# Performers whose offscreen persona ruins their work for you **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775 "2002-04-15T17:08:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/1 "2002-04-15T17:08:22Z")
This is **not** restricted to the film world. Who are the performers whose real-life persona interferes with your ability to enjoy their work? Reasons of course may vary: Maybe you saw an interview in which the person(s) made racist comments or was(were) simply an ass, or maybe they have politics that are in radical opposition to your own, or maybe you have “insider info” on some of their backstage behaviour. Example: I can not watch any Jean Claude Van Damme movie without thinking “You egotisical a\*\*hole!” every time his face is on the screen. I find him totally unbelievable as a sympathetic character of any kind, especially if he tries to play the “nice guy”. I can not enjoy his movies as a result. (Not that they are particularly well-crafted oeuvres from the start.) I’ve seen him be a blatantly egotistical twit in many interviews and I’ve had friends who’ve had to work with him. It is customary at the end of a shoot, to have a “wrap party” and typically the higher-ups give the crew small gifts as tokens of appreciation – a materialistic way of saying “good job.” Depending on where you stand on the food chain, the quality of your gift may vary. Crew members will often get baseball caps, jackets, maybe a nice (but not overly expensive) watch. JCVD crew gift? He gave the crew autographed pictures of himself. ---
**Author:** ![shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/2 "2002-04-15T20:14:50Z")
David Boreanaz. He comes off like an idiot in interviews. Plus, did you see that piece of drek he married? :shudder: ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/3 "2002-04-15T20:25:16Z")
I must admit, some of the philosophies and/or bigotries expressed by Vanessa Redgrave, Mel Gibson, Lina Basquette, Jane Fonda and a few others do make my brain-pan hurt a bit when I watch them onscreen. Oh, and Emil Jannings, who actually moved back to Germany in the early '30s and joined the Nazi party? Feh! to him. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/4 "2002-04-15T20:48:33Z")
Alec Baldwin is an extremely talented actor; look at _Miami Blues_, for example, or note that the people who work on SNL consider him one of their all-time great hosts. Sadly, he’s also a loudmouth putz who obnoxiously and grating expresses his liberal views, thoroughly embarrassing those of us who would otherwise claim him for our side. He’s the Ann Coulter of liberalism. ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/5 "2002-04-15T20:57:49Z")
I met a lot of the newsanchors and talking heads at the 2000 Dem convention in L.A. Suffice to say that Larry King is a real class act and a sweet guy who went to a lot of trouble to make time for his fans (one after the other). And I have to give Robert Novak credit. As unpopular as he was with the crowd, he was down on the floor talking to people and doing his job. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/6 "2002-04-15T22:04:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > **Alec Baldwin … he’s also a loudmouth putz who obnoxiously and grating expresses his liberal views…** Is he still here? I thought he was going to leave the country if Bush won. Should we go help him pack? Loudmouth putz, indeed. That’s putting it mildly. Oh, that’s right, we’re not in the Pit. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/7 "2002-04-15T22:16:25Z")
Any actor or actress that is a member of the cult of Scientology. ---
**Author:** ![CzechHistory411](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@CzechHistory411](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CzechHistory411)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/8 "2002-04-15T23:12:53Z")
Wagner. Perhaps he doesn’t count as a performer, though. – CH ---
**Author:** ![Chupacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chupacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chupacabra)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/9 "2002-04-15T23:24:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Any actor or actress that is a member of the cult of Scientology. \*\* I’ll second that. I love John Travolta in Get Shorty until I start thinking about all that Scientology crap. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/10 "2002-04-15T23:48:30Z")
I’m consistent in my inconsistencies. I’d agree about Cruise and Travolta, except I loved “The Color of Money” and would see “Mission Impossible” on DVD, and would go see “Pulp Fiction” (but not “Battlefield Earth” unless I was with good friends and some good drugs :D). Larry King and Baba Wawa make my teeth itch, but that’s because they’re terrible butt-sucking interviewers. Then there’s Greta von Sustern, who pats herself on the back for coming out about her plastic surgery (but didn’t come out all the way, apparently, she’s had more than she’ll admit). David Letterman’s pretty abrasive off-screen, but that wouldn’t stop me from enjoying his show. Oh, Danny Bonaduce, sultan of sleaze. I’d run him over in a heartbeat. Yes, Danny, we know you’re a media whore, but you’re tedious and annoying. Just go away. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/11 "2002-04-16T00:05:15Z")
Hehe, I love Danny Bonaduce. He’s a morning radio host here in L.A., and I listen every morning. Yes, he is a media whore, but I think he’s a funny media whore. I’ll 4th the Scientology cult members. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/12 "2002-04-16T01:19:21Z")
I still remember Gerard Depardieu’s claim that he frequently commited date rape, and that most young men do. Anyway, he’s also ugly as a mud pit. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/13 "2002-04-16T02:05:18Z")
I’ve started to read some things about Sean Connery as a person which are absolutely ruining him for me. Charlton Heston, definitely. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/14 "2002-04-16T02:06:35Z")
Yeah, I’ll fifth the Scientology dupes. ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/15 "2002-04-16T02:26:24Z")
I’ll sixth the Scientology bit. I was extremely disappointed to realize how far to the left James Garner was. I never liked Bill Murray after I saw him on a late night talk show deriding Cary Grant for being gay. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/16 "2002-04-16T03:21:41Z")
Apparently, Alec Baldwin is doing a lot of backpedalling about his comments on the election. [http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/outrage/leave.htm](http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/outrage/leave.htm) Count me in on the Scientologists. It doesn’t ruin the work for me, but I have make an extra effort to get into it. I was about to say Oliver Stone and his political views, but then his movies _are_ his political views. ---
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/17 "2002-04-16T03:40:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CzechHistory411 \* > \*\*Wagner. > > Perhaps he doesn’t count as a performer, though. > > – CH \*\* Richard Wagner died in 1883. I don’t think it’s fair to lessen his legacy because the Nazis listened to him…does Charles Manson detract from the White Album? Personally, I think that Russell Crowe’s alleged behavior has diminished his work a little bit. ---
**Author:** ![Dirty\_Earthworm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Dirty\_Earthworm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dirty_Earthworm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/18 "2002-04-16T04:26:18Z")
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Woody Allen yet. Hilarious movies - a brilliant director - but I can’t support anyone who would bone the barely-if-even 20-year-old daughter of the woman he was living with. (Weren’t Woody and Mia married? Wouldn’t that make Soon-Yi his step-daughter? Eeeww!) -Dirty ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/19 "2002-04-16T04:32:12Z")
Oh, man, some of this thread is disillusioning – **bluethree** went and spoiled a couple of movies I really liked… ☹ Definitely agree about Crowe and Heston (although I do think the latter was wonderful in the Branagh _Hamlet,_ much as I can’t stand his politics). OTOH, I don’t think I’d be much of a fan of Cruise or Travolta in any case. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![stankow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@stankow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stankow)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775/20 "2002-04-16T04:40:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dirty Earthworm \* > **I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Woody Allen yet. Hilarious movies - a brilliant director - but I can’t support anyone who would bone the barely-if-even 20-year-old daughter of the woman he was living with. (Weren’t Woody and Mia married? Wouldn’t that make Soon-Yi his step-daughter? Eeeww!)** Nope and nope. Matter of fact, Woody and Mia weren’t even living together. Though they had a long-term relationship, they maintained separate living quarters and were never married. Yes, the whole Soon-Yi thing was creepy, but it wasn’t as creepy as the late-night talk show hosts would have you believe. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performers-whose-offscreen-persona-ruins-their-work-for-you/103775.md?page=2)