Many of us dream about the perks of fame: the money, the attention, and all the pretty faces. But for some celebs, fame is definitely not all it is cracked up to be. With fame comes a price: you have no privacy and you're treated differently (that's why so many celebs claim that they are really just regular people). Famous people need to make some sacrifices and many would agree that they are totally worth it. But some celebrities have been so disturbed by the negative side of fame that it has actually had them questioning their career choice. It doesn't look like fame has genuinely deterred celebrities from continuing to work in the biz... but that doesn't mean they don't complain about it sometimes, of course. Celebrities have a lot to say about the downsides of fame and insist it is not as glamorous as we would think. Here are 15 celebs who actually hate their fame.
15 Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart started out acting in indie films, which did not garner her much attention at first. But she rose to fame when she was cast as Bella in the Twilight franchise. Many people have commented on the fact that Kristen does not seem to want to smile in pictures and seems “ungrateful” for her position. While Kristen insists that this is not the case, she has been blunt and to-the-point when it comes to her view on fame. She has said, "Fame is the worst thing in the world. Especially if it's pointless. When people say, 'I want to be famous' Why? You don't do anything.” Kristen’s apathetic view on fame seems a bit harsh! Still, Kristen has continued to act after the Twilight saga finished. We definitely think that she's so passionate about her art, she's not willing to give fame despite the fact that she thinks it's basically the worst.
14 Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf’s story is kind of a depressing one. He went from an innocent and hyperactive kid on his Disney Channel show Even Stevens before acting in films. He was doing great for a while but then began acting kind of weird (to put it mildly). His behavior escalated until he released a short film, which word-for-word plagiarized someone else’s work. After facing criticism, he tweeted “In light of the recent attacks against my artistic integrity, I am retiring from all public life.” Shortly after, he showed up on the red carpet of the Berlin Film Festival wearing a bag over his head, declaring “I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE.” That is not weird at all… His odd behavior aside, he has semi-stuck to his word—he has not shown up in any notable projects lately. He still has to deal with getting recognized, however, and many people report having weird encounters with the (former?) actor.
13 Megan Fox
As ridiculous as this sounds, Megan Fox has had kind of a rough go of it. She has faced major gender issues and harassment in Hollywood. She is not afraid to speak her mind, though, and revealed the unfair treatment she received on the set of Transformers. Megan has always been brutally honest and took the same approach when discussing fame in a 2013 interview: “I don't think people understand. They all think we should shut the eff up and stop complaining because you live in a big house or you drive a Bentley. So your life must be so great.” Well, it definitely looks great! But Megan says there is a darker side to this lifestyle. “What people don’t realize is that fame, whatever your worst experience in high school, when you were being bullied by those 10 kids in high school, fame is that, but on a global scale, where you’re being bullied by millions of people constantly.” She has a point!
12 Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis, the breakout star of The Hangover movie franchise, has a similar take on fame. He said in a 2014 press conference for Birdman, "Being a celebrity is sh*t - it's dumb and I'm not interested in it. I like to be an actor, and that's it. The blurred lines are, I think, man made. I think celebrity is a man made thing. It's not innate in us. We have people telling us, 'We should pay attention to these people' for all the wrong reasons, their personal lives and whatnot... I'd rather just do my work and go home and watch Lifetime." We don't like to pass up a good Lifetime movie either, but we can't imagine what it's like to have millions of people know all about our personal lives. Zach's love of acting has seemingly kept him in the business. We are super happy about that because, of course, he makes us laugh so hard our sides hurt!
11 Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer seems like someone who would really dig the perks of fame. After all, she doesn't take things too seriously. But unfortunately, she too has a cynical outlook on it. At an event in New York City, Amy told the crowd “I’m, like, newly famous, and it turns out it’s not fun. Did you guys know that?” We definitely didn't! She continued, "I’m just now learning that my dreams have been a sham and that it’s actually not great and it just only comes with pain.” Dang! We wonder what she has been through to develop this view. Of course, maybe she was only exaggerating so she would be funnier. After all, being funny is what she does best. She feels so strongly about the pitfalls of fame that she actually made a sketch about it on her show Inside Amy Schumer. NY Mag describes the sketch like this: “As fans in a coffee shop bombard Schumer with rude greetings (“you’re Fat Amy from that singing movie!”) they grow increasingly wild, mobbing her with demands — a selfie, a boob-grab, a bite out of her leg — until she eventually ends up with her head on a spike. Nobody simply wants to meet her: They want to photograph her, capture her, consume her.”
10 Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence, who happens to be Amy Schumer’s BFF, also doesn't seem to take life too seriously. However, Jen has faced some major invasions of privacy during her career, so she too has grown to have a cynical outlook on fame. “I am just not OK with being famous,” she told Vogue. “It's as simple as that. I am just a normal girl and a human being, and I haven't been in this long enough to feel like this is my new normal. I'm not going to find peace with it." Although in 2016, her tune seems to have changed a bit. She told Glamour “But I hate the ‘movie star blues.’ We are so lucky, and I love my life. I wouldn’t take any of it back for anything. So I don’t like complaining about it.” That’s the way, Jennifer! Might as well roll with it! We love that she has realized that fame is just part of doing what she loves.
9 Robert Pattinson
Like Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson also got his breakout role in the Twilight franchise as the dreamy Edward Cullen. The obsession with Robert became fanatical... and Rob was not happy about it. He was so unhappy, even, that he fell into a depression for two years due to the pandemonium that came with being Edward Cullen: “I went through a big time of depression between 23 and 25. I could not go where I wanted to go. I was in the tabloids every day, and I didn’t have access to the roles I really wanted. I wanted more, on every level.” It sounds like the height of his fame was actually very frustrating for him. Luckily, the Twilight saga has ended and the craziness has died down. Rob has been able to play different and varied roles, just like he wanted. He still probably gets mobbed wherever he goes, though!
8 George Clooney
The handsome George Clooney has been in the entertainment business for a while now, but he still refuses to get a Twitter account. That is because he believes keeping to himself is the best way to handle fame. He told Esquire that people probably think “What's the guy in the big house on the hill got to complain about?” But as he puts it, “"The big house on a hill is isolating. There's no other way to say it. There are restrictions to this kind of fame. I haven't walked in Central Park for 15 years. I'd like to, you know?" He continues, “There’s a funny thing about fame. The truth is you run as fast as you can towards it because it’s everything you want. Not just the fame but what it represents, meaning work, meaning opportunity. And then you get there and it’s shocking how immediately you become enveloped in this world that is incredibly restricting.”
7 Sia
Sia is an amazing singer and has written some of the catchiest songs on the radio. You definitely know her songs. But if you have ever spotted her at a public event, she is usually donning a giant wig that covers her eyes. Sia does this for privacy as she suffers from social anxiety. She is brave to put herself out there for her art. “I didn't want to be a famous singer... I would like not to be picked apart or for people to observe when I put on ten pounds or take off ten pounds or I have a hair extension out of place or my fake tan is botched. Most people don't have to be under that pressure, and I'd like to be one of them." In a way, she has gotten her wish. No one talks about any aspect of her appearance aside for her wacky wigs. And think about it, what do you really know about Sia’s personal life?
6 Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is really suffering from the downsides of fame now that he is going through a very public divorce (for the second time, of course). Everyone wants to know every tiny detail of the split. Even before the break-up, Brad Pitt tried to be private about his family. "It's everything we didn't sign up for,” he said about fame. “There's this whole other entity that you get sucked into. You have to go and sell your wares... Somehow you're not supporting your film if you don't get out on a show and talk about your personal life. It has nothing to do with why I do this." Brad Pitt has been a popular subject in the tabloids from the start of his career, and it does not seem like that is going to change soon. Rumors have always swirled around about his high-profile relationships, and it seems that this frustrates him to no end.
5 Ricky Gervais
Funnyman Ricky Gervais has been in the entertainment biz for awhile, but that does not mean he is used to the fame that comes with it. "The worst thing about this job for me is the fame,” he said. “I’ve never understood why anyone wants people to know who they are. That’s the thing I wish I could turn off.” Unfortunately for Ricky, attention and having all eyes on you is part of the territory. Ricky just wishes he could do his thing without people asking questions about his personal life. Ricky feels so passionate about this subject that he actually wrote a blog for the Huffington Post. “I wanted to be the funniest person in the room, not the most famous,” he wrote. “I never knew I was honing a skill that would eventually transcend sociability to become a lucrative career. In fact, I never really thought about even having a career.”
4 Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford has had an outstanding career as an actor, yet he does not always appreciate some of the things that come with the job. "There's nothing good about being famous,” he was quoted as saying “You always think, 'If I'm successful, then I'll have opportunities.' You never figure the cost of fame will be a total loss of privacy. That's incalculable. What a burden that is for anybody. It was unanticipated and I've never enjoyed it.” To Harrison, the perks of the job aren't exactly worth it: “You can get the table you want in a restaurant. It gets you doctor's appointments. But what's that worth? Nothing." It seems as though, like many of the actors and singers before him, the lack of privacy and the public’s need to pry into his private life are affecting his views on Hollywood. Even so, Harrison has continued to be successful in his acting career.
3 Katy Perry
This vibrant singer is often a popular subject with the press. However, the pop singer believes that fame is not why she does what she does for a living. "I'm tired of being famous, but I'm not tired of creating. Fame is just a disgusting by-product of what I do,” she explained to Teen Vogue. Looks like another person in the entertainment business who is willing to put their privacy on the line for the sake of their art. Fortunately, Katy has learned to cope with having all eyes on her. “But I stopped focusing on what other people think a while ago. It's a delicate creature,” she said about fame. “A wild animal of sorts. It can love you, and then it can attack you." It seems like Katy’s coping method is just to ignore the negative aspects that come with fame and not listen to the opinions other people want to share about her personal life.
2 Vanessa Hudgens
This bubbly singer and actress is used to being photographed. In fact, years ago the paparazzi revealed her then-relationship with Zac Efron when they were spotted being intimate at the beach together. She has also suffered from a major invasion of privacy when personal pictures of her were leaked. Twice. So it made sense when she told The Daily Star, "I don't like fame, it turns into something else. Some people like the idea of fame but I don't." Vanessa has managed to overcome any setbacks, however, that fame has thrown her way. She credits her strength to her spirituality, saying in 2013 “A sense of knowing I'm a part of something bigger than myself has allowed me to enjoy life more. And not worry about the little things…like paparazzi.” It seems this outlook has stuck with as she always seems cool and confident when at events or even caught in candid pictures.
1 Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is known as a gorgeous and dedicated actress. That doesn't mean she doesn't hate certain things about being famous, though, because she totally does. “I don’t like celebrity,” she was quoted as saying. “I don’t like this whole culture that we’re living in now, and I don’t like this casual attitude that if you decide to be an actor then your life is up for grabs.” What exactly does she mean by “up for grabs”? She elaborates: “It’s just not nice to go and get your groceries and have seven cars following you. I think I am becoming a little bit more closed off because of it.” Understandably, it must be tough to not be able to do everyday things without the world paying attention to you. The lack of privacy these celebs get must be extremely frustrating. On the other hand, none of the celebrities on this list have gone into seclusion yet. So maybe it is worth it!
Sources: Stylecaster, Ranker
