10 Actors Who Have No Memory Of Filming Major Roles
21/04/2024 15:00
From 'The Office' star Rainn Wilson to 'Friends' alum Courteney Cox, these stars say they definitely have a hard time remembering the details of their time on screen.
Life in Hollywood can get pretty hectic with major stars often working on multiple projects at once. With so much going on, the details of every single television show or movie can get a little hazy. In fact, some actors say they have almost no recollection of filming some of their biggest roles. Whether it's because there was a lot going on in their lives at the time, they have a bad memory, or they were a little too busy partying, these stars say they definitely have a hard time remembering the details of their time on screen.
Find out why these stars totally forgot their roles…
1. Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson admits that he remembers "so little" of working on The Office. When he watches the show back, he says there are many moments that he does not recall filming at all.
"Do you know what happens to me when I watch The Office? I go holy f--k, I'm 57, I'm almost 60. I don't remember anything about shooting any of that," Rainn shared on You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes.
He continued, "There will be a scene where Dwight is pushing a shopping cart down the stairs and then falls out a window and Creed throws up and…it's some big thing and I'm just like, 'We shot that? I have no memory of that.' I don't remember, like, what month it was, what year, what season is this? It's crazy how little of 200 episodes over nine seasons that I actually remember."
Before Matthew Perry passed away, he shared that his struggle with addiction impacted many of his memories of filming Friends. When asked to reflect on his least favorite episode of the series, Matthew said he couldn't pick one because he didn't remember a majority of filming.
"Oh my goodness. I think the answer is I don't remember three years of it. So none of those," he said during an appearance on Britain's BBC Radio 2. "I was a little out of it at the time -- somewhere between Seasons 3 and 6."
Matthew's costar Courteney Cox also shared that she doesn't remember filming a lot of the show. While she says she does have memories of enjoying everyone's company, the actual episodes are a little hazy. She ended up binge watching the show during the pandemic.
"I don't remember even being on the show. I have such a bad memory," she said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!"I remember obviously loving everybody there and having fun, and I remember certain times in my life that I was there, but I don't remember episodes."
Colin Farrell has a hard time remembering certain films he worked on while struggling with addiction. Right before he went to rehab, he filmed Miami Vice and admits that when he watched the film, he had no idea what was happening.
"I couldn't remember a single frame of doing it. I was at the premiere and didn't know what was happening next. But it was strange because I was in it," he told the Irish Mirror. "The second [the film] was finished I was put on a plane and sent to rehab as everyone else was going to the wrap party."
5. Brie Larson
Brie Larson has a lapse in her memory from filming the most emotional scene in her movie Room. Looking back on the moment her character is released and reunited with her son, she says her adrenaline was rushing as she ran from the actors playing police officers. During the struggle, she ended up slipping and falling on ice.
"I was in such an adrenaline rush, and I was running through the snow in socks with just those track pants and a tank top and no bra. And I guess I was fighting [the police officers] off and hitting them, and then I slipped and fell on the ice, and then, when I went to dive into the police car. I guess I hit my head," Brie told The Denver Post.
Frankie Muniz spent five years filming Malcolm in the Middle but remembers very little of working on the show. During an appearance on Dancing With The Stars, Frankie explained that he's dealt with memory loss and has no recollection of his time on the sitcom. DWTS producers had hoped Frankie would share his memories of attending the Emmys as a teen but he had to tell them he didn't remember.
"They were going to ask me those questions and I told them, 'To be honest, I don't remember going to the Emmys when I was nominated.' I don't have any stories or anything cool for the package," Frankie told EW. "I don't specifically remember being nominated, or what I felt, or what we did. My mom told me we went to the dentist that day."
While Frankie doesn't know exactly why he's had memory issues, he believes it's because he's had numerous concussions during his life as well as 15 mini-strokes.
7. Raven-Symoné
Raven-Symoné has been on television her whole life and as a teenager, she realized that she had very little recollection of filming. Looking back on her experience on The Cosby Show, Raven decided to reach out to a therapist to help her figure out why she couldn't remember anything. She eventually discovered that she typically disassociates while filming.
"I don't remember a scene. I don't remember anything while it's a rehearsal or a camera … I do not remember as soon as the cameras start. Something clicks off, and I do what I'm trained to do," Raven shared onTV One's Uncensored.
She continued, "When I turned 18, I knew something was going on, so I started going to therapy, and it's disassociation. I just black out, I turn into who I'm supposed to be when the camera is on, and then, I come back to when normal life resumes."
8. John Boyega
John Boyega says there's one scene from filming his anthology series Small Axe that he just totally blacked out during. While portraying a British police officer who fought to reform racism in the '80s, John filmed a scene where he discovers racist graffiti painted on his police locker. Looking back, he says he didn't see the set until filming started and the emotion of it all got him riled up.
"I don't remember filming that scene. I just remember fuming and being angry," John explained to the Radio Times. "I didn't see the locker room or the locker door until those cameras were rolling. So that reaction was all natural to the character and the choices I thought he would make."
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9. Avan Jogia
Avan Jogia spent many of his teenage years filming the Nickelodeon show Victorious but admits he doesn't remember much. He attributes it all to partying a little too hard every night when filming wrapped.
"When you don't remember the plotline to a SINGLE victorious episode," Avan wrote on TikTok, adding, "But you remember going out partying everynight."
10. Michael J. Fox
Looking back on the early '80s when Michael J. Fox filmed Back to the Future, he admits he doesn't have the clearest memory of it all. The actor explained that since he was simultaneously filming Family Ties, everything got a little hazy.
"When I did the movie, I was doing Family Ties at the same time. So I was doing Family Ties in the daytime and Back to the Future at night. So a lot of it is a blur to me. I mean, I saw the movie, and I was like, 'Oh! That's what we were doing?'" he shared onLive With Kelly and Michael.
