Craig hasn’t outright rejected his famous role, but he has stated that playing Bond was taxing on him both physically and emotionally. That we can understand. 

Idris Elba is one of the most famous actors in the world now, but it took him a while to get there, even after starring in one of the most famous shows of all time, The Wire. Elba was not happy with the fate of his character, and the series didn’t lead to other parts that Elba had hoped for. 

Viola Davis was praised for her performance in The Help, and she became a household name because of it, going on to star in How to Get Away with Murder. But the actor has criticized the film since and expressed regret for starring in it, stating that it perpetuates racist stereotypes (h/t The New York Times). 

Allison Williams, like most of the Girls audience, has been baffled by the decisions her character Marnie made on the show. Williams has said she has a complicated relationship with the character because, despite her frustrations, she loved Marnie and wanted the best for her (h/t BuzzFeed). 

Zac Efron, like many Disney stars, wasn’t thrilled to be filming High School Musical at the time. However, he’s since come to appreciate what the films did for his career, and the franchise’s director, Kenny Ortega, was at Efron’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star unveiling ceremony. 

Andrew Lincoln has criticized his character in Love Actually, and even the most die-hard fans of the film can agree with his assessment. Unlike other actors who’ve rejected past roles, Lincoln has to face his shame every year for about six weeks while millions of people rewatch it.