Let’s be real: Hollywood casting has a sordid history, and not all roles are ageless. Some roles that once seemed like career-makers were aging ones—or inciting outrage immediately. Now, more actors are freely confessing when they’ve crossed a line in taking on a role through discriminatory stereotypes, whitewashing, or fatphobia.
It’s great to hear stars apologize, claim their own mistakes, and critique the industry’s errors. Here are eight actors who have publicly spoken about regretting some of their most objectionable or problematic film roles.
8. Emma Stone in Aloha
When Emma Stone starred as Allison Ng, a character who was labeled part Chinese, part Hawaiian, and part white in Aloha, the casting decision became an example of Hollywood whitewashing. Stone has since admitted the role was a mistake and says she learned a lot from the experience. At the Golden Globes, when Sandra Oh joked about her casting, Stone famously shouted, “I’m sorry! ” from the crowd. It was a moment of humility, but also a reminder of how deeply entrenched Hollywood’s whitewashing problem really is.
7. Viola Davis in The Help
Viola Davis’s performance in The Help was stellar, receiving general acclaim when the film was released. But now, in retrospect, Davis has spoken about how she regretted it. She’s stated that the film made good intentions, but in the end did not put the Black maids’ voices at the forefront that it sought to represent. Rather, it overly relied on a white-savior story. As Davis said, “At the end of the day, it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard.” Her observation emphasizes how crucial the real point of view actually is in fiction.
6. Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal
Gwyneth Paltrow wore a fat suit to portray the “love interest” in Shallow Hal, and the film depended on fat jokes as the primary punchline. Nowadays, Paltrow quite frankly refers to the experience as humiliating, explaining that she understood the issue the first time she ever wore the suit—because everyone on set treated her differently. She has since called the film a disaster, admitting the damage done in commodifying body size as a gimmick instead of accepting it as a part of someone’s humanity.
5. Rooney Mara in Pan
Rooney Mara’s casting as Tiger Lily in Pan elicited backlash immediately, and she went on to confess that the criticism was fair. The role of Tiger Lily had been written as Native American when she was cast as white. Mara has stated she regrets being on “the wrong side” of the whitewashing debate, going on to say that she never wants to make such an error again. It was an eye-opener to how strong representation or the absence of it is in determining audiences’ knowledge of culture.
4. Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
Eddie Redmayne was Oscar-nominated for playing Lili Elbe, the first known patient to receive gender confirmation surgery, in The Danish Girl. Though applauded then, Redmayne now wouldn’t reprise the role. He’s owned up to it being a blunder, with the reason that trans actors should be allowed to act trans characters and should have been allowed to audition. His remorse indicates just how far the debate over representation has moved within a few years.
3. Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry
Hilary Swank received an Oscar for playing Brandon Teena, a trans man who was killed in 1993. But in hindsight, she has admitted the role should have been played by a trans actor. Hollywood wasn’t offering trans actors the roles they merited at the time, and Swank has stated she hopes this has improved for the best. Her moment of reflection speaks to the amount of work that is still left to be done when it comes to casting authentically.
2. Sarah Paulson on American Crime Story
Sarah Paulson faced backlash for donning a fat suit to portray Linda Tripp in American Crime Story: Impeachment. Paulson has since come forward and said she wishes she had not made the decision, recognizing both her privilege at being considered for the role and the greater damage of fatphobia in Hollywood. She’s talked at length about not going into it critically enough, and now regards it as one of her big learning experiences in how jobs are to be tackled with greater responsibility.
1. Eiza González in Lola, érase una vez
During her teenage years, Eiza González applied blackface for an acting role in a Mexican telenovela. Years later, when pictures began trending again, she immediately made a public apology, admitting she was thoroughly ashamed and that she’d been bullied then. González conceded that she did not possess the voice or understanding at the time she has now, but she felt compelled to own up to it.
It’s a painful reminder of how hurtful these decisions are, but also an example of somebody trying to take responsibility for past errors. Hollywood still has a long way to go, but these confessions are part of the shift toward more thoughtful, inclusive casting. It’s not easy to admit when you’ve been part of the problem, but by doing so, these actors are pushing the conversation forward. The hope? That the next generation of performers won’t have to look back on their careers with this kind of regret—because the industry will finally get it right the first time.