8 Celebrities Who Criticized Their Portrayals in Biopics
8 Celebrities Who Criticized Their Portrayals in Biopics
Brendan LeSat, September 26, 2026 at 10:30 AM UTC
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Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen in ‘Primetime’; Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah in ‘Love Story’; Lily James as Pamela Anderson in ‘Pam & Tommy’Credit: A24; FX; Hulu
Imitation isn’t always a form of flattery, as evidenced by these stars’ reactions to on-screen depictions of their lives.
The art of the biopic often requires filmmakers and actors to toe the line between fiction and reality. Naturally, living individuals portrayed in movies and on TV will have opinions on characters who take their likeness. Most recently, To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen spoke out about the crime thriller Primetime, out in theaters on Sept. 25, expressing disapproval of the film’s representation of him and his hit show.
Ahead, see eight stars who have criticized the way they were portrayed in biopics.
01 of 08
Chris Hansen (‘Primetime’)
Chris Hansen; Robert Pattinson in ‘Primetime’Credit: Eugene Gologursky/Getty; A24
Chris Hansen, who presented the viral crime reality show To Catch a Predator, slammed Primetime in an interview with USA Todayfor using his “name, image and likeness” for the movie.
“They wanted to exploit the brand that I’ve built over the last 45 years,” he said. “You can decide whether that’s ethical or legal or identity theft or however you look at it. But it seems a little [exploitative], as Hollywood often is.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he clarified that he has “no problem” with Robert Pattinson, calling him a “great actor and a nice guy,” but adds that the filmmakers “put him in a difficult position.”
“He’s going to be asked, ‘Did you actually meet with Chris Hansen?’ And he has to explain why, as an actor portraying me, they never reached out even to have a discussion,” the journalist explained.
02 of 08
Pamela Anderson (‘Pam & Tommy’)
Pamela Anderson; Lily James in ‘Pam & Tommy’Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images; Erin Simkin/ Hulu
In her 2023 Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story, Pamela Anderson said she had “no desire” to watch the Hulu drama Pam & Tommy, in which Lily James and Sebastian Stan portray the actress and her ex-husband Tommy Lee during a 1995 scandal involving the theft and release of their sex tape.
She said that producers should have asked her for permission before proceeding with the show, and in a Variety cover story, she called them “a--holes” who still owe her a “public apology.”
As for James’ portrayal, Anderson told the outlet that she had “nothing against” her. “I think that she’s a beautiful girl and she was just doing the job,” she said. “But the idea of the whole thing happening was just really crushing for me.”
While chatting with Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM radio show in 2026, she said that seeing Seth Rogen — who played Rand Gauthier in the series — at the Golden Globes made her feel “a bit yucky.”
“When you are a public person they say you have no right to privacy. But your darkest, deepest secrets or your tragedies in your life shouldn’t be fair game for [a] TV series,” she said. “That p---ed me off a little bit.”
03 of 08
Daryl Hannah (‘Love Story’)
Daryl Hannah; Dree Hemingway in ‘Love Story’Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty; Eric Liebowitz/FX
Daryl Hannah broke her decades-long silence on her relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr. in an essay for The New York Times blasting Ryan Murphy’s Love Story for its “untrue” depiction of her.
“The character ‘Daryl Hannah’ portrayed in the series is not even a remotely accurate representation of my life, my conduct or my relationship with John,” wrote Hannah, who was played by Dree Hemingway in the FX show. “The actions and behaviors attributed to me are untrue.”
She continued, “I’ve endured a number of outrageous lies, crappy stories and unflattering characterizations before. I chose not to battle them but to focus on my work and respect my loved ones by keeping my private life private. But my silence should not be mistaken for agreement with lies.”
04 of 08
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Mark Zuckerberg (‘The Social Network’)
Mark Zuckerberg; Jesse Eisenberg in ‘The Social Network’Credit: Wally Skalij/Getty; Merrick Morton/Columbia
During a public Q&A session in 2014, Mark Zuckerberg addressed Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of him in 2010’s The Social Network, which told the story of Facebook’s rise. Per The Guardian, he said the film “made up a bunch of stuff” that he found “hurtful,” and that he “blocked” it out of his mind.
“The reality is that writing code and then building a product and building a company is not a glamorous enough thing to make a movie about, so you can imagine that a lot of this stuff they had to embellish or make up,” said the tech mogul, who added that he met Eisenberg and tried to be nice.
05 of 08
Olivia de Havilland (‘Feud: Bette and Joan’)
Olivia de Havilland; Catherine Zeta-Jones in ‘Feud: Bette and Joan’Credit: David Livingston/Getty; Suzanne Tenner/FX
Hollywood icon Olivia de Havilland filed a lawsuit in 2017 against Ryan Murphy and FX Networks for portraying her as a “petty gossip” in Feud: Bette and Joan.
“The creators of Feud used my identity without my consent and put false words in my mouth, including having me publicly calling my sister, Joan Fontaine, a ‘bitch,’ ” de Havilland wrote to The Guardian.
“The show was designed to make it look as if I said these things and acted this way,” the Oscar winner continued. “I feel strongly about it because when one person’s rights can be trampled on this way, the rights of others who are more vulnerable can be abused as well.”
A California appellate court dismissed the lawsuit in 2018, ruling that de Havilland does not possess “the legal right to control, dictate, approve, disapprove, or veto the creator’s portrayal of actual people,” according to Deadline.
06 of 08
Ike Turner (‘What’s Love Got to Do with It?’)
Ike Turner; Laurence Fishburne in ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’Credit: SGranitz/WireImage; Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock
After 1993’s Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It, the singer’s ex-husband Ike Turner — whom she alleged was abusive during their marriage — told the Los Angeles Times that he was “real angry” about the film.
“I didn’t go see it and I didn’t read her book either, but from what I hear they’re both full of lies,” said Ike, who was played by Laurence Fishburne in the movie. “I guess they needed some drama, they needed to make somebody into the bad guy and this time it was me.”
07 of 08
Jada Pinkett Smith (‘All Eyez on Me’)
Jada Pinkett Smith; Kat Graham in ‘All Eyez on Me’Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty; Q Colbert/Morgan Creek/Kobal/Shutterstock
In a series of tweets following the release of 2017’s Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me, the rapper’s close friend Jada Pinkett Smith called the “reimagining” of their relationship “deeply hurtful.”
“Pac never read me that poem. I didn’t know that poem existed until it was printed in his book. Pac never said goodbye to me before leaving for LA. He had to leave abruptly and it wasn’t to pursue his career,” Pinkett Smith wrote of the movie’s inaccuracies. “I’ve never been to any of Pac’s shows by his request. We never had an argument backstage.”
She praised Kat Graham and Demetrius Shipp Jr., who portrayed her and Shakur, stating that they “both did a beautiful job” with the material.
08 of 08
Lil’ Kim (‘Notorious’)
Lil’ Kim; Naturi Naughton in ‘Notorious’Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Fox Searchlight Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Lil’ Kim, who was romantically involved with the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., disliked how their relationship played out on screen in the 2009 Biggie biopic Notorious.
“The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a ‘character’ to create a more interesting story line instead of a person with talent, self-respect and who was able to achieve her own career success through hard work,” she said in a statement, per CBS News.
Added Kim, “Regardless of the many lies in the movie and false portrayal of me to help carry a story line through, I will still continue to carry [Biggie’s] legacy through my hard work and music.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
