Even film stars hate their jobs

Watching international stars strut down red carpets around the world, smiling, posing, waving, and ultimately promoting the blockbuster films they've starred in, makes us envious. They're beautiful, they're wealthy, they're admired, actively participating in the creation of audiovisual products that will travel the world and - depending on their value or their grip on the audience - will remain in history of either the small or big screen. They give faces to wonderful stories and characters that move us. And then they work only a few months a year, earn a lot, and can choose what they want to do and what not. Or at least that's what we think, mesmerized by flashes, spotlights, and glitz, by luxury clothing and sparkles. Some actors, however - perhaps the most sincere and confident ones - tend towards sarcasm, raise their eyebrows, scoff at some films they've done more than others. And they don't hesitate to say so.

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

It's not hard to believe. Sometimes fame has mysterious mechanisms. Some actors become famous by making low-quality films (or at least perceive them as such) that gain great popularity, especially among young people, and even though they owe their careers to them, they prove to be a little bit ungrateful. These roles, in fact, are so important to the public and to pop culture that they prove difficult to shake off, especially when trying to elevate one's career. How many times has it happened to us poor common mortals? We enter a new job carrying with us our old position, feeling trapped and limited by the role assigned to us. These people don't know who we really are! And so, we could almost say that even being an actor is not a perfect job. More or less.

The Case of Dakota Johnson: Madame Web and Fifty Shades

Lately, social media has been buzzing about Dakota Johnson, who - as a guest on Saturday Night Live to promote her new movie Madame Web - stated: "I have a new movie coming out. It's in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Sydney Sweeney is in it too. So it's like if artificial intelligence generated the perfect movie for your boyfriend." Social media had a lot of fun with this statement, suggesting that the actress didn't quite like the movie. Furthermore, considering the news that Dakota has changed her representation agency, some speculate that she accepted the role only expecting to be part of a film belonging to the Marvel canon, and not to one of those by Sony, like Morbius or Venom, which are neither well-received by the audience nor by critics. Whether these things are true or not remains unknown, but Dakota Johnson is no stranger to this kind of attitude, as she has shown in some interviews regarding the Fifty Shades saga, which made her famous.

Robert Pattinson and Jacob Elordi

Also, Robert Pattinson and Jacob Elordi have "renounced" their origins. Pattinson has repeatedly stated that he didn't quite understand or appreciate the saga about Mormon vampires by Stephanie Mayer. In 2020, he told Variety: "Twilight is a weird story. It's weird that people consider it romantic." This is just the latest in a long series. Although over time he has also said: "The only scary part was being in it during the height of its success, it was really intense. Now they're just very fond memories" and "It's not cool to be a hater. It was cool in 2010." His career has now freed itself from the significant shadow of Edward Cullen, and Pattinson has collaborated with non-main stream directors like Claire Denis and Robert Eggers, and played complex roles. On the other hand, Jacob Elordi doesn't seem to have passed his rejection phase towards The Kissing Booth yet. The series of romantic teen movies, available on Netflix, still haunts him today. In fact, to GQ, he said: "I didn't want to make those movies. They're ridiculous. They're not universal, they're just an escape."

Actors Who Still Seem Very Happy with Their First Roles

Not all actors look back with horror at their first significant role, quite the contrary. Even if he's a child star - something we know isn't always healthy, and Drew Barrymore is just one of many examples - Daniel Radcliffe has never stopped loving Harry Potter, even after distancing himself from the transphobic views of the author, J.K. Rowling. He seems content with his rise to teenage star, as does Zac Efron, who concluded his acceptance speech for his star in the Hollywood Hall of Fame by shouting "Go, Wildcats!" just like Troy Bolton did in the days of High School Musical.