Perception is everything, and I don't mean to get all metaphysical on you, but sometimes it's how the world sees us that can define who we are -- but what if the world thinks you're a psycho? In an interview with American Psycho director Mary Harron, she was reminiscing about the black comedy, and as it turns out, her star Christian Bale based his vision of the murdering yuppie on -- wait for it -- Tom Cruise. According to Harron, she and Bale had been collaborating on the character when "...he [Bale] called me and he had been watching Tom Cruise on David Letterman, and he just had this very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes, and he was really taken with this energy."
Actors take inspiration from all kinds of places, but you can't help but wonder if Bale saw something that we would all be made painfully aware of: the 'crazy' side of Cruise. And it was that same energy that worked so well in P.T. Anderson's Magnolia when Cruise played motivational speaker Frank T.J. Mackey. But for me, what made this story truly funny, is that who could have predicted that soon enough Bale would be dealing with his own troubled image in Hollywood as a rage-aholic and something of a bully? On the upside, though, maybe Bale's on-set rant will one day inspire another young actor (ahh, the circle of life).
These guys aren't the only ones to battle troubled reputations (whether or not they're deserved), and after the jump: a few more stars who have run their reputations into the ditch...
1. Tom Cruise
To this day I still don't think anyone saw the fall of Mr. Hollywood coming. Whether it was because of his religious beliefs, that infamous couch-jumping incident, or those leaked Scientology videos, Cruise has gone from being one of the most respected men in movies to being a mark for every cheap joke around.
2. Mel Gibson
Here's another powerhouse that went down in flames. For years, stories plagued Gibson claiming he was a drunk, a misogynist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic -- but those were just rumors. Until he decided to drink and drive and behave like a jack-ass one warm night in Malibu.
3. Russell Crowe
So here we have a talented actor with the world at his feet and an Oscar under his belt, and it all went to hell because he couldn't control his temper. Phone-throwing aside, there are tons of stories floating around about bad behavior and anger control, stories that still follow him around to this day -- and that's the worst kind of reputation, the one you just can't shake.
4. Lindsay Lohan
Every time I look at Lindsay Lohan, I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm not going to waste too much time on this one, because I think we're all pretty familiar with her exploits -- but the optimist in me still believes that if there was hope for Drew Barrymore, there is hope for Lindsay.
5. Jennifer Lopez
Before you think I've stacked the deck in Lopez's favor with the above image, I just need to tell you despite what you think of the dancer/actress/singer, the woman just does not take a bad photo, even without makeup. But just like your mother always told you, it's what's inside that matters. Lopez's rep has been slowly worsening since she proclaimed she was Jenny from The Block and focused on being a brand rather than an actress, and the result is that most of us remember her for the stories of her diva demands and all white dressing rooms than we do her work.
Now obviously there are tons more people I could have included in this list, because we all know there is no shortage of bad behavior in Hollywood. But this is where you come in, so sound off in the comments and list who you think have the worst reps in Tinsel-Town.
1. Personally I don't think Crowe has such a bad rep, definitely not worse than Lohan. Plus the guy's been on the calm side the last couple of years. How 'bout David Hasselhoff, Kanye West, Roman Polanski?
Posted at 3:18PM on Oct 22nd 2009 by Niksterino