10 Actors Who Blamed Themselves For Films Failing

1971 sports film Le Mans starred Steve McQueen as hotshot racing driver Michael Delaney, and despite the obvious appeal of McQueen in a role like this, it was met with mixed reviews while failing to make a dent at the box office.

In Christopher Sandford's biography of McQueen, it was alleged that the actor's cocaine use was a major issue during filming, and McQueen reportedly blamed both the film industry and himself for the film's ultimate failure. According to McQueen's friend Pat Johnson:

"Le Mans was a watershed for Steve. A total turning point. When it flopped, he shut down even more than before. Terrible isolation. It was the last time he ever halfway trusted anyone in Hollywood, particularly the studios... He resented them even more after that."

It's a shame, because while Le Mans is hardly held up as a classic these days, it is nevertheless decently appreciated among McQueen's fans, regardless of whether he truly is to blame for its failure to connect with the mainstream audiences of its era.