In Hollywood, a little bit of self-confidence goes a long way, and a lot of it goes even
further.
An overly robust ego is practically a job requirement in the wayward world of showbiz,
and the industry is crawling with stars who could benefit from a generous slice of humble
pie (or two).
Or maybe even the whole pie.
Many Hollywood stars possess levels of arrogance that border on the pathological, and examples
are never too hard to come by.
So, without further ado, here are our nominees for Hollywood's Most Arrogant Celebrities.
It is humbling, no?
​Gwyneth Paltrow
In 2004, Gwyneth Paltrow earned a side-eye from basically the whole world when she went
on record with Vanity Fair as saying,
"I'm really f---ing good at my job and people who are interesting and good know that; and
that's all that matters."
The Shakespeare in Love actress definitely didn't stop there.
She's notorious for spouting out hysterically haughty quotes.
Some of her greatest hits include:
"Sometimes Harvey Weinstein will let me use the Miramax jet if I'm opening a supermarket
for him."
…or telling Elle UK,
"I am who I am; I can't pretend to be somebody who makes $25,000 a year."
...or telling Jonathan Ross,
"I'd rather smoke crack than eat cheese from a tin."
Her excessive ego-tripping hasn't gone unnoticed by anyone, earning her top honors in a 2013
"Most Hated Celebrity" list published in Star magazine.
Asked why she thought she'd won this dubious distinction, Paltrow told BBC World News,
"There's a perception that I grew up very wealthy and that I was given, that I was sort
of raised with a silver spoon in my mouth."
It didn't make her more modest, and in 2014 she didn't win hearts when she suggested Hollywood
actress moms have it harder than most working moms.
She told E! News,
"I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as [difficult], of course there are
challenges, but it's not like being on set."
It's rough being Gwyneth.
Faye Dunaway
If almost everyone she's ever worked with is to be believed, actress Faye Dunaway is
an absolute frightmare on and off set.
She reportedly channels the spirit of her most famous role a lot.
And as a real-life version of Bonnie and Clyde's Bonnie Parker, she's known to berate service
industry employees on the regular, allegedly believing she's entitled to special treatment
as a matter of principle.
In fact, an anonymous airline stewardess told the New York Post Dunaway made a scene at
JFK airport when she was refused an upgrade, saying,
"She was [...] screaming at everyone and saying, "Don't you know who I am?""
While filming Chinatown, the actress once reportedly threw a cup of urine on director
Roman Polanski because he wouldn't let her use the restroom.
Is it true?
No one knows, because asking about it brought about the fiery end of Xan Brooks's interview
for The Guardian.
Dunaway's response was,
"I am a lady and you were completely insulting."
Polanski, for his part, went on record as saying she, quote, "demonstrated certifiable
proof of insanity."
Insiders say Dunaway was nothing short of demonic on the set of Mommie Dearest, that
her erratic behavior caused movie staffers to quit, and there's a list of topics that
shouldn't be mentioned in her presence.
"... this closet when I told you no wire hangers EVER!"
Sounds like Dunaway hasn't exactly mellowed over the years, either, regularly making headlines
for continuing her tirade against photographers, journalists, and anyone else who she perceives
as disrespecting her.
Or merely existing.
​Miles Teller
There are many ways to earn the internet's wrath, but actor Miles Teller found a particularly
special one.
While being interviewed for Esquire in 2015 at Atlanta's Luminary restaurant, the Fantastic
Four actor told journalist Anna Peele that the highball glass was modeled after his manly
business.
Then he allegedly tried the same material on the waitress.
It's just one unsettling morsel in a feature full of them.
At one point, she quotes Teller as saying:
"I was thinking about […] how I probably think I'm better-looking than the public thinks
I am."
Beyond that infamous Esquire feature, which Teller claimed was "very misrepresenting",
the actor has demonstrated a robust sense of self-worth on plenty of other occasions.
In addition to sending angry texts to the powers-that-be when they pass him over for
starring roles, he's also fond of trash-talking his own films.
He told W in 2014 that he complained to his agent Divergent "sucks" and left him "feeling
dead inside", then offered the disclaimer that he only starred in the film for "business
reasons."
Meanwhile, while discussing his industry peers, he told The New York Times in 2014,
"I feel like a lot of actors of my generation are not proper actors."
A bold statement, for sure, but not even as bold as his comments about his heroism.
"You, you, this is unbelievable.
How did you…"
"I thought that's why you had me on here.
Movie aside, I thought you were honoring heroes this week."
Catherine Zeta-Jones
A certain Ocean's Twelve star is fed up, and you should know that Catherine Zeta-Jones
won't let you shame her for being both filthy rich and distractingly beautiful.
She made that clear to The Mirror readers in June 2018: should you ever be inclined
to scorn her for marrying Michael Douglas and living the high life, she's simply not
going to take it.
"One thing I'm not is humble anymore.
I'm sick of being humble.
I really am.
'So sorry I'm rich, so sorry I'm married to a movie star, so sorry I'm not so bad looking.'
No sorrys.
Enough."
Zeta-Jones regularly sings her own praises and brags about her wealth, once boasting,
quote,
"A million dollars isn't a lot of money for people like us."
Well then.
She's also super proud of the fact that she collects high-end treasures like some people
collect baseball cards, once quoted as saying,
"Some people collect art or lots of money.
We collect houses because if we have to look at something, we prefer the view."
Still, life is not without its challenges.
She shared a story with The Daily Mail in 2008 about the difficulties of multiple mansion
ownership, saying,
"The worst thing about having all these houses is that when I have an outfit and I think
it's going to look great with a certain pair of shoes, I remember they're in […] some
place I'm not.
So that's why I have to buy duplicates."
​James Cameron
If you ever bump into director James Cameron at an airport, you may want to duck.
In 2009, he was caught telling a fan to shove off, but those who know him say he's an equal
opportunity hater, with scorn that isn't reserved just for the fans.
Actor Josh Brolin claims the hotheaded director lashed out at him when he turned down a role
in Avatar, telling Esquire,
"James Cameron's f------g calling me this name and that name.
Whatever."
After selling scripts for Aliens, Rambo, and Terminator within a matter of months, Cameron
allegedly proclaimed he was extraordinarily proud he hadn't paid for his own lunch in
weeks.
And, in case you're wondering, he's also been quoted as saying he doesn't even bother reading
scripts that he didn't write himself.
Then, there's his reaction to winning the Best Director Academy Award for Titanic in
1998:
"I'm the king of the world, whoo!"
His ego was still a thing of wonderment in 2010.
After snagging a Best Drama Golden Globe for Avatar, he told a roomful of Hollywood bigwigs
to applaud themselves for having the best job in the world.
And finally, let's meditate on that notorious press junket interview for Avatar's DVD release,
when Cameron suggested he wanted to save us all from ourselves, saying,
"At this point I'm less interested in making money for the movie and more interested in
saving the world that my children are going to inhabit."
Shannen Doherty
According to former Beverly Hills, 90210 heartthrob Jason Priestley, on-screen sister Shannen
Doherty could be a shambling nightmare while making the series.
In his 2014 book Jason Priestley: A Memoir, the actor claimed Doherty's arrogance became
very obvious very quickly, thanks to a 1990 trip to New York City organized last-minute
by Fox.
She apparently had issues with the automobile that took her to the airport, snippily asking
a publicist:
"Really?
A town car?
You send a town car to take me to the airport, not a limo?"
Priestley claims Doherty spent the trip
"[...] complaining about the short notice and the food on board and the temperature
in the cabin and everything else."
Doherty has denied at least the limo part, later saying she doesn't even like limos.
Not really.
Priestley wasn't the only one talking about Doherty's insufferable divadom.
According to her book Deep Thoughts From a Hollywood Blonde, co-star Jennie Garth got
along with Doherty, quote, "like gasoline and a match."
At one point, she was allegedly so fed up with Doherty's bad attitude that the two almost
came to blows, but Doherty tends to chalk it all up to completely normal female interactions.
"I think when you stick three girls together, three girls who are all attractive, I think
there tends to be a little bit of drama, you know…"
If the rumors are true, Doherty's self-entitlement might have ultimately gotten her kicked off
the show.
Producer and writer Larry Mollin told Entertainment Weekly that Doherty didn't ask permission
before getting a haircut, so her brand-new 'do wound up destroying the continuity of
the Season 4 finale.
Katherine Heigl
If actress Katherine Heigl can brag about anything, it's a knack for drumming up boatloads
of bad press.
A casual Google-stalk draws up pages of articles dedicated solely to expressing hatred for
the actress, who's often accused of creating difficulties for her coworkers.
After working with the actress on Grey's Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes now uses "Heigl" as shorthand
for "troublesome talent," telling The Hollywood Reporter,
"There are no Heigls in this situation.
[...] I don't put up with bulls--t or nasty people.
I don't have time for it."
Heigl's bad reputation stems largely from her decision to decline a second Emmy nomination
for Grey's Anatomy in 2008.
As she said in a public statement,
"I did not feel I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in
an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from
contention."
Page Six reports Heigl will occasionally disparage her own films, saying of Knocked Up, quote,
"it was hard for me to love the movie."
Her comments were so hurtful they prompted an official response from costar Seth Rogen,
who said he didn't hold anything against her in spite of feeling betrayed by her words.
In 2010, she acknowledged that she may have something of an image problem but she wasn't
about to apologize for it, telling Meredith Vieira,
"I am a strong woman and I'm not going to apologize for that.
And I'm not going to, on behalf of my daughters."
Kanye West
Dissecting Kanye West's arrogance could swallow your afternoon whole, especially considering
many publications have devoted entire features to the cataloging of his ego alone.
After all, this is a man who was once photographed for Rolling Stone dressed in a crown of thorns
and decorated with buckets of stage blood.
If that doesn't say ego, nothing does.
No one can forget West drunkenly interrupting Taylor Swift at the Video Music Awards during
her acceptance speech for Best Female Video.
But we also shouldn't forget the time he threw a temper tantrum after a music critic gave
his tour a B+, the time he showed off his wife by posting nude pics of her on social
media.
And yet there's some hope for all of us.
In June 2018, West took to Twitter to announce that he'd "killed" his ego.
In another tweet, he revealed, "I thought my ego protected me from doubters."
Well, as fate would have it, plenty of people are somehow doubting there's any credence
whatsoever to these claims.