Films are a peculiar medium that comes with plenty of risks.
No one who works on them knows how well they’re doing until the finished product comes out.
This may make it seem like every actor goes to watch the films they were a part of, but
that’s not always the case.
Some only watch a few, some are forced to, and many never do.
There are many reasons for this decision, from avoiding a major hit to their self-esteem
to a desire to never look back.
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Keep watching to learn about the long list of actors who don’t watch their own movies.
Meryl Streep This major actress has more awards on her
shelf than almost anyone else.
By 2018, she’d broken her own record for the most Oscar nominations for any actor at
21.
She’s also won 2 Best Actress Academy Awards, 2 Primetime Emmys, and more.
These accolades haven’t changed her opinion of her work.
She admitted in an interview at the People’s Choice awards that she hasn’t seen any of
her movies more than once.
She prefers to just move ahead and focus on the next one.
Johnny Depp Johnny’s been in over 45 films, appeared
in several TV shows and helped produced several other projects.
He admitted in a 2009 David Letterman interview that what happens after his work is done is
none of his business.
Johnny wants to stay as far away from them as possible after that and doesn’t like
watching himself.
He made this choice years ago because he felt that not doing so could be harmful.
His only regret is that he doesn’t get to see the talents of his friends who worked
on the films with him.
Reese Witherspoon Filming or recording yourself can lead to
a major hit to your self-esteem when you watch it back.
Reese admits that it can even send her into a spiral of self-hate.
That explains why she hasn’t watched any of her work.
She also said in a 2010 interview with the Daily Express that she intentionally blocks
out everything she’s ever made.
It makes her feel strange if she ever catches a clip of herself by accident.
It’s like a sense of deja-vu where you can’t place why something seems familiar.
Javier Bardem This rising actor became famous for his role
in No Country for Old Men.
He became a major Latino sex symbol, but that doesn’t keep him from criticizing his physical
features on screen.
A few particular areas he tends to criticize are his nose, voice, and eyes.
He enjoys playing the characters that he brings to life, but he can’t watch them after the
fact without becoming too critical.
Julianne Moore The theater is a medium where you can see
how the audience reacts to you but can’t see yourself.
Julianne admits that her background in it is part of why she hasn’t seen any of her
movies.
She occasionally attends but refuses to sit through any premieres.
It’s too difficult for her to watch the results of her work without being able to
change anything she doesn’t like about it.
Joaquin Phoenix This increasingly popular actor hasn’t missed
out on all of his films.
He has seen 2 of them; Her and The Master.
He’s curious about how the rest of them turned out but chooses not to give in to the
urge.
He believes that going to see them could negatively affect his career.
Joaquin doesn’t like watching himself on camera and notices every mistake.
It’s understandable why that could be dangerous.
Andrew Garfield The first hint that Andrew belonged on this
list was when he admitted to the Hollywood Report that he hasn’t seen Never Let Me
Go.
He followed it up by saying he hasn’t seen most of his movies out of fear that he’ll
notice a mistake that will damage his confidence.
It takes outside forces to convince him to go to any premieres.
He was pressured by the filmmakers into watching The Social Network.
He hasn’t said anything about how he felt about that one, but hopefully, it helped him
realize how talented he is.
Jared Leto Jared won an Academy Award for Dallas Buyer’s
Club.
Despite this, he admitted to the New York Times that he hasn’t seen it.
Part of the reason is his unique view on the filmmaking process.
He feels that actors don’t have much input on the final product.
He’d rather start over with a new film once he’s done with the one he just finished.
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Keep watching to learn about more actors who don’t watch their own movies.
Nicole Kidman This acclaimed actress has only seen 2 of
her films; Moulin Rogue and Australia.
The first was for Baz Lurman’s sake, but she rarely sees her work on her own.
A lack of an emotional connection is sometimes the reason.
She can’t be proud of herself in films where she plays characters she can’t connect with.
She sometimes relies on her husband Keith to tell her if she did well in a film.
Harrison Ford Some actors refuse to see any movies in the
biggest franchises in the world.
Harrison Ford gave life to the classic Indiana Jones but hasn’t seen any of the films.
Rupert Grint Here’s another actor who hasn’t watched
the hits he brought to life.
He admitted in a 2021 Variety Fair interview that he stopped watching himself as Ron in
the Harry Potter movies after the 3rd one came out.
At the same time, he feels that his daughter may force him to go back to them soon.
Angelina Jolie Some actors prefer being in movies to watching
them.
Angelina Jolie fits in this category.
She expressed a lack of connection to her role in the action movie Wanted but notes
that her ex-husband Brad Pitt enjoyed it.
She also says she preferred watching his movies over her own.
Jesse Eisenberg An interview about a recently released movie
sometimes forces actors to admit they haven’t seen it.
Jesse had to do this while promoting The Double on The David Letterman Show.
He added that he hasn’t seen any of his other movies, either.
Jesse also said that he hated attending the screening of The Social Network at The Lincoln
Center.
The public loved it, but all he could think about the entire time was how much he didn’t
want to be forced to look at his face.
Eric McCormack Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble was released
during Halloween in 1993.
It’s one of the most successful of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s many film appearances
and is still popular today.
That doesn’t mean all of its cast hold it in high regard.
Eric McCormack, who played the twins’ father, has said he loves talking about that early
role because it makes him feel young but has never seen it.
He believes that it may have come from fears over how he performed in that early stage
of his career.
He also said that feeling may have subsided enough in the 30 years since its release for
him to stream it.
Constance Wu One experience watching yourself on camera
can make you swear to never do it again.
She said on a 2020 appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan that, after watching Crazy
Rich Asians, she never saw any talk show or TV appearances.
Like most other actors on this list, she feared it would make her too self-critical and focused
on the past.
Adam Driver This acclaimed actor had a similar experience
to both Constance Wu and Julianne Moore.
He had a theater background that changed his opinion of his appearances.
He also had one particular experience that made him swear off watching any of his work
again.
He hated seeing himself on the pilot of the HBO show The Girls.
He felt obligated to attend the screening of The Force Awakens.
He also went to the premiere of BlacKKlansman but hid in the greenroom the entire time and
then returned to take a bow.
Tom Hanks Even the most acclaimed actors in the world
feel that watching their movies can be a horrible mistake.
For Tom Hanks, this even includes ones that earned him nominations for Best Actor, including
Forest Gump, Philadelphia, and Cast Away.
He’s proud of his work but has no desire to go back to it.
He doesn’t feel that would be as educational as many may think it could be.
He says that it only teaches actors a bit about what not to do but doesn’t help them
improve because they can’t change what they’ve already done.
Saoirse Ronan This beautiful actress told Vogue in 2018
that looking at herself onscreen gives her massive anxiety.
To her, it feels like looking at old photographs all day and makes it too difficult to not
become consumed with your image.
That’s why she chooses not to see her films as a way to protect herself.
Sarah Paulson Many actresses have one breakout role that
gets them piles of acclaim and shoots them to the heights of fame.
For Sarah Paulson, that was Marcia Clark on The People vs. O.J Simpson: American Crime
Story.
Sarah told Vanity Fair that, along with winning her first Golden Globe, it was the first time
she’d received so much praise for performance.
It affected her confidence strangely by making her nervous.
That was in part because she had a deep emotional connection to the character.
It all made it too difficult for her to watch her performance.
Al Pacino Even actors with a decades-long career may
not watch any of their performances.
Al Pacino, one of the biggest names in Hollywood, doesn’t feel the need to go back to his
previous roles.
Al remembers the characters he’s played as well as almost anyone who has watched them
but doesn’t want to dwell on them.
He feels glad if they’re great but forgets them and moves on if they’re not.
If you were an actor, would you watch your finished films?
Let us know in the comments section below.
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