Michelle Pfeiffer is considered one of the most talented and beautiful actresses of her generation. With her porcelain skin, piercing blue eyes and blonde hair, she epitomized the Hollywood glamour of the 1980s and 1990s. However, despite her critical acclaim and many iconic roles, Michelle Pfeiffer has also had her fair share of detractors over the years.
Selectivity Led to Lost Opportunities
Michelle Pfeiffer is famously selective about which roles she accepts, having turned down some of the most coveted leads in Hollywood history. This selectivity has led to criticism that she passed up career-making opportunities.
Some of the most famous roles Pfeiffer turned down include:
- Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs
- Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct
- Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle
While her choosiness allowed her to maintain her standards, it likely cost her many acclaimed performances and hits over the years.
Lacked Box Office Draw in Her Heyday
Despite Pfeiffer’s immense talent, she lacked consistent box office success for much of her career. Very few of her films were major commercial hits, especially during the 1990s when she was arguably at her peak as an actress.
Biggest 1980s and 1990s Hits Starring Michelle Pfeiffer
| Movie | Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|
| Dangerous Liaisons | $75 million |
| The Witches of Eastwick | $63 million |
| Batman Returns | $266 million |
| What Lies Beneath | $291 million |
As the table shows, most of Pfeiffer’s movies did not fare well at the box office. While she received acclaim for her acting, she was never seen as a major draw for audiences like contemporaries such as Julia Roberts. This likely hurt her standing in the eyes of studio executives.
Extremely Private and Selective with Media
Another contributing factor to why people dislike Michelle Pfeiffer may be due to her intense privacy over the years. Pfeiffer gave very few interviews during the height of her stardom and was rarely seen in tabloids or talk shows.
This aloofness likely rubbed some people the wrong way, making her seem cold or dismissive. While movie stars are certainly entitled to their privacy, their success also depends on allowing fans access into their world. Pfeiffer’s reluctance to open up may have alienated some and led to a perception that she was difficult or not adequately grateful for her success.
Looks Led to Objectification Rather Than Respect
Michelle Pfeiffer’s stunning beauty also contributed to a lack of respect from both the film industry and audiences at certain points in her career. She spent many years battling objectification for her looks rather than praise for her acting talent.
In particular, her breakout role as Elvira Hancock in 1983’s Scarface led to Pfeiffer being viewed mainly as a bombshell rather than a serious performer. It took almost a decade of stellar roles for her to finally gain the critical recognition she deserved.
Even later in her career though, Pfeiffer still found herself marginalized for her beauty. For example, when she starred as the White Witch in 2007’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, much of the focus remained on the way she looked rather than the icy menace she brought to the role.
Eclectic Choices Led to Inconsistency
Another oft-cited criticism of Michelle Pfeiffer is that her film choices were too eclectic and seemingly without focus. While she clearly had an enormous range, she bounced between so many disparate genres that she lacked a cohesive screen identity.
Pfeiffer astonished with her versatility – going from inner-city teacher (Dangerous Minds) to suburban witch (The Witches of Eastwick) to Catwoman (Batman Returns) over just a few years. But this unpredictability likely dampened her ability to gather a loyal fanbase that knew what to expect from a Michelle Pfeiffer film. Had she focused on one or two genres and built her career more gradually, she may have gained wider admiration for her talents.
Battled Being Pigeonholed as the “Girlfriend”
One challenge Michelle Pfeiffer continually faced was a desire from directors and studios to cast her merely as the “girlfriend” – an adjunct role meant solely to further the journey of the male lead rather than having her own arc.
Pfeiffer openly discussed her frustration with this, especially in the late 80s and early 90s when she struggled to find meaty, complex roles. Some critics believe her inability – or refusal – to simply settle for being the “girlfriend” turned off some powerful producers and led to resentment that she didn’t “know her place.”
While she ultimately broke out of this box, it was likely a limiting factor in some of the early hostility towards her.
Michelle Pfeiffer Deserves More Respect
Despite the criticisms that have dogged her over the years, Michelle Pfeiffer’s flawless acting and timeless beauty deserve far more recognition and praise from both fans and critics.
Acting Range is Unparalleled
Few performers have shown the sheer breadth of range Pfeiffer demonstrated over just a few years in the late 80s. She moved seamlessly between comedy, drama, fantasy, romance, and superhero films – disappearing into each role so completely that they barely seemed like the same performer.
Directors continually praised her dedication and perfectionism on set. And often times she elevated lacklustre films into critical successes almost solely based on the power of her performance. Her once-in-a-generation talent certainly warrants more appreciation.
Business Savvy Was Underestimated
Another element that deserves more positive attention is Michelle Pfeiffer’s business savvy. From an early age Pfeiffer made smart financial decisions like using her first major acting paycheck to become a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, allowing her to access better healthcare and benefits.
Behind the scenes, she was also instrumental in setting up her own production company and seizing more creative control over projects. Pfeiffer demonstrated great acumen as both an investor and producer that defied the “dumb blonde” stereotype often attached to beautiful actresses.
Balanced Career and Motherhood Admiringly
Unlike many driven actresses, Michelle Pfeiffer made parenting her highest priority even at the potential cost to her career. When she had her first child at age 40 soon after her marriage, she took a four-year break from acting to focus on raising her baby.
Pfeiffer made this choice consciously knowing it could negatively impact her professional momentum or typecasting. However, she placed being a mother first and did not seem to harbor regrets about stepping back during those important early years. That commitment to family and willingness to sacrifice for her personal life deserves great respect.
Graceful Aging Should Be Celebrated
As she enters the fourth decade of her career, Michelle Pfeiffer also deserves acclaim for the grace with which she is aging in the public eye. Rather than desperately chasing youth through plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, she is allowing herself to age naturally. And she remains as elegant and beautiful as ever.
For an industry that disgards actresses so callously once they approach middle age, Pfeiffer is setting an important precedent. The dignity and confidence she radiates in her later career should set an example for actresses everywhere that external beauty and self-worth are not defined merely by wrinkle-free skin. Michelle Pfeiffer demonstrates inner sparkle can outshine outer flaws.
Manning Up as Catwoman Stood Out
Finally, Michelle Pfeiffer’s fiercely committed performance as Catwoman in 1992’s Batman Returns deserves recognition as a pioneering turn for women in superhero films. Her nuanced, unhinged and ferocious portrayal influenced almost every actress after her tasked with bringing a comic book character to life.
Up to that point, female roles in the male-dominated superhero genre were mostly damsels in distress or love interests. As Catwoman, Pfeiffer struck an important blow – showing these women could be as cunning, daring and formidable as their male counterparts on screen. Her complicated characterization still holds up beautifully and likely opened doors for future female-led projects in that once male-exclusive arena.
Conclusion
In closing, Michelle Pfeiffer undoubtedly deserves significantly more praise and recognition than dislike throughout her decades-long career. While no performer is perfect, her expansive range, business savvy and graceful aging – alongside iconic roles in films like Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons, The Age of Innocence and Batman Returns – cement her status as true Hollywood royalty.
Rather than resentment or nitpicking about photogenic looks or Oscar wins, Michelle Pfeiffer merits sincere appreciation for her prodigious acting talents, striking presence, and brave choices. Young actresses should view her as a role model for balancing career, motherhood, and fighting expectations.
FAQs
Why do people say Michelle Pfeiffer is difficult to work with?
Michelle Pfeiffer has a reputation for being very strong-willed and particular about what roles she takes on. She has walked away from major projects she wasn’t passionate about and has butted heads with directors over artistic disagreements. While her perfectionism comes from a good place, it has led to perceptions that she is demanding or difficult on set at times.
Is Michelle Pfeiffer disliked because she never won an Oscar?
Strangely, some people hold it against Michelle Pfeiffer that she never won an Academy Award despite 3 nominations. However, Oscars are an imperfect measure of talent and her lack of trophies likely stems more from her eclectic roles and poor choice of films rather than a deficiency of skill. Regardless, her acting brilliance has always shone through even without the validation of Oscar gold.
Why do people say Michelle Pfeiffer owes her success only to her looks?
Michelle Pfeiffer’s ethereal beauty has led some critics to unfairly dismiss her as merely a pretty face who relied on looks rather than talent. However, while her beauty opened doors initially, it was her meteoric acting abilities that allowed her to not only enter but remain in the spotlight for as long as she has. Millions of actresses have stunning looks but very, very few possess Pfeiffer’s fiercely emotional depth and range on screen.
Do people dislike Michelle Pfeiffer’s choice to semi-retire from acting?
After many years of intense filming schedules, Michelle Pfeiffer made the choice in her 50s to step back from acting and be highly selective about the projects she takes on. This semi-retirement from the spotlight has led some fans to express disappointment that she is no longer as visible or prolific in her work. However, after decades of brilliance she has earned the right to limit her schedule and stay centered on her family life.
Why don’t people respect her for taking years off to raise her children?
Some unfairly look down on Michelle Pfeiffer for taking a 4 year break from acting in her prime to raise her newborn and adopted children. While it was likely a professional sacrifice, she knew her toddler years were precious and irreplaceable so she rightly prioritized motherhood. The fact that she never regretted this choice and called parenting her most important role deserves huge admiration rather than scorn.