Anyone else turned off of certain actors because of personal preferences? (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Mr. Ron E. Didn't you say Will Smith too once?

Laugh. I did. His ego shows up long before he does.

 

[JoeDoakes]

Leslie Howard. Just find him insufferable. I own GONE WITH THE WIND, and try to ignore him . I would never own his version of ROMEO AND JULIET (co-starring the above-mentioned Norma Shearer), as both actors are too old for their parts, and I can't stand them anyway. I'd like to own PYGMALION, but the Howard casting holds me back.

Personally, I think his Pygmalion is the best I've seen him in any film. If you haven't seen it, you might give it a chance. He fit the part better than the other titles you mention.

 

[JohnMor]

I used to dislike someone that I've done a complete 360 on and come to love above most others: Jessica Lange. When she started out in King Kong, I thought she was awful. Beautiful, but a very limited actress. Even through the Frances/Tootsie acclaim, I didn't really see the appeal. She had a couple of very annoying habits that I found cloying and distracting. She always seemed like she was fidgeting and in tight two-shots she frequently looked her co-stars in the mouth, not the eyes. It always took me out of the scene. Then I saw her in Costa-Gavras' Music Box and fell in love with her work in that film. I thought, I finally see what others have been talking about, but curiously, I wasn't sure why. Then I saw an interview where she said that character was the furthest thing from herself she had played up to that point. And I thought, ah ha! She is really a character actress! And sure enough, from Grey Gardens to American Horror Story and beyond, she has become, in my opinion, one of our greatest living actresses.

I'm glad that I didn't hold too tight to my early opinion of her, but in all fairness, she also dropped some of those annoying habits she exhibited early on. (Though last season she had a scene on AHS where she briefly looked her scene partner in the mouth while saying her lines. And I just smiled.)

 

[Thomas T]

I would never let an actor's personal life or physical looks get in the way of their work as an actor. That is what I judge them by. Two of my very favorite directors are Roman Polanski and Woody Allen and while I disapprove of their morals (or lack of them), that's not going to stop me from checking out their latest films. There are actors whose political persuasion are completely different from mine but I have just about every major film that John Wayne and Charlton Heston starred in.

There are actors I can't stand like Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe but it has nothing to do with them personally. I will normally avoid films with these two actors but if they work with a director I like, they won't stop me from going. So I went to Blue Jasmine (hated the film and her phony performance) because I never miss a Woody Allen film and I went to Noah (flawed but well done) because I want to see anything Darren Aronofsky does.

And there's a good performance in even the most annoying actors. Adam Sandler did just fine in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love.

 

[Parker Clack]

I have a hard time with stand up comics doing basically their stand up routines in a movie.
Actors like Chris Rock and lately Kevin Hart. They are great comics. But I can't stand their
performance in the roles they take on.

I too really don't like Jack Black and Adam Sandler. I haven't liked Sandler since his SNL days
let lone the movies he has been in. I liked Jim Carrey at the beginning of his movie career
but it has been down hill from there.

I don't know what it is but I also have a hard time watching Kate Mara. Just something about
the way she comes off on screen. She appears to be playing the same person over and over
no matter what the script calls for.

 

[Robin9]

There are very few actors and actresses I dislike and it is always because of their screen "persona" and never because of their looks or private life. (Some of my favorite actors and directors, I suspect, I would have disliked as people: Frank Sinatra, Rex Harrison, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford)

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I'm not a fan of these kind of topics.

Agree. Threads like this usually tell us more about the people posting than about the actors.

I'm also not sure why this is in the Blu-ray area anyway...

 

[albert_m2]

I'm also not sure why this is in the Blu-ray area anyway...

My thought too.

 

[jcroy]

There are very few actors and actresses I dislike and it is always because of their screen "persona" and never because of their looks or private life. (Some of my favorite actors and directors, I suspect, I would have disliked as people: Frank Sinatra, Rex Harrison, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford)

More generally, the same can probably be said of other niches (outside of movies/tv).

Some "giants" which are famous in a particular niche, sound like complete douchbags in their personal lives. One notorious example is Sir Isaac Newton.

 

[Dick]

Agree. Threads like this usually tell us more about the people posting than about the actors.

I'm also not sure why this is in the Blu-ray area anyway...

It probably shouldn't have been in the Blu-ray forum, you're right.

With regards to your other remark above, you and Colin always have the option of not reading any thread here that is going to offend you.

Does my post tell you a lot about me? Not a lot, really, only that I'm being candid, admitting to a character flaw I have, rather than trying to come across as some perfect being who has no inexplicable prejudices with regards to some actors. My suspicion is that we all have dislikes for the mannerisms of certain people (call it "bad chemistry"), even if we keep them well-hidden.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

There was something about Shia LeBoeuf I always disliked, but I couldn't put my finger on it until his incident at the revival of Cabaret.

Well at least he didn't sing along with Tomorrow Belongs To Me and give the salute at the end.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Ronbo once disliked George C. Scott.

Until he saw Patton.

 

[ahollis]

I will refuse to watch a Jack Black or Adam Sandler movie.Dislike both these talentless actors.

Thought I was the only one in the world that has a disdain for these two's work. They are just not funny, but then their work is not geared to me. I also have a problem with most of Ben Stiller's work. Boy I just keep causing controversy this week.

 

[McCrutchy]

Since people keep bringing it up, I've often thought that Adam Sandler (like Eddie Murphy) does have talent, but he simply doesn't challenge himself at all, because he can make millions of dollars on the comedies that he makes with his friends. And when you look at the credits, you will see, he is always making these movies with and for friends. The lone outlier in his filmography is the aforementioned Punch Drunk Love, which I have not yet seen, but which was very well-reviewed, if I recall correctly.

You can say what you like about the man, but he has clearly found the secret to life. Married once, and for over eleven years, with two kids, working just as hard as he has to for the next project, and in that, probably (hopefully) making sure his family is well-adjusted. He certainly seems to disappear when he is not around for a movie, so I've always assumed that his family and kids are top priority, and that the cookie-cutter films and money are for that reason.

So, if he can keep making these films, and the "sheeple" keep coming out in droves, why stop?

That said, it would be nice if he did make a couple more different films later down the line.

 

[sidburyjr]

Several of you have mentioned Will Ferrell. And I agree with you in general. However, I really like "Stranger Than Fiction". So perhaps even the most objectionable actors have at least one shining moment.

 

[schan1269]

Several of you have mentioned Will Ferrell. And I agree with you in general. However, I really like "Stranger Than Fiction". So perhaps even the most objectionable actors have at least one shining moment.

The Other Guys.Some people hate Wahlberg, but the end credits duck joke is one for the ages.

 

[Steve_Pannell]

Will (Ferrell or Smith).

 

[Mark-W]

I only gave American Horror Story a chance because of my love of Jessica Lange.

I used to dislike someone that I've done a complete 360 on and come to love above most others: Jessica Lange. When she started out in King Kong, I thought she was awful. Beautiful, but a very limited actress. Even through the Frances/Tootsie acclaim, I didn't really see the appeal. She had a couple of very annoying habits that I found cloying and distracting. She always seemed like she was fidgeting and in tight two-shots she frequently looked her co-stars in the mouth, not the eyes. It always took me out of the scene. Then I saw her in Costa-Gavras' Music Box and fell in love with her work in that film. I thought, I finally see what others have been talking about, but curiously, I wasn't sure why. Then I saw an interview where she said that character was the furthest thing from herself she had played up to that point. And I thought, ah ha! She is really a character actress! And sure enough, from Grey Gardens to American Horror Story and beyond, she has become, in my opinion, one of our greatest living actresses.

I'm glad that I didn't hold too tight to my early opinion of her, but in all fairness, she also dropped some of those annoying habits she exhibited early on. (Though last season she had a scene on AHS where she briefly looked her scene partner in the mouth while saying her lines. And I just smiled.)

 

[Dr Griffin]

It probably shouldn't have been in the Blu-ray forum, you're right.

With regards to your other remark above, you and Colin always have the option of not reading any thread here that is going to offend you.

Does my post tell you a lot about me? Not a lot, really, only that I'm being candid, admitting to a character flaw I have, rather than trying to come across as some perfect being who has no inexplicable prejudices with regards to some actors. My suspicion is that we all have dislikes for the mannerisms of certain people (call it "bad chemistry"), even if we keep them well-hidden.

I try to adhere to what I said in my previous post, as I seem to be growing more tolerant with age. I will admit to not taking Schwarzenegger seriously when I was younger, but I later learned to appreciate what he does best. Here's a gimme: Emma Stone does nothing for me, and I think I've only seen The Help, since I'm not seeking out her films. I'm sure there are others that I subconsciously or even consciously dismiss, but if I have a gripe with a performer it usually doesn't last long. I save my grudges for people I actually know.

 

[Ray H]

Can't say there's anyone I dislike enough to avoid their movies. I had a strange dislike for Eddie Redmayne largely because he came off as a creepy, pale, freckled muppet in everything at the start of his career. But I'm mostly mature enough to get over something like that.