50 TV Characters Who Are Awful, But Are Played By The Sweetest Actors
We asked the BuzzFeed Community which actors they love who play characters they totally despise, and they really delivered. Here's what they said:
Some submissions include topics of abuse and sexual assault.
1.Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert on The Vampire Diaries
"I love Nina, but Elena was so annoying! She made everything about herself. She was really self-centered and whiny. I can't think of a single episode where she didn't cry except in Season 7. Nina rocks, tho."
2.Wyatt Russell as John Walker on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
"Wyatt seems like a fine person, but Walker... I hated him! He's an interesting character, but a total asshole."
3.Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton on Game of Thrones
"Iwan was so good at playing Ramsay that it was jarring to watch him in anything else. I saw him on a British comedy and he was good, but it was just so weird watching him play an affable, decent human being. Thankfully, some time away from GoT might help because he really is very good at a whole range of things."
—TKGM
4.Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy on The Handmaid's Tale
"I love Yvonne as an actor, and she does a phenomenal job on The Handmaid's Tale, but I despise Serena’s character."
5.Pablo Schreiber as Pornstache on Orange Is the New Black
"Pablo is one of the most slept-on actors, and I think it's because of all the horrible characters he plays. Pornstache is a huge creeper on OITNB, but Pablo seems really wholesome in real life."
6.Damon Wayans Jr. as Coach on New Girl
"I really like Damon, but I CANNOT STAND Coach. I didn't like him at all in the pilot, and his character added nothing to the show when he came back. He's just a stereotypical jock. Hard pass."
7.Sam Jaeger as Robert Stanton on Why Women Kill
"When I watched Parenthood, I fell in love with Sam. But watching him in Why Women Kill makes my blood boil! He’s such a good actor."
8.J.K. Simmons as Vernon Schillinger on Oz
"Whatever you do, do not watch Oz! His character, Schillinger, never gets better."
9.Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs on Euphoria
"Enough said. 😭"
10.Froy Gutierrez as Jamie Henson on Cruel Summer
"Jamie is a pretty terrible person — he is abusive and manipulative and constantly makes awful decisions. But I simply adore Froy so much that I'm conflicted every time I see his character onscreen."
11.Morris Chestnut as Dr. Barrett Cain on The Resident
"I loved Morris on Rosewood, but I hate him on The Resident."
12.Mark Pellegrino as Paul Bennett on Dexter
"Mark ALWAYS plays the douchebag, which speaks to his moralities in real life, I'm sure, but goddamn, is he a good actor. I could NOT stand him as Paul, Rita's ex in the first season of Dexter. Oh my god, he was the worst."
13.Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones
"Lena has the coolest style, totally rocks those tattoos, and is also obviously incredibly talented. That's probably why I despise Cersei so much — she acted the hell out of that role."
14.Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia on The Handmaid's Tale
"Ann is such a talented actor and always seems like a really nice person in interviews, but my god, Aunt Lydia is the worst."
15.Jenny Slate as Mona-Lisa Saperstein on Parks and Recreation
"I LOVE Jenny, but I hate Mona-Lisa."
16.Lorraine Toussaint as Vee Parker on Orange Is the New Black
"Lorraine is a phenomenally talented actor, but I really hated her character in Orange Is the New Black. I mean, obviously, Vee was meant to be a villain and a completely antagonistic character, but I also just really didn't like that whole storyline, and I was relieved once it was finally over."
17.Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch on Dr. Death
"I absolutely despised Joshua's character on that show, but he did such a good job! It makes me feel better knowing you weren't supposed to like him. 😆"
18.Drew Starkey as Rafe Cameron on Outer Banks
"I think Drew is great at acting, but I really hate Rafe."
19.Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler on The Morning Show
"Lovable, kind-eyes Steve is playing a monster on that show. I was having an internal battle. His acting was too amazing and convincing — I didn’t know whether to praise him or hate him."
20.Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor on Supergirl
"I love Jon. He’s such a sweet man, and he interacts with the fandom a lot. But Lex Luthor is so annoying, and his storyline definitely should’ve ended in Season 4."
21.Zooey Deschanel as Jessica Day on New Girl
"I adore Zooey, but couldn’t watch New Girl. The quirkiness was much too forced and exaggerated; it got painful. A huge part of the reason I love her is that she seems naturally a little bit 'different' — but also grounded, unstarry, and completely herself. I was so excited when I heard she had the starring role in a TV show, but when I sat down to watch it, I was really disappointed by how they’d written her character. I just felt like they didn’t *need* to exaggerate all the qualities that she seems to naturally have. She’s already really interesting to watch onscreen, without having to overstate it all. That said, I only watched a few episodes before I gave up. I know a lot of people really like it; perhaps I should’ve given it more of a chance!"
—Bea
22.Paul Johansson as Dan Scott on One Tree Hill
23.Tricia Helfer as Carla Baxter on Burn Notice
"I loved Tricia on Lucifer but totally despised her on Burn Notice."
24.Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang on Glee
"I genuinely love Jenna in real life, and I've made sure to keep up with her well after the series, but whenever I do a rewatch, I'm never prepared for how much I despise her character, Tina."
25.James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery on Dawson's Creek
"James has really grown on me over the years, especially after his role on Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23, but as Dawson, he was a whining, self-righteous 'nice guy' who slut-shamed Jen, acted as if Joey belonged to him, and thought he was superior to all those around him."
26.Nathan Fillion as Caleb on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
"I love everything Nathan does, but I’m so glad I liked him before seeing him as Caleb on Buffy. I don’t think I ever would’ve watched anything he was in again."
27.David Tennant as Kilgrave on Jessica Jones
"The man is such a sweetheart and one of the hottest Scots ever, but his turn as Kilgrave literally stopped me from watching Doctor Who for months. His performance was so fucking disgusting, and he was so good at playing a horrible, emotionally and mentally stunted piece of shit."
28.Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin on The Office
29.Justin Baldoni as Rafael Solano on Jane the Virgin
"I love Justin, but Rafael made me wanna scream. He was so whiny, self-absorbed, and consumed with maintaining his family wealth. At the same time, he wanted to be with Jane but didn't want to make her a priority? Like, babe, you can’t have your cake and eat it too!"
30.Aya Cash as Stormfront on The Boys
"Aya is such a good actor and plays it so well, but I absolutely hate her character and got tense literally every time she appeared onscreen."
31.Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse on True Blood
"Anna is a phenomenal actor with an impressive roster, but Sookie is just so unbearable. It feels like nails on a chalkboard whenever she’s onscreen. I love literally all of Anna's other roles outside of True Blood. I think that just speaks volumes to her talent to be so fluid in her transformations."
32.Evan Peters as Tate Langdon on American Horror Story
"I love Evan with my whole heart, but Tate is super creepy and just overall a horrible person. I still love Evan, though, and I’m always in awe of his acting ability!"
33.Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson on The Office
"I absolutely despise Jan, but I love Melora."
34.James Marsden as Steve Wood on Dead to Me
"James is literally such a sweetheart and always plays the charming love interest. I was so shocked when I watched him be a complete asshole as Steve on Dead to Me. I was so ready to cut him."
35.Antony Starr as Homelander on The Boys
36.Justin Prentice as Bryce Walker on 13 Reasons Why
"His character was a serial rapist and abuser, but Justin played the role so well that he got so much hate for it. In real life, he's the most down-to-earth guy. Overall, he played a very convincing bad guy, and he was one of the few reasons I watched the show."
37.Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan on The Walking Dead
"I love Jeffrey in pretty much everything he does, but his first episode as Negan completely ruined the show for me. I couldn’t watch after that...that just speaks to how great an actor he is."
38.Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl
"I love Blake and I think she’s great, but Serena was such a frustrating character. She consistently screwed people over while acting self-righteous."
39.Maggie Grace as Shannon Rutherford on Lost
"Shannon from Lost is the prime example of this phenomenon."
40.Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge on Riverdale
41.William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher on Shameless
"I love William, but Frank is a drunk, deadbeat father who only talked to his children when it benefited him. He did not care about his grandchildren, either, even though one of them was named after him!"
42.Joseph Fiennes as Fred Waterford on The Handmaid's Tale
"Joseph is a brilliant actor. He's so attractive, too, but I absolutely hate him as Fred on The Handmaid’s Tale. Fred is truly awful, and boy, did I ever cheer during the Season 4 finale!"
43.Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt on Grey's Anatomy
44.Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester on Supernatural
"I love Jared, but I hate almost every character I've ever seen him play. Sam should have stayed at Stanford. I truly cannot stand any character he's ever played."
45.Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester on Glee
"I love Jane, but I never liked Sue. Even during her more humanistic moments, I didn't like her."
46.Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls
47.Kit Harington as Jon Snow on Game of Thrones
"Kit seems like a good guy, but good lord, I HATE Jon."
48.Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson on This Is Us
"I love Sterling to pieces, but I've really started to hate Randall during the last couple of seasons of This Is Us."
49.Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves on The Umbrella Academy
"Tom is kind and cool in real life, but on the show, I just wanna slap him."
50.And finally: Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones on Riverdale
"I absolutely despise Jughead for multiple reasons, but Cole is so freakin' precious."
We obviously can't fit everyone here, but which of your favorite actors plays a character you can't stand? Let us know in the comments.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
