13 Actors Who Wish They Could Turn Back Time and Turn Down These Roles (14 GIFs)

Early in their careers, many actors will jump at any role just to get some screen time. Years later, looking back on those projects can be downright cringe-inducing, and most would rather pretend they never happened. But early-career missteps aren't the only culprit—even seasoned Hollywood veterans aren't immune to a flop. Unfortunately for them, you can't hit delete on the past.





1. Ben Affleck, “Daredevil”



In a 2016 TimesTalks interview, Ben Affleck admitted that he "hates" Daredevil. That lingering frustration actually pushed him to sign on for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"—he "wanted to do one of these movies and sort of get it right, do a good version."

2. Michelle Pfeiffer, “Grease 2”





Michelle Pfeiffer told Hollywood.com in 2007:

I hated that film with a passion and could not believe how bad it was. At the time I was young and didn't know any better… I hear it's a cult movie now.

3. Halle Berry, “Catwoman”



When Halle Berry accepted her Razzie Award for Worst Actress, she didn't hold back:

I want to thank Warner Bros. for casting me in this piece-of-s***, god-awful movie. It was just what my career needed: I was at the top, and now I’m at the rock bottom.

4. Lindsay Lohan, “I Know Who Killed Me”



When a fan tweeted Lindsay Lohan that they had watched the thriller twice in one night, she quipped:

Two times too many!

5. Nicole Kidman, “Australia”



During an interview on a Sydney radio station, Nicole Kidman opened up about the romantic epic, admitting:

I can't look at this movie and be proud of what I’ve done.

6. Channing Tatum, “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”



Speaking to Howard Stern in 2015, Channing Tatum was brutally honest:

I’ll be honest. I f***ing hate that movie. I hate that movie. I was pushed into doing that movie.

He went on to blast the script, calling it awful.

7. Will Smith, “After Earth”



In a 2015 interview with Esquire, Will Smith called the film the most painful failure of his career. What made it particularly agonizing, he noted, was that he had brought his son Jaden into the project.

8. Cher, “Burlesque”



In 2013, Cher told The Guardian that director Steve Antin was "a really terrible director," adding:

It could have been a much better film. It was always sad that it wasn't a good film.

9. Kelly Clarkson, “From Justin to Kelly”



Kelly Clarkson told Us Weekly in 2015:

I cried on the phone for an hour with the creator of 'American Idol' and pleaded with him to let me out of the contract that said I had to do 'From Justin to Kelly.'

10. Bill Murray, “Garfield”



In an interview on Reddit, Bill Murray revealed the only reason he signed on to voice Garfield was that he mistakenly thought the writer, Joel Cohen, was one of the Coen brothers.

I was in a rush and didn't realize it was spelled Cohen, not Coen. I love the Coen brothers' movies; they make great comedies. So I barely even glanced at the script before saying yes.

11. Jamie Lee Curtis, “Virus”



In a 2018 interview, Jamie Lee Curtis called the sci-fi horror flick "Virus" a "piece of s***."

It's just bad. Shockingly bad, she said. That's the only good reason to be in bad movies. That way, when one of your friends makes a terrible movie, you can go, "Ah, I still win. I've got 'Virus.'"

12. Charlize Theron, “Reindeer Games”



"That was a bad, bad, bad movie," Charlize Theron told Esquire in 2008.

"It sucks, but I got to work with John Frankenheimer," she noted.

"I wasn't lying to myself—that's why I did it. I mean, he directed 'The Manchurian Candidate', which is a masterpiece."

13. And finally, Zac Efron, “High School Musical”



Zac Efron admitted in an interview with Men’s Fitness that looking back on his "High School Musical" days, he steps back and sometimes just wants to "kick that guy's a**."