Which Actors Do You Irrationally Hate?
Disgust welled up in me the other night when watching the Golden Globes. When Robert De Niro walked on stage to accept his award I let out a groan. Man, do I hate him. And he's not the only actor.
This may be a controversial choice given De Niro is beloved by millions and is often described as one of the greatest actors of his generation or some other similar platitude. And, yes, he has delivered some wonderful performances in some great movies. I also can't stand the sight of him. I just don't like Robert De Niro and it's not even because he made all those Fockers movies or Rocky and Bullwinkle. There is something inexplicable about him that makes turn around and spit on my shoes.
Yes, just like all those actresses we inexplicably hate, there's a whole host of men we hate as well. I'm not talking about the people who justify our anger. This is not Nic Cage, who never met a bad movie he wouldn't make or a paycheck he wouldn't cash. We're not talking about the Christian Bales of this world, who behave badly and get caught screaming at crew members. Tom Cruise, now almost universally loathed, has given us plenty of excuses to hate him, including his weird grin and adherence to an alien-loving pseudo religion. No, I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the guys who just make the bile rise in us for no good reason.
Next on my list is Shia LaBeouf. That kid makes me want to punch a kangaroo in the testicles. Maybe it's something to do with unfettered ambition and phony "Aw, shucks" personality. I just wish he would transform himself into a space shuttle and just fly away forever. Oh, and how about Russell Crowe? Sure, State of Play was better than it should have been, but even thinking about the prospect of spending two hours staring at his man-paunch makes me want to poke my eyes out with Shia LaBeouf's fingernail clippings. I didn't like him when he was hamming up L.A. Confidential and Gladiator, and I like him even less now.
And the list doesn't end there! I can't forget Jamie Foxx, Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, and, for some strange reason, Oliver Platt. But then again, these things defy explanation, so why should I even try to figure out why I can't stand Platt? Like the actresses, the actors that we hate probably have something to do with the things we hate about ourselves. Who knows? Who cares? They're celebrities and their job isn't just to act in movies, but also be judged by people for no good reason. After all, having a charismatic star or a lead actor that makes the audience nauseous can make or break a movie—even if the consumer hasn't read a review or seen a trailer.
You might even love some of these guys that are on my list. Sometimes the people that are most beloved, we can't help but hate. And sometimes those that nearly everyone can't stomach, have some rabid fans. Since we're socialized to treat women and men differently, we do seem to hate the men for different reasons than we hate the women. For actresses is usually has to do with how they look or how they make us feel. When it comes to actors, it usually has more to do with their attitude—how Robert De Niro hoists his sturdy Italian chin above all of us like he knows just how good he is, how Shia LaBeouf is like that kid in business school or earnestly attends networking events, how Russell Crowe throws a phone when a underling pisses him off. It has nothing to do with appearance, it has everything to do with attitude. [Images via Getty]
The one thing that makes them equal is how much contempt we harbor for them, for whatever reason, or no good reason at all! Now it's your turn. You shared plenty of vitriol for the men when we did this for the ladies, but share who you irrationally hate in the comments below. Maybe if we get all the negativity out we can make the world a better place.
