What Actor/Actress do you like that most people dislike or think is untalented?

I actually have a lot of actors that people dislike that I think are fine. I tend to think the best of people. It takes all sort of people for the world to turn, and I think some of the people who might act the worst do it for reason that are not bad. Heinlein's Razor" might apply with these people, "You have attributed conditions to villainy that simply result from stupidity".

My number one pick of actress I like, who people hate, is Katherine Heigl. You hear rumors about her being tough to work with, but the rumors are never consistent. I chalk it up to - she attractive. Nobody likes a pretty face that is not stupid, so when she does not fall-into-line people dislike her on the set. Personally, I like her work and enjoy her on the screen. My favorite movie of her's is a TV movie Wish Upon a Star. I actually watched that movie mostly for the other actress Danielle Harris, but I was amazed at how much I liked Heigl in the 'popular' sister role. Then she was in "Knocked Up" and "27 Dresses". She just seems likable to me... Also, as a teenager she was in a DAMN Steven Seagal movie...how can you not like an actress in a Steven Seagal movie?

What actor/actress do you like that is not popular?

People hate Nicholas Cage, which is completely puzzling to me.

Nicholas Cage is like the punk band of actors

I like Owen Wilson and he gets a lot of flak

While i don't like him, Hayden Christensen is better than people think (after Episode II-III)...and i mean, even with shitty Star Wars writing he easily outperforms Natalie Portman in those, and she's a pretty good actress.

I think Chris Evans is a pretty good actor and thought so since ever after he got through the awful Fantastic Four Movies, but i think people like him since Captain America so that does not count?

Other than that i have an unusual fondness for Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, Amazing Spiderman 2, Life after Beth) and Anton Yelchin (Terminator Salvation, Star Trek Reboot and the surprisingly enjoyable Odd Thomas) and see it as a plus if they show up in a movie, but i don't know if they are actually liked/disliked

Meryl Streep. I just wish people would give that lady a break.

I would expect Shia LaBeouf to be a fairly popular answer

I'm gonna start the opposite just to get off my mind and list a couple of actors everybody seems to like that I just can't. I absolutely can't stand Bradley Cooper. In any role in any movie he's been in, I just don't find him likable or even believable. He's the Dolph Ziggler of movies for me (everyone likes Ziggler, I hate him). I'm also not a fan anymore of Melissa McCarthy because I find that she's just been typecast as this not-as-funny Chris Farley.

There's probably more but I'll just get positive for a bit and admit that I like movies with Tom Cruise. People hate him for the whole Scientology thing among other stuff but as far as his acting, I like him in the way I like Nic Cage. I also like Stephen Amell in Arrow. Not sure how his acting translates with other stuff but I rarely hear anything positive about his acting. He's cast as Casey Jones in the new TMNT movie which wouldn't be the first poor casting decision for that movie but maybe he'll fit the role? Also, Tommy Wiseau. The man's garbage acting can make me laugh harder than most comedians trying to be funny. That might say more about me than it does him but damn it he needs to be in more stuff!

@frybird: Have you seen Shattered Glass? That shit is on point.

I have always really like Keanu Reeves a lot. He has been in some pretty enjoyable films besides the matrix. He also seems a cool and down to earth guy.

I don't know how I would compare them really but clearly the directing was what made the actors so stiff in the movie I think. I think Portman is great so I just think that's what they had to work with there. I think most of the cast is good on paper the movies were just stiff and awkward that way.

I don't mind Jack Black. Not gonna sit here and say I like all of his movies but who likes every single movie an actor does really? Tropic Thunder,School of Rock, and Pick of Destiny are all pretty fun movies and I dug the Tenacious D show on HBO. Jack Black always seemed super self aware to me that he was not that cool and that was the joke. I dunno...Maybe it's just me?

Also I really love Cage...I mean that jacket in Wild at Heart is enough to win anyone over.

Andy Dick comes to mind probably the most. I can find him funny but I know a lot of people hate him.

Maybe Tom Sizemore and Mickey Rourke if people don't like them? Both have been great in some of my favorite movies.

Some people dislike Val Kilmer I find and I like him. I think he was good when he was Batman and any faults there were the movies more than him.

Tom Cruise I find to be a guy who usually plays the same guy in every movie but every once in a while I really like him and personally I can set aside anyone's personal life and just enjoy their work. I really think Cruise was amazing in Collateral.

I would say there's more often when I dislike an actor or actress everyone likes or gets big roles than the other way around.

I agree with Jack Black. I have seen some hate for him but I enjoy him when he has good stuff to work with. Tenacious D has some funny stuff and I like School of Rock.

@artisanbreads: Collateral saddens me in the long term, because THINK OF HOW MANY GREAT SOCIOPATHIC VILLAINS TOM CRUISE COULD'VE BEEN but he is still primarily the leading man in everything he's cast in.

Kristen Stewart for me. I've pretty much forgotten about Twilight by now, and I thought she was pretty good in Still Alice.

Dude seriously to the bold. I think he was honestly channeling himself (hopefully that doesn't seem mean but that's just my honest read on him). He was so good though. He made plenty of money being the leading action guy in a lot of movies but I would have liked to see that.

@pie: That implies someone actually likes Shia Labouf

I like Michael Cera. People give him shit for basically playing the same part all the time, but fuck those people.

I like Hayden in "Life As a House", he was great in that.

It is telling that under 'good direction' and with a 'good script' Hayden DOES play a disaffected angry teen that is redeemed. Anyone who has not see "Life As a House" should see it...it is sappy but good.

I liked her in Adventureland (2009), The Runaways (2010), and Camp X-Ray (2014). I mean she plays "fucking" Joan Jett in a believeable way...how is she really bad?

I'm gonna join with the Tom Cruise -liking. I tend to think of him as kinda one-note but when I'm watching his movies he does seem to draw me into his characters more than I'd expect him to.

David Spade too. As awful as these Happy Madison movies have been, I feel like that house's not-really-caring manner of acting has actually been his legitimate style in a way I appreciate.

Apparently people really don't like Anne Hathaway. Also Gary Oldman said some bad things at some point? I dunno, I like em both in everything I've seen em in.

I think Jack Black is a charming dude.

Also in general I don't let an actor being an asshole sway my opinion on their work, so people like Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson don't end up on my blacklist.

I agree with some of the names listed in here. Jack Black has always seemed like a really sincere dude. I was an extra in one of his movies and he was the nicest guy on set. Keanu Reeves always seemed like a pretty cool bloke as well. Seeming like a good person goes a long way with me. That's why I'll say that I think Brendan Fraser is unfairly crapped on or ignored.

Tom Cruise, love that guy.

Are there enough Jack Black detractors for him to qualify for this particular distinction? That upsets me if true.

I love Jack Black in anything that he just plays himself in, like School of Rock and Tenacious D, but I haven't seen any range on his part. His other comedies don't tickle me in the right way, and his dramatic work hasn't been a great thing for him either. I mean, he has the last line in Jackson's King Kong and it sucks. It's delivered really, really badly.

He seems like a cool dude, no offense to him as a person, but I don't think he's a great actor.

He went through that Jim Carrey phase of playing the same character in everything for about 20 films.

I think Channing Tatum is good for what he does, especially in 21 Jump Street.

@apparatus_unearth: Came in to say the same, except I'd cite White House Down.

Do people dislike John Cusack or what?

Tom Cruise basically plays Tom Cruise in anything he's ever been in and he's really good at it.

Tom Cruise and Ben Affleck.

Just gonna be a copy cat here and say Nicholas Cage. Not only does he have a history of being incredibly talented (Adaptation), but when he's not good it's always in a way that I feel all actors should be not good. He tries his damnedest to be entertaining even when he knows he's in a shit movie and has nothing to work with. He goes all the way, every time. Nic Cage is love, Nic Cage is life.

@brodehouse: Fuck John Cusack.

Keanu Reeves is probably the closest to the OP's description, I think Tom Cruise and Nic Cage are too well liked to fit the description and someone apparently said Meryl Streep? You know the best actress who ever lived, that Meryl Streep? Yeah she doesn't really strike me as someone that people think isn't talented.

I think there are? I get the impression that people turned really hard on him in like the late 00s/early 10s.

And yeah, he's my answer for this too. He's definitely had some not-great stuff, but I really liked School of Rock and The Pick of Destiny, plus their first two albums (though I think the third one is pretty unfunny). I even like that fake Jazz EP they put out recently.

I think you would totally change your tune on Jack Black's range if you see "Bernie" directed by Richard Linklater. It's the true crime story of an absurdly nice small town guy who gets pushed too far...

My main nominee for this topic is Kristen Stewart, who totally won me over as Joan Jett in "The Runaways."

Cant say keanu reeves has ever surprised me with his acting ability in what ive seen, but hes not as bad as people make him out to be. Plus he seems like a genuinely stand up dude all things considered.

On the twilight flip side i would also say robert pattinson has some chops. He was damn good in water for elephants.

Up until recently I would've said Matthew McConaughey, he was always an easy target for people because he did romantic comedies. But I guess True Detective and Dallas Buyer's Club made people realize that he's a good actor which I've always been like "No shit, you guys, have you not seen A Time to Kill?"

I like Vince Vaughn. I can admit it.

Keanu Reeves has had a pretty crappy life and seems like a stand-up down to earth guy. I think he seriously lives in a small apartment in NY or something.
I agree that Christensen got way too much shit for Star Wars.
Cruise, despite his behaviour off screen, is still one of the most solid actors around. It is too bad that he plays a generic hero role an awful lot, but he makes up for it for stuff like Edge of Tomorrow, Magnolia, Collateral and Rain Man. He's also pretty great in Minority Report and Vanilla Sky.
Carrey's been out of the spotlight for a while, but I hope that he can channel the same type of acting he did for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind again.
Cage just gets a free pass from me because of Matchstick Men and Lord of War. I've heard that a big reason behind him being in so many crappy films is because he has a massive amount of debt due to not being great with how he spends his money.

Everyone always hates on Anne Hathaway, and I never understand it. She's certainly no Cate Blanchett, but she's been fine in everything I've ever seen her in.

Agreed with the Tom Cruise crowd. I dislike him as a person, but damn if he doesn't keep pumping out entertaining movies.

I like Adam Sandler. Punch Drunk Love is a great movie. I also like that he's pretty much made a career by being a cynical asshole.

Yeah, I've liked her in most things that weren't Twilight. I kinda hope she lands a role in another big movie and, hopefully, knocks it out the park so people can forget about that awful awful franchise. I won't say she's the best actress around, but it's a damn shame that those are the movies she's known for at the moment.

I dunno. Kind of a hard one since I don't know what actors people really seem to dislike fairly universally? I guess Jack Black. Or maybe Vin Diesel? A lot of people I know think he's "that guy in the Fast and Furious movies," and kind of write him off as a dumb meathead stereotype, but he's actually capable of some pretty good stuff, particularly in the voice acting arena.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Edward Norton. Everyone I know seems to think he's awesome, but I find him extremely one note and hard to listen to. I've never been able to sit through a single movie he's been in. Not American History X, not Fight Club. Not even Kingdom of Heaven and I didn't even know he was in it!

I really like Val Kilmer and John Cusack. Val Kilmer mainly for his role in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Cusack for I don't know what. Probably Identity, which isn't that good of a movie. But I watched it right after watching Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians and Clue with Tim Curry, so I was in a Cast of Characters murder mystery mood and enjoyed it a lot.

It takes just one role for me to have undue affection or appreciation for an actor.

Mel Gibson?

I like Vin Diesel as well. He is most definitely not a meathead. Guy is super into D&D.

Shia Leboeuf - My opinion of him mostly changed after watching Fury a couple of times. If we forget about the whole plagiarism thing, the guy can do good and I don't dislike him as most people do.

Tom Cruise - Yup, he's kind of a nutjob but also apparently an amazingly nice guy to work with. He's also super dedicated to his craft, doing the vast majority of his stunts and I always respect that.

Keanu Reeves - Not that great of an actor, but I find him enjoyable to watch (Matrix, John Wick being obvious standouts). The man also happens to be a great human being.

Bonus - This is people I don't particularly like as actors, but I've heard they were better than the material they're most known for. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) and Hayden Christensen (Star Wars) all had the unfortunate writing and tone of those movies to deal with, so I think I should give them a chance and watch some more recent stuff.

That was going to be my answer. I genuinely like the Magic Mike movies, specifically XXL (one of my favorites this year). I also like the Step Up movies, though I do think they progressed after he left the cast (not a remark on his ability). Then again, I'm a sucker for a film with well choreographed dancing.

Tom Cruise. He's consistently in good to great movies and has done some brilliant work in movies like Born on The Fourth of July and Magnolia. Seriously, look at his resume...very, very few bad movies compared to most actors.

I also think it's lame people started hating on him because of Scientology. I mean, it's his religion who cares? Lots of religions are just as silly. He's always been good to fans it seems and gives his all when acting considering he consistently does insane stunts when he could just hire a stuntman.

I think Hulk Hogan would've been alright if he had someone pick better roles for him. Also, Jimmy Nail.