As far as Hollywood goes, Superhero movies sit at the top of the food chain. Consistently raking top dollar at the box office, they are one of the most popular films in any given year. Chris Evans, Michael Keaton, and Huge Jackman are now household names thanks entirely to their comic book roles. Bagging a spot at a superhero/ comic book project is a sure-shot ticket to stardom. However, like most things in life, there are always the odd exceptions.
Whether due to bad scripts, bossy directors, or a bad work environment, not all stars enjoy their roles in such movies. Any of these factors, make being a part of such fantasy films not so fantastic for these stars. Today, we explore six such Hollywood A-listers who regret being a part of superhero projects.
1. Sylvester Stallone – Judge Dredd
Sylvester Stallone has been in a few flops. Think ‘Oscar’, or ‘Over the Top’. However, for the actor, his greatest regret is reserved for his role as a superhero in ‘Judge Dredd’. His chief complaint was the lack of clarity with regard to the philosophy of the film. Was it to be a serious drama, or would it have comic overtones? This indecision, according to Stallone, tanked the film. Further, a lot of elements in the movie didn’t fit well.
Not all was doom and gloom for the film. Stallone really liked the design work and the sets in the film. Alas, this wasn’t enough.
2. Jamie Kennedy – The Mask
Jim Carrey’s shoes were always going to be too big to fill, and as it turns out, they were. The film was a disaster.
The film bombed and was one of the worst films that year. However, this apparently was not the only reason for Kennedy’s regret. The taxing and heavy makeup for the role was rough. He reportedly wore the get-up 6 days in a row. Further, he had fake ears in this flick, unlike in its predecessor. Those fake ears pressed against Kennedy’s real ones and cut their circulation to the point that he had to rub them for a few minutes after removing the makeup to feel better.
3. Josh Brolin – Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex held a lot of promise. Sadly, it was one of the most disappointing comic book films of all time. Much was blamed on the directorial changes, script alterations, reshoots, production delays, and shoddy. All of this is not lost on the star, Josh Brolin, who claimed to hate it as much as everybody else does. He blamed the disappointing performance of the film on the fact that they had to reshoot 66 pages in 12 days. Nonetheless, despite much promise, ‘Jonah hex’ was a regret for Josh Brolin.
4. Halle Berry – Catwoman
This is a memorable entry in this list. Halle Berry regretted her role as Catwoman and let everyone know of this. She made an appearance in the annual Razzie Awards in 2005, which is, uh, a celebration of the year’s worst films and performances. Berry won an award for the “worst actress” for her part in ‘Catwoman’. She accepted the award personally and gave a memorable speech. She expressed regrets in starting that film and even hurled a few abuses.
5. Michael Jai White – Spawn
Michael Jai White was one of the first African Americans to play a major comic book superhero. Unfortunately, the film was not a success. He himself was not a fan of Spawn, preferring, rather, his smaller but powerful role as the gangster “Gambol” in ‘The Dark Knight’.
In later interviews, he lamented his role in the Spawn and claimed to have never said that he liked that film.
6. Nicolas Cage – Ghost Rider
Cage has often spoken about his disappointment with the way Ghost Rider turned out. He claimed that he and the writer wanted the films to be gritty and R-rated. However, things came out differently.
He laments the lack of artistic freedom and regrets his role in the movie. On a final note, he believes there is potential for another actor to do justice to the film.
