During the course of our careers at some point and time, we are all forced to do a job we don’t want to do. For many actors, that’s no different. Due to contract disputes and stipulations, many actors are forced to take roles that they hate. Don’t believe me? Think this is something that only happens to small time actors? Well, you’re in for a big shocker.
Here are five actors that were forced to take roles they hated.
Mike Myers (The Cat in the Hat)
Due to a lawsuit, Mike Myers was contractually obligated to Universal Pictures to play the title character in a live-action adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss book. Myers made no effort on set to get along with his co-stars, and if you watch the film, he didn’t make much effort on screen either. The result was a movie so bad that Seuss’ widow said she’ll never let Hollywood ever make another film version of her late husband’s works.
Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe)
More like G.I. No! I hated this movie and Channing agrees. In an interview with the Howard Stern show, Tatum said that he was “pushed into doing that movie,” and that he had to do it to satisfy a contract he had with Paramount Pictures. He went on to say that he loved the cartoon growing up but thought the script was subpar. If you’ve ever seen the movie, it’s hard to disagree with Channing here.
Edward Norton (The Italian Job)
After Norton’s breakout role in 1996’s “Primal Fear”, he signed a three-picture deal with Paramount Pictures. The first of those films was the breakout success “Fight Club.” Long story short after “Fight Club” Edward failed to agree to another film for three years ad Paramount had enough. They offered him “The Italian Job” which he declined. Paramount then sent him a letter saying that he didn’t have a choice. After a bit of legal wrangling, Norton eventually relented and appeared In the film against his will.
Jennifer Garner (Elektra)
After the release of 2003’s superhero film “Daredevil, ” the movie studios wanted a spinoff starting Garner’s character Elektra. The film was horrendous and a box office flop to say the least. In an interview with Us Weekly Garner’s ex-boyfriend revealed that she didn’t want to do the movie and only did it because she was contractually obligated because of “Daredevil.”
Keanu Reeves (The Watcher)
Of all the actors on this list forced to take a role, they hated this is the most controversial and shocking. Shortly after the success of “The Matrix” Reeves was forced to star In then friend Joe Charbanic’s serial killer flick “The Watcher.” How was he forced? Reeves alleges that Charbanic forged his signature on the contract to appear in the film. Instead of dealing with a lengthy and costly legal dispute Keanu played ball. However, he did no promotion for the film and hasn’t held back in revealing how much he disliked the script.
Conclusion
Having seen a few of the movies on this list I can’t blame these actors for trying to reject taking these roles. I kind of feel sorry for these actors… Nobody wants to be pressured to do work they don’t enjoy or find beneath their standards… But then again… They could be forced to do jobs they hate for only $15 an hour like the rest of us…
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