Billy Bob Thornton Confesses He Regrets Taking This Film Role

Billy Bob Thornton has had his fair share of frustrating experiences in Hollywood, and not every role has been a dream job. Despite his fame and wealth, the actor has been open about projects that left him frustrated and even miserable on set.

For many actors, getting paid to appear in a poorly written film might seem like a win. But for someone like Thornton, who takes his craft seriously, performing well in a movie he doesn’t respect is a real challenge. “You can’t always fix a script, no matter how hard you try,” he admitted in interviews discussing his past projects.

One infamous example came with the 1998 blockbuster Armageddon. Thornton has called the film a piece of “cinematic garbage” and said he only took the role for financial reasons after his divorce. Even so, he delivered a solid performance, standing out in a film more concerned with big explosions than character depth.

A similar situation happened with the 2007 comedy Mr. Woodcock. From the start, the movie struggled, and director Craig Gillespie eventually stepped back after poor test screenings.

David Dobkin was brought in for reshoots and rewrites, but the changes couldn’t save the film. The cast, including Thornton and Seann William Scott, quickly realized the project was doomed. “We’d rip on Woodcock,” Scott said, recalling how they joked about the movie during lunch breaks and on commutes.

For Scott, the experience was nerve-wracking. “There’s nothing worse than going to a movie set, knowing that this could end my career,” he said. Surprisingly, the film still made a small profit, leaving both the actors and the crew baffled.

Since those tough experiences, Thornton has found more satisfying work on television. He currently stars in the Paramount+ drama Landman as Tommy Norris, a seasoned fixer in the West Texas oil world, alongside Demi Moore and Jon Hamm. The show recently wrapped its second season and has already been renewed for a third.

Seann William Scott has also moved on, starring in the action-comedy Bad Man, which performed well on Prime Video earlier this year. He also continues his TV work with the sitcom Shifting Gears, which premiered in 2025.

Though the Mr. Woodcock era is far behind them, these projects remain a reminder that even Hollywood’s most talented performers can’t always turn a failing movie into a success. Sometimes, you just have to survive the mess and keep going.

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