# Ever seen an actor or director tell the truth about an awful movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266 "2009-01-27T19:19:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/41 "2009-01-28T00:16:01Z")
I seem to remember a televised interview with Bruce Willis in which he looks into the camera and begs the viewer not to go see _Hudson Hawk_. ---
**Author:** ![missouri65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@missouri65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missouri65)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/42 "2009-01-28T00:34:06Z")
> [@ASAKMOTSD](#): > > I seem to recall an interview where Sandra Bullock said _Speed 2_ should never have been made. I saw one where she admitted that she only made Speed 2 so she could make Hope Floats. She kept referring to it as “Really Fast 2,” suggesting that the studio had told her not to name it. If I remember correctly, she said they didn’t want to remind people of it because they didn’t want people to associate it with the original, which could cut into future profits from Speed. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/43 "2009-01-28T01:53:36Z")
On his talk show, Craig Ferguson talks trash about all the movies he’s been in. But to be fair, the ones I’ve seen are really, really bad. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/44 "2009-01-28T01:57:59Z")
I liked Speed 2. I suppose someone had to though. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/45 "2009-01-28T02:05:24Z")
There was an episode of Highlander which, on DVD, featured the producer apologizing profusely for how awful it was. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/46 "2009-01-28T05:04:30Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Mel Gibson infamously said Wim Wenders and Bono’s “Million Dollar Hotel” was “as boring as a dog’s ass”. This despite being one of the leads and one of the film’s producers. Which I understand to be the reason that this is (the only?) Mel Gibson movie never to get theatrical release in the USA. Bono said something about the 800lb gorilla being against the project, and that was too much to overcome. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/47 "2009-01-28T05:23:43Z")
> [@Cerowyn](#): > > Halle Berry famously accepted her Raspberry Award in person for Catwoman, which is a statement in of sorts. A statement made _very_ explicit by [acceptance speech:](http://www.dailycognition.com/index.php/2007/04/26/top-10-movies-that-went-wrong.html) > [@Halle Berry](#): > > First of all, I want to thank Warner Brothers. Thank you for putting me in this piece of shit, God-awful movie… ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/48 "2009-01-28T05:36:07Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > I don’t remember her saying anything **The 40-Year-Old Virgin** wasn’t up to her standards, though she did call it ‘a little sexist.’ \ That was **Knocked Up** I’m a feminist, and I loved it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/49 "2009-01-28T05:39:05Z")
Oh! How could I forget [this SNL sketch?](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/03/03ogigli.phtml) > [@SNL](#): > > **Frondi** (a mentally challenged man): Ben! Ben! > **Ben Affleck** : Yeah, Frondi? > **Frondi** : I don’t think this movie is gonna work. He not only agreed to the sketch, he almost cracked up when he said the line, “I think _Gigli_ is going to be a big, BIG hit!” ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/50 "2009-01-28T11:16:30Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > [Nope.](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=34530) The nope has it right. I read the original interview but I can’t remember where I read it. It was obvious from the context that she wasn’t disparaging **Australia** as a movie, but that she just hated seeing herself onscreen in general. I’ve heard lots of other actors say the same general thing. They go in, do the work, are given the ok by directors that they did what they were supposed to do, but if they then watch themselves, they just see physical and/or performance flaws. Even the very best films, they can’t enjoy the film in the same way that we can. Not all actors are egotistical narcissists. Many are quite shy. Some have never seen a movie they’ve made, though most have to, at least at premieres. It’s the same concept as regular people who hate looking at photos and videos of themselves. I can look at a fun picture that also contains friends and family, where everyone looks to be having a wonderful time, and all I want to do is take a Sharpie and black myself out. I can’t enjoy just looking at the picture. I don’t know how common that is, but I understand the concept. I also don’t believe that Nicole was lying or backtracking when she denied saying that. First, she’s never struck me as anything but polite toward her co-workers. Not to sound _too_ defensive, because the movie isn’t worth an adamant defense, but it’s not a _bad_ film, it’s just not the masterpiece it could have been. I liked Australia, not as much as I hoped I would, but I enjoyed it. In any case, Nicole would not diss the film no matter what, because Baz is one of her best friends, she adores him, adores working with him and would like to work with him again in the future. That’s why I believe her. Last, that Perez piece is just bullshit anyway. Of course, it’s Perez. His whole thing is to offend people. You can tell it’s bullshit though by this paragraph, which assumes that the only money made that’s important is the money made in America, a disgustingly xenophobic point of view: [QUOTE=Perez Hilton] Australia clocks in as Nic’s 6th bomb in a row (following The Golden Compass, Margot At The Wedding, The Invasion, Fur, Bewitched). [/QUOTE] First of all, **Australia** has made **$179,807,870** at the box office worldwide. That’s not small change and hardly qualifies as a bomb, though with marketing and all that it probably didn’t make a big profit. To call **The Golden Compass** a bomb is insane. The movie has made **$372,234,864** at the box office worldwide. If that’s a “bomb,” all movies should be so lucky. She had massive hits two years in a row. **Happy Feet** , which I notice Perez doesn’t mention, made $384,335,608 worldwide. Not too shabby. Nicole likes doing small, intimate films in between big studio films. **Margot at the Wedding** and **Fur** were intended to be small, indie films (as were **Birth** and **Dogville** ) that no one expected to be huge hits and no one was surprised when they weren’t. **Fur** only played in 39 theaters. I was one of the few people who saw it on the big screen, and Nicole was wonderful in it. It was a strange, but very interesting movie. I meant to see it again to figure out if I actually did like it or was just fascinated by it, but it disappeared before I got the chance. **Margot at the Wedding** , which I also saw on the big screen, only ever played in 121 theaters, and yet Nicole was being buzzed about possibly getting an Academy Award nomination. She didn’t, but she should have. Certainly of the big studio films, **The Invasion** was a huge disappointment, as a movie and at the box office, and could be classified as a legitimate bomb, making only $40,170,558 worldwide, on a budget of $90 million. Ouch. **The Stepford Wives** wasn’t too good, but it did make $102,001,626. Nothing special, but not a bomb on the level of **The Invasion**. **Bewitched** also wasn’t very good, but it wasn’t a bomb. It made $131,426,169. **The Interpreter** was also not a bomb, and it’s a decent movie too. It made $162,944,923. In all, movies that Nicole Kidman appeared in _just in this decade_ have made $2,130,765,931 at the box office. That’s billion with a B. If that’s “box office poison” then you might as well redefine the phrase to mean “appears in movies that make a helluva lot of money.” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/51 "2009-01-28T11:46:45Z")
I think you may be way too into Nicloe Kidman. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/52 "2009-01-28T13:31:05Z")
I’m no fan of Nicole Kidman’s, but to characterise her as finding “Australia” embarrassing is really unfair. [This article](http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/i-squirmed-through-australia-nicole-kidman/2009/01/09/1231004249019.html) provides more detailed quotes and some context, and makes it pretty clear she is saying that she finds sitting through her own performances difficult. Nothing to do with the movie itself. (I remembered that article because I thought I was going to get something juicy with her dissing the movie, and of course, it turned out to be nothing of the sort.) ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/53 "2009-01-28T13:43:27Z")
It’s not quite the same but Edward Norton was pretty much forced to appear in The Italian Job to avoid a lawsuit from his studio. Norton made it clear he had no interest in the project whatsoever and was only taking part to fulfil a contractual obligation and dodge a multi-million dollar claim by the studio. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/54 "2009-01-28T14:07:21Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I think you may be way too into Nicloe Kidman. Yeah, I must agree. [According to Forbes in 2007](http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/11/hollywood-kidman-crowe-biz-media-cz_dp_1211overpaidcelebs.html), she tops the list of overpaid actors. Her movies generate $1 in revenue for every $1 paid to her. That’s not a box office draw. **The Invasion** was unintentionally hilarious, with her frozen face reacting to people being turned into unemotional automatons. > [@](#): > > On his talk show, Craig Ferguson talks trash about all the movies he’s been in. But to be fair, the ones I’ve seen are really, really bad. I’ve liked the Craig Ferguson movies I saw - **Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events** , \*\* The Big Tease\*\* and especially **Saving Grace**. But I love watching him anyways. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/55 "2009-01-28T14:28:28Z")
I can’t find a cite but I seem to recall some pointed silences during the usual promotional rounds from the stars of **The Avengers** (except Eddie Izzard, who doesn’t mind ridiculous roles). I think Messrs Connery and Fiennes are pretending the film was never made. And I rather like **Hudson Hawk**. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/56 "2009-01-28T14:37:43Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > And I rather like **Hudson Hawk**. Me too - and that’s all I care about, to be honest. If everyone in the world except me thought it was a pile of poo that doesn’t detract from the fact I enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/57 "2009-01-28T14:49:24Z")
I thought _Hudson Hawk_ was a piece of poo, but it was FUN poo. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/58 "2009-01-28T14:54:51Z")
I heard on another message board that somewhere in the commentaries for the special edition DVD of either _Batman Forever_ or _Batman and Robin_ that Joel Schumacher actually does finally apologize for what he did to the Batman movie franchise. As well he should. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/59 "2009-01-28T17:35:05Z")
Alec Guinness only agreed to play Obi Wan Kenobi on the condition that he not have to promote the film. He REALLY disliked Star Wars. [Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Guinness) Also, Ed Norton refused to do promotion for **The Incredible Hulk** after not liking the final cut. [Link](http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20191802,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/60 "2009-01-28T20:15:06Z")
I don’t remember where I saw or read it, but IIRC, Gwyneth Paltrow was disappointed with the final cut of that move where she was a flight attendant - View from the Sky, maybe? The way I remember the comment, it was something like she felt like the final version wasn’t the movie she’d made. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266.md?page=4)