Celebs who dislike the Oscars

While most actors dream of winning a little gold statue and some even admit to rehearsing their speeches into hairbrushes there are a few holdouts who want nothing to do with the Academy Awards

Joaquin Phoenix recently slammed the Oscars, calling them out for being "bull----" and adding "I don't want to be a part of it. I don't believe in it." He likened the prestigious statue to a carrot. "But it's the worst-tasting carrot I've ever tasted in my whole life," he said. "Pitting people against each other. It's the stupidest thing in the whole world." Phoenix, who has been nominated multiple times, called his "Walk the Line" Oscar race one of the most uncomfortable periods of his life. But perhaps someone asked Phoenix to change his attitude now that "The Master" is generating award show buzz. He softened during a recent interview and said that being nominated for a movie "has probably helped my career tremendously." 

 

"Fast and Furious" star Michelle Rodriguez fired up the critics recently for comments she made against the Oscars. "One of my friends said, ‘[Nicole Kidman] is going to get nominated for an Oscar for [her role in 'The Paperboy']. I was like, ‘Nah, man. She's not black!' I laugh, but it's also very sad," Rodriguez told Vulture. "It makes me want to cry. But I really believe. You have to be trashy and black to get nominated. You can't just be trashy." 

 

Anthony Hopkins, who has already won an Oscar for "Silence of the Lambs" and has critical buzz for "Hitchcock," knocked the actors who play nice with Hollywood bigwigs to improve their award show chances. "I can't stand all that. I find it nauseating to watch, and I think it's disgusting to behold. People groveling around and kissing the backsides of famous producers and all that. It makes me want to throw up, it really does. I've seen it so many times," he told the Huffington Post. "I think, ‘What are they doing? Don't they have any self respect?'" 

 

Seth Rogen slammed the Oscars for hanging 2011 host James Franco out to dry, adding that now he would consider hosting the ceremony only if better writers were hired. "I think when you agree to do something like that, you put a certain amount of faith in the institution, knowing that they'll take care of you, and I feel like they didn't," he said. "Why hire James Franco and then give him Billy Crystal's monologue?"

 

Another previous nominee and co-star of “The Artist”, James Cromwell, is also unenthusiastic about the Oscars. "The Academy Awards were basically created by the industry to promote pictures. They weren't really to acknowledge the performances," he said. "Then it became sort of this great popularity contest, and now it's an incredible show and it's seen all over the world. But the strain on us to put ourselves up against other people to think that it's some sort of contest -- and it isn't a contest -- we're all in this together. Listen, the Academy Award is just a crapshoot." 

 

Seth Rogen wasn't the only one who was unhappy with the Academy that year. James Franco also blamed the "not funny" Oscar writers for his panned hosting attempt. "I felt kind of trapped in that material," he said, adding that was especially true of a number where they wanted him to dress in drag as Marilyn Monroe. "I was so pissed about that I was deliberately going to fall onstage and hopefully my dress would fall off or something -- they couldn't blame that on me; I was in high heels." 

 

There were rumors that "Precious" star Mo'Nique refused to be a presenter at the Academy Awards (traditionally, Oscar winners return the following year to present). However, her manager insists that her BET talk show shooting schedule was to blame.

 

Howard Stern hit back at the award show when Brett Ratner stepped down as producer after making an inappropriate comment about rehearsals. "The Oscars are the same place where Charlie Sheen-types can go and get applauded. This is the same industry, by the way, that wants Roman Polanski to be forgiven for raping a 13-year-old, that it's time he be let back in the United States," said Stern. "There's a lot of confusing morality here." 

 

Oscar winner Michael Moore has made a career out of speaking his mind. He is currently the governor of the Academy's Documentary Branch and called out filmmakers for buying their way into the race and spending money to get their film played in the theaters. "Dozens of TV movies & ‘vanity projects' spend $20K or more to buy a screen for a week to ‘qualify.' This favors only those with big bucks," he tweeted.

 

Stephen Colbert trash-talked the Oscars the night after the 2010 award show, calling it "Hollywood's biggest stroke-fest" and "the one day of the year you have to give a crap about what a sound editor does."