These Actors Don’t Watch Their Own Work
For some actors, signing on to projects and immersing themselves in their characters is enough for them, When the shoot is over, they move on to the next project. So,…
Cillian Murphy poses with the Leading Actor Award in the Winners Room during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2024 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 18, 2024 in London, England. Reese Witherspoon attends the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. Jared Leto attends the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures 3rd Annual Gala Presented by Rolex at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 03, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
John Phillips/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images/Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion PicturesFor some actors, signing on to projects and immersing themselves in their characters is enough for them, When the shoot is over, they move on to the next project. So, they don't feel the need to watch their own work. After months of filming for a movie or television series, the thought of watching themselves on screen isn't of interest. Actors have many reasons as to why they don't revisit their work.
Actors: They're Just Like Us
For one, reliving a fictional character's mentality and feelings is better left behind when it comes to more straining roles, especially when it comes to method actors. As humans, we tend to be our biggest critics, so nitpicking every perceived mistake in the final cut of a project could be too much for an actor to actually enjoy watching. Actors may come off as vain, but even they are not immune to insecurities that fans adore, like their faces and voices.
Sometimes, actors clash on set with other actors, directors, or the crew, and this can lead to a sour experience overall. Reliving a bad experience through watching the finished product may be something the actors might not want to relive. Production of films and television shows seems to be never-ending, with projects being filmed and released back to back. For some actors, they have just finished a role and jump right into another one without any breaks. There are even times when an actor has signed on for projects that overlap, splitting their time between sets, simultaneously switching between multiple characters. With critics and audiences alike throwing in their two cents about everything after the release, that adds to the self-consciousness actors face. There are so many reasons why actors refuse to watch their work. Below, we find out why these award-winning stars don't watch their own work:
Cillian Murphy
Andreas Rentz/Getty ImagesWhile the 'Oppenheimer' star has 61 acting credits, he hasn’t seen most of his films. The films Murphy usually avoids watching are the ones he hears “are not good," using his 2005 film 'Red Eye' as an example. In a previous interview with 'Uproxx' in 2021, Murphy’s feelings about watching his previous work were much harsher. “I hated watching myself,” he said. “I hated looking at myself on screen.” The Irish actor admitted he used to harshly judge his work and has since become less hypercritical.
Nicole Kidman
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesThe 'Big Little Lies' alum says she typically avoids watching her own performances for fear of being overly critical of herself. Despite being an award-winning actress and THE face of AMC Theatres, Kidman prefers to let her characters live on only in her memory. The only time she watched her own films was because of her unparalleled appreciation for director Baz Luhrmann, who told her to watch 'Moulin Rouge!' and 'Australia.'
Johnny Depp
Guillaume Horcajuelo/Pool/Getty ImagesThe 'Edward Scissorhands' alum is probably the most famous actor to state that he doesn't watch his own movies. Partly for the insecurity of watching oneself on screen, Depp prefers the experience. of immersing himself in a character rather than watching it on screen afterward. He stated, "Once my job is done on the film, It’s really none of my business. I stay as far away. If I can, I’d try to stay in as profound a state of ignorance as possible."
Reese Witherspoon
Leon Bennett/Getty ImagesThe 'Sweet Home Alabama' star's illustrious film and television career is something the actress has never had the pleasure of experiencing. Witherspoon never watches her own movies because for her, acting is a creative moment that remains with her until she is done with the project. She has even said that she has an “absolute amnesia about every movie” and if she watched them, she would “would spiral into a state of self-hate.” By avoiding watching her work, Witherspoon keeps her confidence as an actor intact.
Jared Leto
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for The Business of FashionThe 'Requiem of a Dream' star and 30 Seconds to Mars frontman claims that he hasn’t watched himself on screen in over 20 years! As an Oscar winner, it may seem like a surprise that Leto hasn't watched his own films, but he admitted in a 2021 interview just that. Leto doesn't watch his films because he believes he would think of all the ways he could have done better. He takes on method acting, fully engulfing himself into each character for the duration of filming. When the filming ends, Leto prefers to leave that part of himself on the set. The last film he watched of his in its entirety was 2000's 'Requiem of a Dream,' only because director Darren Aronofsky made him watch it.
Javier Bardem
Gareth Cattermole/Getty ImagesThe 'No Country For Old Men' star has never seen his characters on screen. In an interview with 'GQ' back in 2012, Bardem expressed just how much he loathes watching himself. He told the publication, "The fact that I like to make characters doesn't mean that I like to watch my characters being made." He admitted of his 'No Country For Old Men' character that he "can't even watch that f---ing nose, that f---ing voice, those ridiculous eyes. I can't handle that." However, when he's in the moment and acting, he doesn't think about those insecurities because he feels something stronger and bigger than that in his creative process. So much so, that the Spanish actor has that need to express it.
