Stars Who Refuse To Watch Their Own Hit Shows
Have you ever wondered whether actors watch their own films and TV shows? Many of them do, and as strange as that might sound, this makes perfect sense. It's only natural to want to see your work in its final form, and to be curious about how well you were able to do your job. However, not everyone revels in the thrill of seeing themselves on the big screen, and it's equally understandable to want to opt out of the practice of self-watching.
There are many reasons why actors avoid watching themselves on screen. Some fear that they'll hate what they see or be too self-critical, and some simply aren't interested or connected to their creative projects. Just as there are actors who watch their on-screen appearances religiously, there are many who avoid self-watching like it's the plague. While these feelings may be justified, you might still be surprised at which actors have admitted that they have not or will never watch their own works.
Connie Britton and Adam Levine (American Horror Story)
"American Horror Story" is a horror anthology series that debuted in 2011. Throughout its long lifespan, the series has shocked and terrified viewers with disturbing frights and sickening scenes that often go way too far for comfort. It's not just audiences who often shift in their seats and shield their eyes from the screen — there are even actors on the show who can't handle the heat.
Connie Britton, who plays Vivien Harmon in Season 1, "Murder House," and reprises the role in Season 8, "Apocalypse," is one of those unsettled viewers. Actually, she's made a specific effort at not being a viewer, claiming that while she's not proud to be such a scaredy-cat, the show really is too horrifying for her to watch.
Before anyone gets too hard on her, it should also be noted that Britton is not the only "AHS" actor with a weak stomach. Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine, who makes a small cameo in Season 2, "Asylum," also said he's too scared to watch the series. You know a show has to be pretty terrifying if the actors who make it refuse to see their work brought to life on-screen.
Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
Dame Maggie Smith plays the iconic role of Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the British period drama series "Downton Abbey." The series was met with adoration from its viewers at its outset, a popularity which Smith met with great joy and appreciation. However, this popularity did make an interesting thought occur to her, which is that she herself has never seen the show.
In a "60 Minutes" interview in 2013, after the show's first three increasingly popular seasons, she said she hadn't completely rejected the possibility that she might someday get around to it, but she said she's fearful she would be too harsh on herself should she revisit her performance. When she's watched herself act in the past, she said, she always finds something to critique and ends up kicking herself for the things she wishes she would have done differently or not done at all. The innate desire to critique oneself, which many actors are inclined to engage with, is not one Smith feels she's strong enough to resist. For now, Smith isn't up for "Downton Abbey."
Andrew Lincoln and Frank Dillane (The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead)
When "The Walking Dead" premiered in 2010, it quickly became many audiences' favorite zombie show. It gained a cult following with die-hard fans who religiously watch every episode, from the original 11-season series to its several spin-off series. If you were to go through all the viewers who regularly tune in, though, you would not find Andrew Lincoln among them.
Lincoln played the show's lead, the gritty zombie-slayer Rick Grimes, for nine seasons. He holds a strong dedication to his character and takes the role of an actor very seriously, which is why he won't watch the show. He told Entertainment Weekly in 2013, "I don't actually enjoy looking at myself." When he watches himself, he said he picks up on quirks of his performance that he likes or doesn't like, which he said negates the whole point of being an actor. "I just want to leave myself alone as much as I can," he said. "It breaks the spell, it breaks the magic somewhat." In a 2017 interview with TV Insider previewing the show's eighth season, Lincoln confirmed that he still hadn't seen a single episode of the hit AMC series.
Another actor in "The Walking Dead" universe who won't watch himself on-screen is Frank Dillane, the actor who plays Nick Clark in "Fear the Walking Dead." In opposition to Lincoln's dogma, Dillane told Entertainment Weekly he probably would benefit from going back to review and critique his work but has a bad habit of never getting around to that practice. "I really don't want to watch it," he said, "but I think I'm coming to an age now as an actor where it's time to start actually looking and analyzing and going, 'Right, well, that didn't work,' or, 'Right, this did work.'"
Jodie Sweetin (Full House)
Jodie Sweetin played the young and adorable Stephanie Tanner on the family sitcom "Full House," going on to reprise her role in the spin-off "Fuller House." Her stint as Stephanie launched her into stardom and gained her a support system of co-stars, whom she said to ABC News were just as much of a family off-screen as they were on.
Despite everything this show gave her, Sweetin said she's never seen a single episode of the series. Before anyone turns her "How rude!" catchphrase against her, it should be noted that this has nothing to do with any bad blood or ill feelings regarding her time on the series. She said at the same PaleyFest Fall TV Preview event (via ABC News) that she doesn't even own a television and instead subsists on streaming services. While we don't know whether Sweetin watches "Fuller House," she told Today that her daughters aren't fans of the reboot. "They've watched it before, they used to come to tapings, but at the end of the day, it's mom," the actress said. "They're not really that impressed."
Ellen Pompeo, Eric Dane, and Ravi Patel (Grey's Anatomy)
There must be something in the water at "Grey's Anatomy," because there's a whole series of actors who don't watch the medical drama series despite having been in it. Ellen Pompeo, who plays the long-running character of Meredith Grey, said she doesn't remember most of the episodes she filmed, a memory fog which is bolstered by the fact that she doesn't watch the show. "I haven't really seen most of them," she said on her podcast, "Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo." "I've watched only a handful." She said she's seen a few episodes as research for the times she directed "Grey's" episodes.
Eric Dane, the actor who plays Mark Sloan on the series, echoed his co-star's confession, claiming he's also never watched the show. "I was there when it happened," he told Extra. He saw how the sausage was made, so he didn't feel it necessary to stay for a tasting. While it is somewhat shocking that two actors so central to the series rarely watch the show themselves, it's a bit more understandable in the case of Ravi Patel.
Patel plays the "Grey's Anatomy" role of Timir Dhar, but he was only in two episodes. Despite his short time with the series, he expressed a bit more shame regarding his TV habits than Pompeo or Dane: "This is so embarrassing, but I've never actually seen an episode of the show, not even the ones I'm in," he told Zoom Digital. While all these actors had different reasons for not tuning in to the series, it is a bit of a strange trend.
Adam Driver (Girls)
Accomplished film star Adam Driver originally got his big break in television with the part of Adam Sackler, Lena Dunham's love interest on the dramedy series "Girls." While this role laid the groundwork for a successful Hollywood career, it wasn't always the most pleasant experience for Driver, who admitted that he was mortified when he first watched himself in the show. While this isn't an uncommon experience for actors, Driver said that for him, it's not just uncomfortable, it's crippling. "That's when I was, like, I can't watch myself in things," he told The New Yorker. "I certainly can't watch this if we're going to continue doing it."
This promise was ultimately broken in 2015 when he was unable to get out of sitting through the premiere of "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens." He said that having to watch himself play the infamous Kylo Ren was pure torture: "I just went totally cold," he said, "because I knew the scene was coming up where I had to kill Han Solo, and people were, like, hyperventilating when the title came up, and I felt like I had to puke." This was the last straw for Driver, and past that point, he's gone to extreme lengths to avoid ever having to see himself act, including hiding out in the greenroom at the Cannes Film Festival during the screening of "BlacKkKlansman," in which he plays undercover cop Flip Zimmerman. Technically, he was there, but he will never be in the audience if he's also on the screen.
Kiefer Sutherland (24)
The unique, inventive drama series "24" redefined television with a fascinating structure of 24 episodes taking place over a real-time 24-hour span. Despite this strange structure, the intrigue it provokes, and the ratings juggernaut the show became, Kiefer Sutherland didn't watch it. The actor plays the central role of counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer, and although he starred in the series, Sutherland admitted he's never seen a single episode.
The "Designated Survivor" actor said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (via ABC News) that he was scarred by watching himself deliver what he considers a poor performance in the film "Stand By Me," only to see the film become a beloved hit — that judgment, he said, inspired him to vow not to watch himself in his projects. "I've managed to make 216 episodes of '24,' and I don't think I've ever watched a single one of them," he said. True to his distaste for watching himself on-screen, the actor went zero for "24" while the series was airing.
Busy Phillips and James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek)
The teen drama series "Dawson's Creek" gained a huge following during its 1998 to 2003 run, with a loyal fanbase developing a strong bond with the show and its characters. But not everyone holds the show so close to their hearts. This is the case with actress Busy Phillips, who plays Audrey Liddell, as well as actor James Van Der Beek, who plays the central character of Dawson Leery.
Philips, who joined the Capeside, Massachusetts, friends in the series' final two seasons, told Porter Edit, "I never watched 'Dawson's Creek.' I didn't watch it before I was on the show and I barely watched it after I was on the show, so I don't have the same connection that other people have to it."
James Van Der Beek, on the other hand, was the central focus of the series, commanding the screen since Episode 1. Given his strong presence on the show from beginning to end, fans were very eager to see what he thought of the series finale, as well as what insight he may have for a potential reboot. However, according to People, he responded with a tone of ambivalence, noting that he never watched the finale and that the question of a reboot is a tired one. It's not confirmed if Van Der Beek saw other episodes of "Dawson's Creek," but he certainly didn't tune in to see the last episode.
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
"Game of Thrones" is one of the most legendary fantasy drama series of all time. However, just because a series is a hit doesn't mean it can do no wrong, and many fans of the show were incredibly disappointed by the series finale. Fans were so upset, some even started a petition to remake the final season with new writers.
Kit Harington, the actor who played the reluctant hero Jon Snow, wanted nothing to do with this fan fiasco and found a better way to deal with it: complete avoidance. To escape a bombarding of questions regarding his thoughts on how the show ended, Harington said, "I still haven't seen the show." He told Entertainment Tonight, "That's how I dealt with that controversy. I haven't seen the final season." It's true what they say: Ignorance is bliss. And you can't be expected to answer follow-up questions if you've never seen the source material. Harington did say, however, that he felt the ending made sense to him when he was shooting it: "Everyone put their love and effort into it," he said. "And controversy — I think for us, we knew what we were doing was right, story-wise. And we knew that it was right for the characters because we lived with them for 10 years. So controversy [...] didn't really affect us."
Naveen Andrews and Matthew Fox (Lost)
The hit drama series "Lost" had many twists and turns throughout its run, with a series finale that baffled and confused viewers. One person of note who didn't understand the dramatic series conclusion is Naveen Andrews, who plays Sayid Jarrah. However, unlike the viewers who were confused by the finale because they followed the show closely and didn't understand where the story went, Andrews didn't understand it because he never watched the show. "I was very confused just because I never saw the show," he said (via HuffPo). "I saw the pilot, you know, because you have to have some knowledge of the piece that you are in, but I never saw an episode of 'Lost.'"
Another holdout to watching the series, despite being a huge presence in it, is Matthew Fox, who plays protagonist Jack Shephard and earned Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award nominations. However, part of this strive for acting excellence involved an intentional effort not to watch the show and restrict his "Lost" diet to the script. Fox said in a Newsweek roundtable that he likes to take the story straight from the source, without any added fluff or potential on-screen distraction, and that he's generally uncomfortable watching his own performances.
Jerry Springer (The Jerry Springer Show)
The late Jerry Springer accomplished a lot in his life. Famous for the talk show named after himself, "The Jerry Springer Show," he hosted the show for a whopping 27 years over thousands of episodes, singlehandedly ushering in the era of controversial daytime talk show television.
Despite the popularity of his show and the enjoyment he took in hosting it, Springer admitted that he never watched it himself. "I would never watch my show," he told Reuters (via the Independent). "I'm not interested in it. It's not aimed towards me. This is just a silly show." Not only has he said he doesn't watch his own show, but Springer also recognized the negative effect his sensationalist television had on popular culture throughout the 1990s and 2000s. In 2022, one year before his death, Springer expressed his regrets on the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast: "I'm so sorry. What have I done? I've ruined the culture," he said, joking, "I just hope hell isn't that hot because I burn real easy. I'm very light-complected, and that kind of worries me."
Barry Watson (7th Heaven)
Barry Watson played the character of Matt Camden, the big brother of the Camden family in the drama "7th Heaven." Watson plays the oldest of the siblings and is the eldest of the actors who played them. When he was working on the show, he was 21 years old, which had a large effect on the amount of time he was asked to put in on set. Per child actor labor laws, underage actors have limits on the amount of hours they can work. However, because Camden was 21, he was demanded to have much longer work days than his co-stars.
This resulted in Camden taking on a tiring and chaotic work lifestyle that left him very little time to focus on anything else. In addition to being too caught up and distracted by his role to notice little things, like how his co-stars Jessica Biel and Beverley Mitchell had crushes on him, he had very little time for even relaxing daily activities, like kicking back and watching TV. Camden told Us Weekly that he was working so many hours, often staying on set well past midnight, that he didn't even have time to watch any of the series. Theoretically, he could've made time at some point, but who can blame him for refusing to immerse himself in the world he was already spending too much time in?
Mila Kunis (That '70s Show)
Mila Kunis, a now accomplished Hollywood star with countless TV shows and movies under her belt, initially got her start with the role of the bubbly Jackie Burkhart on the popular sitcom "That '70s Show." Despite this serving as the launching pad for her stardom, Kunis has never seen a full episode of the series.
Kunis refuses to watch herself in the show because, she said on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, she can't stand to see how awkward and young she was at the time. Kunis was only 14 when she joined the cast, and even had to lie about her age to be able to get the part. She said it's too uncomfortable to see those cringy moments of her youth played out on screen.
It's not that she regrets being on the show. She reprised her role with an appearance in the "That '90s Show" series. It's just that natural shudder everyone gets when looking back on their awkward teen years or embarrassing childhood photos that's kept Kunis from revisiting the show that made her a star.