10 Actors Who Didn't Understand Their Own Movie

Over the years, Marlon Brando starred in some of the greatest films ever made, and his roles were often iconic. Just reading his name leads you to think of his performances in A Streetcar Named Desire, Last Tango in Paris, Apocalypse Now, and The Godfather, but there was one role he didn't appear to fully understand.

Marlon Brando appeared as Jor-El, Superman's biological Kryptonian father, and despite showing up with two golden statues, his co-star, Christopher Reeve, didn't have the nicest things to say about him. In an interview with David Letterman, he was asked what it was like to work with him, and he said the following:

"I don’t say this to be vicious, but I don’t worship at the altar of Marlon Brando, because I feel he’s copped out in a certain way. What happened is the press loved him whether he was good, bad, or indifferent; that people just thought he was an institution no matter what he did, so he doesn’t care anymore."

Brando was paid $3.7 million and 11.75% on the backend to play the character. His work amounted to 20 minutes of screentime over 13 days, but according to Reeve and others who have worked with him over the years, Brando became indifferent and lazy in his later years. He didn't understand Jor-El, and he didn't care to learn. In the end, it didn't matter, and the film was a hit, Brando was lauded for his performance, and the film was followed with multiple sequels.