From Twihards to Trekkies, fandoms have been vocal about what they love and what they hate. So it’s not surprising to see them openly spill the tea on what actors they feel actually hate their own fandoms. Some of the celebrities named are more surprising than others, with fans dropping everyone from Sherlock’s Martin Freeman to Robert Pattinson. But do these actors really dislike their own fandoms?
Some of the actors mentioned have been vocal in the past about certain things they don’t love about their fandoms, such as William Shatner, who has allegedly made comments about Star Trek in the past. Though this hasn’t stopped fans from calling for him to run the franchise. Some feel these actors make valid points. However, others feel there’s no excuse for the hate they get from celebrities. Several on a popular Reddit thread have been blunt with their opinions, with posts reading:
- Princescyther: Martin Freeman. Specifically, Sherlock fans lol. He seems like a grumpy old bugger, too, so it makes sense.
- whimsy_moth: Joseph Quinn. In the early days after his career took a turn after Stranger Things, he was deluged with parasocial fans.
- ButIfYouThink: William Shatner - He has, on multiple occasions and for decades, derided Trekkies. He doesn't like doing the convention circuit, and fought against the image that he is just known for Captain Kirk for many, many years.
- She_Says_Tapir: Bill Nye the Science Guy. He is really fun and friendly if you just talk to him like a normal guy and pretend not to recognize him. But if you get all excited and fan girl out, he is super gruff and kind of a mean old man vibes.
- Puzzled_End8664: Star Wars fans can be pretty rabid. That being said, [George Lucas] seems like he doesn't think anyone should question his artistic vision of Star Wars.
Some of these fans are defending the actors’ reasons for not liking their fandoms, claiming it’s the constant limelight that they hate, not necessarily the people themselves. Dramatic_Movies says, “A lot of celebrities seem overwhelmed more than anything. Constant attention, constant expectations.” This is an understandable argument, as we have seen many, particularly young actors, crushed by the pressure of stardom.
BualadhBoss brings up Martin Freeman, who they claim blames nearly losing his role as Bilbo in The Hobbit on Sherlock fans. Reportedly, Peter Jackson wanted him badly enough that he was willing to work around the actor’s filming schedule.
Others don’t seem bothered when actors are gruff towards fans. In fact, some seem amused by it, such as RickySuezo, who says, “Harrison Ford hates everybody.” Many point out Ford’s viral Star Wars comments, where he often seems tired of the franchise. Another, Decent-Dragonfly6460, came to the defense of Ford, saying it’s his sour demeanor that everybody loves:
Tbh, Harrison Ford’s attitude cracks me up. I think he’s genuinely a nice guy and is appreciative of his fans and whatnot, but he hates that he’s been typecast into this specific kind of role (i.e., Han Solo, Indiana Jones).
Then there are more serious allegations. For in stance, user Kneecap_Blaster claims Bill Nye made a 6th grade girl cry. They allegedly went with their sister’s class to hear him speak, and that, “Bill phoned it in in front of thousands of kids who idolized him, and made a child cry that day, he's a POS in my book.” The science guy hasn’t been in much since cutting ties with Disney, but he has made minor appearances, such as in an episode of High Potential.
Others are arguing that it’s just certain fandoms' celebrities don’t like, and not all of them. One example given is Robert Pattinson, who mixi_e says, “For me, [he] just didn’t like the Twilight side of his fandom, even when he was promoting the movies, you could see how much he disliked them.” The actor has been open about his feelings toward Twilight, but he’s also happily promoted other projects, such as dishing upcoming The Batman Part II night shoots he has. He has also recently revealed what he asked Christopher Nolan about The Odyssey.
For fans of these actors, many of them can be seen in upcoming 2026 movie releases, such as The Odyssey, set for this summer. We'll have to see how many more names get added to this reddit thread.
