# Disliking an actor vs. the character they play **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2021, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212 "2021-08-20T13:11:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/1 "2021-08-20T13:11:09Z")
Sometimes I have a hard time discerning whether my dislike of an actor is because they’re playing an unlikable character, or if maybe they were specifically cast because they can bring that particular aspect out. My most recent example is Asher Keddie in her role as Heather Marconi in **Nine Perfect Strangers**. I instantly had negative feelings about her before she even opened her mouth. Then I got to thinking if that was by design. The actor is a perfectly attractive woman yet I immediately found her unappealing. As we get to know the character, she is deserving of pity more than anything yet I wish she’d just shut the hell up. Of course, we’re also meant to see that she is broken, hence her attitude / actions. So, is this brilliant acting / casting? A more familiar example would be Jennifer Aniston as Rachel on **Friends**. Her character is supposed to be spoiled and superficial, especially in the beginning, but as the series progresses we’re meant to like her. For me it was the exact opposite. By the last two seasons she was almost unwatchable. I so wanted her to stay on that damned plane!(and crash). Yet I’ve liked JA in other things. Should I be giving her credit for eliciting such strong feelings? What if they aren’t the feelings the writers intended? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/2 "2021-08-20T13:45:03Z")
It’s odd that you’d mention _Friends_, since I had a similar reaction to one of the characters in _Coupling_, which has a similar format. **Gina Bellman** ’s character, Jane, is so oblivious and self-obsessed that she’s just beyond annoying. I didn’t like her, and couldn’t really imagine liking that actress in anything else. Until an episode in the second season. Jane has been fired from her job, and takes some unlabeled pills from her medicine cabinet. She decides to apply for a job as a children’s television presenter, and wants to practice her audition in front of her friends. So she brings out her helper, Jake, a sock puppet of a snake on her left hand. Jake starts insulting everyone, including Jane herself. She was hysterically funny in that scene; completely changed my mind about her as an actress. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/3 "2021-08-20T13:51:11Z")
**Sarah Paulson** single-handedly ruins every movie she’s in, for me. No idea why. Speaking of _Friends_, can’t stand **David Schwimmer**. Not in the show and not in anything else he’s tried to act in. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/4 "2021-08-20T13:51:53Z")
This could dovetail easily into a political debate…finding out that an actor who’s given performances that you’ve loved holds awful political views colours a current viewing of their work. Finding out that the likes of John Cleese and Michael Caine are Brexiters, and have railed against immigration into Britain and called the EU “fascist” can’t help but affect how I watch some of my favorite movies now. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/5 "2021-08-20T14:02:32Z")
It’s Trump supporters like, Jon Voight, James Woods and Dennis Quaid, on this side of the pond. Good actors, disappointing political choices. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/6 "2021-08-20T14:08:59Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > **Sarah Paulson** single-handedly ruins every movie she’s in, for me. No idea why. > > Speaking of _Friends_ , can’t stand **David Schwimmer**. Not in the show and not in anything else he’s tried to act in. These are interesting examples. I’ll generally check out anything _with_ Sarah Paulson in it, yet off the top of my head, it seems like she usually plays unlikable characters. So in this case, maybe for us is comes down to our personal opinion of the actor’s style? As for David Schwimmer, holy cow did I find Ross annoying, and I would say it was Schwimmer himself. That voice! What a nasal, whiney doofus! Then I learned from the Friends reunion show that he was cast specifically because of his voice. So I guess that makes him excellent in the role (but not any more likable). I actually got to like him once the writers toned down his stick up the assedness and made his role more comedic. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/7 "2021-08-20T14:09:03Z")
If you truly hate a character, I think that’s a credit to the actor’s acting. For example. I HATED Deep Space Nine’s Kai Winn. Couldn’t stand to look at her stupid face. But I admire the actor’s ability to elicit that kind of response from me. Then there’s actors like Tom Cruise. I can’t watch anything he’s in bc I just hate him as a person. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/8 "2021-08-20T14:14:43Z")
If you look in the dictionary under the word _unctuous_, you’ll find a picture of Ricky Gervais. I. Can’t. Stand. Him. He IS whatever character he plays. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/9 "2021-08-20T14:17:43Z")
Ha! Me too! I couldn’t watch Louise Fletcher play Kai Winn without flashing Nurse Ratched. I’m sure that earlier iconic role was critical in her getting cast for that part for DS9. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/10 "2021-08-20T14:57:02Z")
There was the classic example of Eric Von Stroheim “the man you love to hate,” though a perfectly fine gent IRL. This was doubly so for Boris Karloff. Soap Opera baddies, more vulnerable since they worked in pedestrian NYC not LA, were often slapped on the street. Then there are actors who project inherent likability. Sophia Loren, Charleze Theron: besides being drop-dead gorgeous, and play sympathetic characters; are people you’d want to have a beer with. Finally the Backpfeifengesicht punchable face. Even without revelations of bad personal behavior. Hollywood made them for reasons I can’t see. Exhibit A: James Franco. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/11 "2021-08-20T15:05:17Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Exhibit A: James Franco. Then you’re sure to love THIS: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MSzytvDsPfo/maxresdefault.jpg "Cut for Time: Hallmark Channel Christmas Promo (James Franco) - SNL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSzytvDsPfo) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/12 "2021-08-20T15:11:07Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > If you truly hate a character, I think that’s a credit to the actor’s acting. For example. I HATED Deep Space Nine’s Kai Winn. Couldn’t stand to look at her stupid face. But I admire the actor’s ability to elicit that kind of response from me. She had practiced it earlier as Nurse Ratched in _One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest_, playing a truly loathsome character with great acting skill. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/13 "2021-08-20T16:34:57Z")
I’ve never quite been able to get the whole inability to separate an artist’s work from their personal life. I mean, we all know that playing a villain doesn’t make the actor themselves a villain. So why should weird personal views affect their performance? I mean, I can still watch James Franco and enjoy the movie, even if he is apparently a giant douchebag in real life. Same for Tom Cruise. Similarly Clancy Brown is by all accounts a fantastically nice person, but he plays a lot of pretty chilling villains in his movies and TV performances. I can’t say I’ve ever thought of him as being that way in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/14 "2021-08-20T16:41:41Z")
For me, it was Maggie Gylenhaal playing the role of Rachel Dawes in _The Dark Knight._ She was totally dislikable, smarmy and unbearable. Unlike Katie Holmes, who played Rachel very well and likably in _Batman Begins._ Gylenhaal wasn’t bad in other movies. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/15 "2021-08-20T16:55:05Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I mean, I can still watch James Franco and enjoy the movie, even if he is apparently a giant douchebag in real life. Same for Tom Cruise. Yeah, Franco can be enjoyable to watch and Tom Cruise - for all his personal weirdness - can be a deeply compelling actor as long as he’s not in one of his “look how awesome I am” roles (I still maintain _Tropic Thunder_ was his best work). > [@](#): > > Similarly Clancy Brown is by all accounts a fantastically nice person, but he plays a lot of pretty chilling villains in his movies and TV performances. I can’t say I’ve ever thought of him as being that way in real life. You can’t get mad at Mr Krabs, surely? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/16 "2021-08-20T17:00:41Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > Finding out that the likes of John Cleese and Michael Caine are Brexiters, and have railed against immigration into Britain and called the EU “fascist” can’t help but affect how I watch some of my favorite movies now. ??? I thought the Pythons were all pretty liberal (or I made the mistake of inferring that from their various works). ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/17 "2021-08-20T18:01:14Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I thought the Pythons were all pretty liberal (or I made the mistake of inferring that from their various works). Cleese caught some flack for saying "London no longer feels like an English city, and coming after his support of Brexit he deserved the flack. > **[John Cleese criticised for saying London no longer an English city](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/may/29/john-cleese-criticised-for-saying-london-is-no-longer-an-english-city)** > > Sadiq Khan and comedian Dom Joly among those condemning ‘racist’ and ‘hypocritical’ claims Gilliam publicly stated that he disagreed with Cleese on the London issue, but in nearly the same breath criticized so-called political correctness in comedy. On that front he’s also in recent years jumped on the “woe is me, you can’t joke about anything anymore, how hard it is to be a white man” train. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/09/terry-gilliam-knew-exactly-what-he-was-doing-when-he-gave-that-incendiary-interview/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/09/terry-gilliam-knew-exactly-what-he-was-doing-when-he-gave-that-incendiary-interview/) No idea about Idle and Palin…maybe the fact that I haven’t even seen their names in the news at all for a long time just means they haven’t been putting their feet in their mouths. So they’re not exactly big Trumpists (Cleese also had a tweet go viral a couple of years ago mocking people who complained about “snowflakes,” saying the word was a synonym for “having empathy”) but they’ve had some issues. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/18 "2021-08-20T18:07:38Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Speaking of _Friends_, can’t stand **David Schwimmer**. Not in the show and not in anything else he’s tried to act in. Schwimmer was excellent in his role in _NYPD Blue_ as an attempted vigilante. _Friends_ was a couple of stairways down. I’ve mentioned many a time of my antipathy toward Jason Alexander, who makes everything he’s in immeasurably worse.\* He even ruined _The Music Man_, which is quite a feat. \*The only exception is _How Murray Saved Christmas_, but that was a voice role where he merely sung a song. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/19 "2021-08-20T18:12:00Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > For me, it was Maggie Gylenhaal playing the role of Rachel Dawes in _The Dark Knight._ She was totally dislikable, smarmy and unbearable. Unlike Katie Holmes, who played Rachel very well and likably in _Batman Begins._ Absolutely, I had no problem believing in a vigilante like Batman or the bad guys like Two-Face and Joker, but positioning her as beautiful came across as too unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/20 "2021-08-20T19:49:18Z")
He produced a show called An Idiot Abroad where they sent a simpleton (Karl Pilkington) around the world but intentionally put him in bad situations. Gervaise thought they were making Pilkington look bad but It was Gervaise’ smugness that was the worst thing about the show. Pilkington was kinda likeable. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212.md?page=2)