Actors take immense pride in their work and strive to make their performances stand out among the crowd, but when their film is finally released many would prefer not to see themselves on screen. Sometimes it's an overly critical mindset and other times simply anxiety at seeing oneself in front of a crowd and being able to nitpick every little decision made. Here are some actors who don't watch their work if they can help it.
8 Johnny Depp
Depp is famously known for not watching his performances, revealing it for the first time back in 2009 on TheLate Show With David Letterman. Depp's refusal to watch himself comes from a combination of being finished with a project and not looking back and insecurity when it comes to witnessing his work on screen. Depp told Letterman that he "prefers the experience" of making a film, rather than watching it. On an episode of Ellen, he even revealed he's only seen some of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie after running out of the theater.
7 Adam Driver
Driver has made headlines when refusing to watch or listen to his performances, famously walking out of an NPR interview in 2019 when the interviewers played a clip of his singing when they were told not to do so. Similar to Depp, Driver can be overly critical if he watches himself - noticing all the mistakes and changes he would've made.
But Driver also states his reasoning for not wanting to watch his work is due to his background in theater, where you can make changes every night and aren't filmed. Starring in the Star Wars franchise, however, seemed to convince Driver enough to at least watch some of his performance as the villain Kylo Ren as he's a huge fan of the franchise.
6 Reese Witherspoon
Some actors even forget scenes they've done in iconic films when they don't watch their work and Reese Witherspoon is one of them. She's gone on record stating she refuses to go back and watch herself when she was younger, leading her to often forget certain scenes she was a part of. "I have absolute amnesia about every movie I have ever made," she commented in a 2010 interview. She's also very critical of performances and becomes self-conscious, often spiraling.
5 Bill Nighy
Many actors are overly critical of themselves when watching their performances back, even in highly successful franchises, and no matter how much praise they get they just can't sit down and watch themselves. Nighy has starred in some of the most recognizable films and franchises, like Love Actually and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but he says he gets depressed if he has to watch any of his movies back. His critical analysis goes further into a depressive spiral that he'd rather not enter if he can help it. Going as far saying that watching himself "robs him of any pleasure".
4 Constance Wu
Ever since she starred in the extremely successful 2018 romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, Wu won't let herself watch any of her performances or even talk show interviews! Like her fellow actors who won't watch their work, she can be very hard on herself if she goes back to watch her performances and would rather focus on her present projects. Even some of her most successful projects, Hustlers and Fresh Off the Boat, are projects she isn't interested in revisiting.
3 Jared Leto
Similarly to Wu, Leto stopped watching his performances after starring in one of his most acclaimed films - Requiem for a Dream. Since 2000, Leto claims he hasn't seen any of his movies as it is difficult for him to sit there and watch himself. Leto takes it even further by not watching playbacks of his scene work on set, preferring to focus on his character rather than those critical voices in his head." Who wants to look at themselves that much? I read the script, I know exactly what happened," he stated in a 2021 SiriusXM interview.
2 Emma Stone
Stone revealed to fellow actor Timothée Chalamet in 2021 on an episode of Variety Studio: Actors on Actors that she hates watching herself and has never been able to watch one of her most popular films, Easy A. "I went to a friends and family screening to see it and I had to get up and walk out," she claims, "Who wants to watch themselves for that long?" This comment leads to the belief that Stone hates to watch any of her performances, feeling uncomfortable with seeing herself on screen for such a long period. She doesn't appear to be as averse to watching herself as other actors, but she doesn't enjoy it either.
1 Nicole Kidman
While she's seen a few of her films, Kidman can't stand watching any of her performances, sometimes resulting in extreme reactions. After watching her film Australia, she could barely stay in her seat before leaving the screening at the end to catch a plane out of Australia with her family. She didn't want to see anyone's reactions or read any reviews. The only two films she's seen where she starred in them are both Baz Luhrmann pictures, Australia and Moulin Rouge, out of an obligation to the director.
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