A star can rise in different ways, but sometimes it only really takes one role for an actor to break out. It can seem like a great thing from the outside, but what happens if the movie or show that made you a success is actually one you can't stand?
Here are 5 actors who became famous because of a particular role, only for them to later regret, disdain, or just want to distance themselves from it.
1. Regé-Jean Page – Bridgerton
While he'd been acting for several years before appearing in Bridgerton, I think it's safe to say that Regé-Jean's turn as the Duke of Hastings is what solidified his fame. However, the actor only ever signed on to film one season, and when audiences begged for him to return he was steadfast, even turning down £250,000 to cameo in the second season.
It's reported that Regé-Jean did this to move away from the series and focus on a career in film.
2. Robert Pattinson – Twilight
Before he stepped into the role of Edward Cullen, Rob was that guy who played Cedric in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He later became a household name after the first Twilight film, despite it being only his fourth movie. This didn't necessarily sit well with the actor, who felt the story was "weird", and that the films weren't quite what he expected them to be.
In fact, Rob once told Moviefone he would probably "mindlessly hate" Twilight if he weren't involved in the films, and later told Vanity Fair, "it is weird being part of... something you don't particularly like". He even went so far as to joke around with WOIO in 2012, telling them that the movies robbed him of his "dignity"!
3. Katherine Heigl – Knocked Up
Katherine truly had a moment back in the late 2000s when she began starring in hit rom-coms such as Life as We Know It and 27 Dresses. Though she'd earned recognition from her role on Grey's Anatomy, it was the 2007 film Knocked Up that introduced to an international audience. A year later, however, Katherine criticised the film and her role, calling it "a little sexist".
"It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys", she told Vanity Fair. "I'm playing such a bitch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie."
4. Miles Teller – Divergent
Miles's career came up in 2014 when he starred in the first of the big-budget Divergent films, as well as the indie drama, Whiplash. Though he won praise for latter, it was probably the former that solidified him as a star on the rise. However, for Miles it seems he'd rather all the glory went to his Whiplash role.
He recalled in an interview with W Magazine feeling "dead inside" when found out about Whiplash, and clarified that he'd taken the Divergent role for "business reasons". Of his role of Peter Hayes, Miles said, "I didn't have an interesting part". His excitement for Whiplash was far more evident; indeed, he began studying drumming and "shutting himself off from the world" before he'd even properly secured the part!
5. Taylor Lautner – Twilight
Another Twilight alumnus, Taylor has revealed that he found shooting the movies uncomfortable due to his ample shirtless scenes. "I'm always the only person with my shirt off," he told E! News in 2012 – "It's not fun." He has also spoken about the anxiety-inducing effects of fame, including being chased by fans and paparazzi: "I went so many years either not leaving my house, or if I did, you know, hats, sunglasses, and just scared".
As if all that wasn't enough, Taylor has further noted that his strenuous gym routine came to massively affect his perception of his body in real life. "When I was 16 through 20 years old, starring in this franchise where my character is known for taking his shirt off every other second, no, I did not know that it was affecting me or going to affect me in the future with body image", he said on his podcast. "But now, looking back at it, of course it did, and of course it is going to."
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