‘That To Me Just Sucked’ Kelsey Grammer, Bowen Yang And Anthony Mackie Talk The Criticisms They’ve Gotten In Hollywood That Really Stuck With Them
A lot of celebrities have spoken out about trolling that has occurred since the age of the Internet, but there have been mean comments made about celebrities for far longer than keyboard warriors have existed. Recently a slew of comedic Hollywood actors got together to talk about their long and storied careers, and as it turns out, they all have one thing in common: Criticisms that have stuck with them throughout the years. Kelsey Grammer, Bowen Yang, Anthony Mackie shared the comments that really, truly have "sucked."
Kelsey Grammer Was Told He Was ‘Fine’ In A Play. It Was Not So Great
While Kelsey Grammer is most known for roles in Cheers and Frasier (and the more recent Frasier revival you can stream with a Paramount Plus subscription), he’s been a dramatic actor a time or two as well. He once played Cassio in Othello, a role that’s a bit of a cautionary tale. He had scenes with Christopher Plummer and James Earl Jones – so it’s clear the cast was stacked. Unfortunately, it also meant he was not a standout as he relayed in THR’s comedic roundtable.
I’ve received many reviews, many of them very bad. So, it would probably be one of those. I did a production of Othello years ago and Christopher Plummer did Iago, James Earl Jones did Othello and I played Cassio. I think the review basically said, ‘And Kelsey Grammar was just fine as Cassio.’ That to me just sucked.
This theatrical production was actually put on back in 1982, which means that for more than 40 years Grammer has held onto that criticism. It really kind of ties in with that old “sticks and stones” adage. But at least no one was taking pot shots at his personal appearance, which is what happened with Bowen Yang and Anthony Mackie.
Bowen Yang Got Burned By A Personal Appearance Barb But It Not As Wild As Anthony Mackie’s
Bowen Yang's been a staple on one of the best sketch comedy shows, SNL, since 2018. While it's generally a good gig with A-list hosts and tons of responses to viral videos, the fan comments sometimes are not so great. In fact, many have randomly dealt with how the comedian looks. It's easy to take cheap shots, but the actor and funnyman says the one that really stuck with him was just so blunt and so specific that it has been burned into his brain.
Probably some comment that was like, ‘That guy’s got an underbite.’ Like, yeah I do. My jaws a little bit out, no problem. Very specific feedback, strange feedback. That qualifies.
It's just such a weird comment I get why it's stuck with him, but honestly, compared to what Anthony Mackie was told it does seem Yang might have gotten off lightly. In fact, the Falcon and the Winter Soldier star says that someone actually compared him to a pool ball after he shaved his head earlier in his career.
I shaved my head once for a movie and I was told that my head was too perfectly round that i looked like the brown ball on the pool table. Well, first of all, that’s a compliment. I don’t have any divets in my head. But then I never shaved my head because I was like, ‘It’s too perfectly round.’
You can't make this up. The story is vivid and the insult is just so exacting that it's very clear why it would have stuck with Mackie over time. In fact, Mackie says he has not shaved his head in the time since he was given the critique. Obviously, the shaved head didn't impact his career, as he will be headlining Captain America: Brave New World when it hits theaters in 2025.
Honestly, racking my brain and thinking about Mackie's pre-Captain America performances, I feel like his hair was really short in 8 Mile, but I'm failing to pinpoint the role he's even mentioning here. So the good news is his shaved head didn't leave a lasting impression. These insults, however, definitely did.
