ADVERTISEMENT

Being famous seems great and all, but it comes at a price. It gets tiring to always be in the public eye, minding what you say and what you do, representing your own brand and doing business. Besides this, it’s also all of the ceaseless attention from fans and whatnot, so it’s no surprise why some decide to be more subtle and discreet about it.

Hence, we have a number of famous people who seem like they "refuse to be famous", whether it’s deliberate or not. Twitter user Skoog pointed out how Patrick Wilson, who starred in Aquaman (2018), Watchmen (2009), and Insidious (2010), said he’ll be starring in millions of movies, but ends up absolutely refusing to be famous.

The thread soon began booming, gaining quite a bit of attention from the internet. It got over 315,000 likes with 27,000 retweets and a bunch of comments. While some tweeted about how Patrick Wilson looks like Will Arnett and a bunch of other similar looking actors, others began suggesting what other famous people are also avoiding fame.

While these actors are not believed to be famous in comparison to a number of other celebrities, everyone in the thread do agree that they are underrated and do deserve more credit than they are actually given.

Bored Panda has compiled a list of the celebrities that this thread deemed “absolutely refusing to be famous,” so check it out below and be sure to vote and comment on the entries you love the most.

#1

Patrick Wilson

Patrick Wilson

Patrick Wilson is an American actor and singer who spent his early career days starring in Broadway musicals and started showing up in films and series in the early 2000s. He is best known for his roles in Aquaman (2018), Watchmen (2009), and Insidious (2010).
Fun Fact: Wilson himself saw this tweet and responded with "Dammit. My plan has been thwarted." His wife also joked in another tweet: “Dang it. You’ve quietly worked so hard to be in a million movies and NOT be famous...and now the secret is out.”

Skoog Report

#2

William Fichtner

William Fichtner

William Fichtner began his acting career as Josh Snyder in As the World Turns in 1987. The start was a bit slow, but in several years, Fichtner quickly became a common occurrence in movies, starring in at least a handful of movies annually ever since 1995. He is best known for his work in Armageddon (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001), and Crash (2004).

LuLu_juice Report

Add photo comments
POST
rpder3737 avatar
Felix Feline
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sully Sullivan from the Perfect Storm! An excellent actor with a very distinctive look and way about him.

quillingmama avatar
Pamela Scott
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He is one of my favorite actors. Always know the show will be good if he is in it too! He seems to know how to pick the best jobs!

dawnmwelton1969 avatar
Dawn Welton
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG, I freaking LOVE him!!! He was amazing in Prison Break, and was also the bank manager in The Dark Knight!

jeannienykula avatar
Jeannie Nykula
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOOOVE HIM!!! He totally stole the movie "Drive Angry," hilarious as The Accountant!

jecrain6_6_634 avatar
JE Cummings
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of the most easily recognized yet under-appreciated actors today, IMHO.

stanflouride avatar
Stannous Flouride
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Grace's pot smoking, drinking wheelchair bound lover in "Grace Under Fire." (The pot & booze are significant because Grace is a recovering alcoholic)

peahen78 avatar
Patricia Henderson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He’s pretty well known now that he’s on “Mom,” but yeah, for years, he was “that guy I saw in all those things.”

marvinhog avatar
Marvin HoG
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He's always been weirdly attractive to me so I never forget him

joellen_washburn avatar
Jo Ellen Washburn
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Always my favorite in whatever he's in. Want to see him as a romantic lead because he's hawt!

nicolas_pilot avatar
Nicolas Pilot
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He's the shornoff shutgun wielding bank manager from that stupid Batman movie

wayne1_roberts avatar
Seaside Charlie
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He comes across as an actor who does his job the best he can but doesn't like the stuff that comes with being well known. Just a feeling. Good acting in Crossing lines (3 series') and Prison Break.

punawild avatar
Puna
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He played a creepy, obsessive rapist in a soap opera when I was a child. Only just started liking him in the last few years because of the show Mom.

aniah avatar
Ania H
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually got way too happy to see him in the "Dark Knight"

jesse_simm avatar
Jesse Simm
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i always picture him in equilibrium, he plays the resistance leader

sarahpolhaus avatar
Ruby
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry, but this post is delusional. Having worked in the film industry on the sidelines: every actor wants to get his/her name out there. It is just so hard to become a recognizable name. Only top 2-3 percent make it. Think about how many directors you know and how many are actually working.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#3

David Morse

David Morse

David Morse is an American actor, singer, director and writer. Morse kicked off his career back in the early 1980s and has since then been featured in films like The Negotiator (1998), The Green Mile (1999), and 12 Monkeys, among many others.

aoeui_d Report

ADVERTISEMENT

While these actors are not believed to be famous in comparison to a number of other celebrities, everyone in the thread do agree that they are underrated and do deserve more credit than they are actually given.

While it is unknown why many of these actors don't get the love they truly deserve, with many it is speculated that they are simply focused on other things—not trying to be famous but rather enjoying the art of acting, or wanting to spend more time with their families and deliberately not going to interview and not dancing the "celebrity dance". It might also have something to do with Hollywood politics, but that is a story for another time.

#4

Judy Greer

Judy Greer

American-born actress Judy Greer has been very active in the movie scene ever since her debut in the movie Stricken in 1997. Her best known work is in movies like Jurassic World (2015), 13 going on 30 (2004, and Ant Man (2015), among many others.
According to the New York Post, Greer doesn’t want more stardom, but she does want the attention that opens doors professionally. As a director she said asked herself why should she play the role when she can get someone else, like Jennifer Garner to do it.
Besides that, she wouldn't want to see herself in the editing room all the time: “I don’t have that kind of self-esteem. I could not ever watch a performance of my own while doing it and be like: ‘Oh, that was an awesome take. We can move on, I really nailed that.’”

cloudsofreverie Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#5

Vera Farmiga

Vera Farmiga

Vera Farmiga is an American movie and TV actress, director, and producer, who began her professional acting career on stage in the original Broadway production of Taking Sides (1996). She is best known for her work in The Conjuring series, Bates Motel, and Orphan.

sorrybutnohon Report

#6

Rose Byrne

Rose Byrne

Rose Byrne is an Australian-born actress debuting her career in the comedy movie Dallas Doll (1994) She is best known for her roles in Spy (2015), Insidious (2010), and Bridesmaids (2011).

SirMcWill Report

#7

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress who is best known for being in that “It’s never gonna happen” meme ripped straight out of Mean Girls (2004). Besides that, she also starred in the Notebook (2004), Red Eye (2005), and Sherlock Holmes (2009), just to name a few.
In an interview with LA Times, she was asked whether McAdams herself even wants to be a movie star, to which she responded: “I think it was sort of a vague idea in my mind when I was a kid, when you think, ‘What would that be like?’ But it wasn’t something I really meditated on or planned for in any way. I really thought I’d be doing theater in Canada. I’d grown up doing children’s theater there, and I always imagined myself being artistic director of a children’s theater company.”

shelbcutie101 Report

Add photo comments
POST
cat_de_luxe avatar
WhiteFluff
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think she's pretty well known tbh - maybe just not with the younger generation

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#8

George Wyner

George Wyner

George Wyner is a Boston-born actor who started off in television in the early 1970s but later also started appearing in a number of movies, including Spaceballs (1987, A Serious Man (2009), and The Postman (1997).

cab_ride Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#9

Aaron Eckhart

Aaron Eckhart

Actor and producer Aaron Eckhart was born in Cupertino, California, but has lived in a number of other places around the globe, including the UK and Australia. He has been acting since the early 1990s with his most notable work being in The Dark Knight (2008), Thank You for Smoking (2005) and In the Company of Men (1997).
People are speculating that he is underrated only because she just chooses to do more films in the vein of “Battle For Los Angeles,” which is an action war film, rather than “Thank You For Smoking” and “The Black Dahlia,” which are dramas.

terrasphynx Report

Add photo comments
POST
parmeisan avatar
Parmeisan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What? This guy is super famous, isn't he? At least where I live / in my social circle he's got face and name recognition.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#10

Jason Clarke

Jason Clarke

Jason Clarke is an Australian-born actor known for often being cast as an antagonist in a number of feature films. He is best known for his work in movies like Terminator Genisys (2015), Mudhound (2017), and Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Clark himself explained in this interview that he enjoys the craft, and not the celebrity—he never really wanted to be a big Marvel movie actor as he wants a life outside of the acting business, which might explain things.

celebguestedit Report

Add photo comments
POST
politecat42 avatar
politecat 42
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Terminator Genisys was GODAWFUL! even that stupid mispelt name makes me angry

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#11

Josh Lucas

Josh Lucas

Josh Lucas is an American actor who has been credited for various roles in over 80 movies and TV shows. He is best known for his work in Glory Road (2006), A Beautiful Mind (2001), American Psycho (2000), Sweet Home Alabama (2002) and the recent Ford v Ferrari (2019).

JacobbBrill Report

#12

James Marsden

James Marsden

James Marsden is an American actor, singer, and former model. If you think you’ve seen him somewhere but can’t recall where, he’s Cyclops from Marvel’s X-Men series. Besides that, he also starred in Superman Returns (2006), The Notebook (2004), 10th & Wolf (2006), and The Alibi (2006).
It is speculated that Marsden is not that famous because of supposed Hollywood politics, while others think he just made bad choices in where he wanted to go, which pushed him away from stardom.

27kilometers Report

#13

Kyle Chandler

Kyle Chandler

Kyle Chandler is an American actor who’s made his screen acting debut back in 1988 after being signed up for ABC and starting off as a supporting actor in Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story, but he is best known for his work in Super 8 (2011), Argo (2012), Manchester by the Sea (2016), and Friday Night Lights (2006-2011).

BatGirl_91939 Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#14

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal is an American actress and film producer, who has starred in a number of films, most notably in Secretary (2002), The Dark Knight (2008), Crazy Heart (2009), and Frank (2014).

pseudolando Report

Add photo comments
POST
parmeisan avatar
Parmeisan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I took note of her way back in Donnie Darko (for playing the sister of, and actually *being* the sister of, Jake Gyllenhall) and I'm glad I did. I like her.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#15

Shea Whigham

Shea Whigham

Actor and producer Shea Whigham was born in Tallahassee, Florida. Though his acting debut was in one 1997 episode of the television series Ghost Stories, his first starring role was just three years later in Tigerland (2000). He’s now best known for his work in Take Shelter (2011), Death Note (2017), Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), and American Hustle (2013).

lindseyjeano Report