Netflix’s continually expanding library has given them the opportunity to work with some unbelievable actors over the years. However, we all know that just because someone is talented doesn’t mean that they are necessarily a good or kind person. If that was the case, we would never need to fear meeting those we admire.
Some of these actors are people that you would never want to run into in person. However, others use their fame to make a real difference. It is performers like them that make us proud to be fans.
Here are 7 Netflix Stars Who Are Jerks (And 8 Who Are Sweethearts).
15. Sweetheart - Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore has had a pretty epic career. An international superstar at eight years old, an addict by thirteen and considered washed up by fourteen, the actress rebounded rather spectacularly.
After cleaning toilets to pay rent, Barrymore found her way out of the hole she’d dug herself and back into the spotlight. She is now one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses.
These days, the Santa Clarita Diet star’s most important role is being a mom. She celebrates Mother’s Day through philanthropic efforts in her daughters’ names. Barrymore is an ambassador for the U.N. World Food Programme, works with Safe Kids Worldwide and supports the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
“Children’s charity is what speaks to me. It has for the last 15 years,” Barrymore stated.
The actress feels that the humanitarian work that she has done not only prepared her for motherhood, but also made her a better parent.
14. Jerk - Danny Masterson
Years after being immortalized as Hyde on That ’70s Show, Danny Masterson has gone on to work with costar Ashton Kutcher once again on Netflix’s The Ranch. However, his role was cut short when the streaming titan chose to terminate his contract in light of the multiple allegations of assault against him.
The charges come from four different women and date back to the early 2000s. Three of the victims were fellow Scientologists and were reportedly pressured by the church not to report the incidents.
According to one law enforcement officer, the evidence against Masterson was “overwhelming.” The progression of the case remains slow and former Scientologist Leah Remini blames the close ties between the church and the LAPD Hollywood Division.
The law may be slow to take action, but Masterson’s career seems to be dead in the water. He has even been dropped by his talent agency.
13. Sweetheart - Jon Bernthal
Frank Castle has long been a controversial figure. The Punisher is a vigilante on a massive scale. With the exponential increase of mass shootings taking place, the issue of gun control has become more important than ever. After the attack that occurred in Vegas, Netflix delayed the release of The Punisher, but another shooting took place barely a month later in Texas.
Although star Jon Bernthal is a gun owner himself, he has been clear on the need for better control over the situation, stating, “We have to have a dialogue, and that’s not happening.”
The alt-right has tried to claim the Punisher as their own and Bernthal had some choice words for them during an interview with Esquire. When asked about his feelings on white supremacists brandishing the Punisher’s insignia, Bernthal simply said, “F— them.”
12. Jerk - Ed Westwick
One of the strangest aspects of Gossip Girl was the way that Chuck Bass wound up becoming a romantic lead, considering he attempted to assault two different women during the pilot episode.
This was no doubt due to the onscreen appeal of Ed Westwick, but apparently the White Gold actor is not so charming when the cameras stop rolling. In a sad case of life imitating art, three different women have accused Westwick of assault.
In light of this ongoing investigation, the BBC replaced Westwick in the Agatha Christie special that he was meant to star in. Production of White Gold’s second season, which had previously been picked up by Netflix, was also halted. Although the actor denies these allegations, the stories share a great deal in common, despite coming from different sources.
11. Sweetheart - Ruby Rose
Many will recognize Ruby Rose as Stella Carlin from Orange is the New Black. However, what fans may not realize is that this Australian model/DJ/actress/artist is quite the philanthropist. In 2015, she created a bracelet with EDM lifestyle brand, Electric Family. The proceeds were donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Australia. They raised over $1,000 for the cause.
Aside from that, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Rose donated $10,000 to the LGBTQ Disaster Relief Fund. She has also fought in a charity boxing match to raise funds for Headspace, a youth mental health foundation.
Rose is a huge advocate for the LGBTQ community, as well as women’s rights and animal welfare. She was presented with GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award for making “a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance.”
10. Jerk - Louis C.K.
Louis C.K. built an incredible career around his brand of self-deprecating humor, often skewering male hypocrisy in the process. Audiences found him hilarious, but there were several women who most certainly were not laughing.
C.K. was accused of misconduct by five different women. Although rumors ran rampant about the comedian’s habits for quite some time, it wasn’t until last year that the those involved finally felt safe coming forward to tell their stories.
C.K. issued what a letter of apology, stating, “The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.” However, it wasn’t enough to save his career. Aside from being dropped by FX, Netflix, which was set to produce another comedy special starring C.K., also cut ties with the performer.
9. Sweetheart - Neil Patrick Harris
Thanks to How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris has experienced a pretty amazing career renaissance. He was once a child actor best known for starring in Doogie Howser, M.D., but after HIMYM took its final bow, Harris went on to an incredible career in both film and stage. He currently stars as Count Olaf in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the beloved books written by Lemony Snicket, aka Daniel Handler.
Although NPH’s career accomplishments are well publicized, you may not know much about his private life, which involves a great deal of charity work. He has spent Thanksgiving serving turkey to the homeless and hosted a picnic to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a children’s cancer charity. That’s not all, though.
Harris has also supported a long list of charities and in 2015, he received the Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Community Service.
8. Sweetheart - Dascha Polanco
Up next is Dascha Polanco, another actress best known for portraying an inmate at Litchfield Penitentiary. The actress plays Dayanara “Daya” Diaz on Orange is the New Black.
Polanco came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when she was young and hopes to help other immigrants see their dreams realized the same way that she was able to. Giving back to her community is incredibly important to her.
In 2016, The DREAM Project (Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring Project) named Polanco DREAMer of the Year for her philanthropic efforts. In collaboration with DREAM, she worked on a new youth arts program in the Dominican Republic. Polanco also aided The K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers annual gala in raising over $1.7 million.
Last year, the actress teamed with Haddad Brands to donate 500 outfits and backpacks to the DREAM Project just in time for the school season.
7. Jerk - Taryn Manning
Taryn Manning has starred in films such as 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow. She has also appeared in several TV shows, including Hawaii Five-0 and Sons of Anarchy. Most recently, she is known for portraying Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett on Orange is the New Black. Aside from that, Manning is a singer-songwriter. However, she is known for more for than her acting and music career.
In 2012, Manning was arrested for assault. Allegedly, the actress hit and kicked her personal assistant, Holly Hartman. As Hartman ultimately chose not to press charges, that could’ve been the end of the story. Cut to 2016, when Manning was arrested for assault - against Hartman. The actress was accused of headbutting her and spraying Windex in her mouth, among other things.
Eventually, Manning was cleared of all charges because the complainant did not show up for the court date.
6. Sweetheart - Kyle Chandler
To some of us, Kyle Chandler will always be Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights. However, the actor has gone on to appear in films such as Argo and The Wolf of Wall Street. More recently, he portrayed John Rayburn on Netflix’s Bloodline. Although Chandler has always shown tremendous range as a performer, some of his extracurricular activities may surprise you.
In 2013, Chandler appeared at Texas Humane Lobby Day in an effort to help push through legislation that would ban the shark fin trade. It’s an issue that he became passionate about after his daughter brought it to his attention.
Shark finning not only consists of cutting off a shark’s fins, but also throwing them back into the ocean to drown or starve. Thankfully, this monstrous practice was banned in Texas in 2016.
5. Jerk - Candace Cameron-Bure
Candace Cameron-Bure is most well known for playing DJ Tanner on Full House and more recently, Netflix’s Fuller House. She may have spent her formative years portraying a beloved character, but when it comes to marriage, her views are rather archaic.
Bure went head to head with Raven Symone on The View in defense of the owners of the Oregon bakery who refused to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding. Cameron-Bure stated, “I don’t think this is discrimination at all, this is about freedom of association, it’s about constitutional rights, it’s about First Amendment rights.”
The actress also refers to her husband as “the boss” of their family. Cameron-Bure explained, “I don’t think a marriage is at its best when you have two people vying for the same position, so someone has to yield at some point and ultimately I will defer to my husband.”
4. Sweetheart - Uzo Aduba
Well, if we’ve learned anything from this list, it’s that most of the women of Orange is the New Black are sweethearts. Uzo Aduba is best known as Suzanne Warren, aka, Crazy Eyes. She became a fan favorite and has had one of the strongest arcs of the series. In 2016, the Nigerian-born actress teamed up with Heifer International. The organization’s mission is to aid families in becoming self-reliant in an effort to put an end to world hunger. The crux of this plan, it turns out, is cows.
Every person given a cow by Heifer International must then donate their first cow to someone else in the community. According to Aduba, “This organization is allowing people from going to barely surviving, to surviving, to thriving to eventually enterprising.” The actress even traveled to Uganda in an effort to help.
3. Jerk - Aziz Ansari
Now we come to what has perhaps become the most divisive case brought to light since the Me Too Movement began. An incredibly upsetting article was published about the Master of None star and his date with “Grace” gone horribly wrong.
Both men and women came down quite divided on whether or not the movement had finally gone too far. This is understandable, considering that up until this point, it had been about harassment and assault. The Aziz Ansari case added the often murky issue of consent into the mix.
Although the actor did not force himself on Grace, he also chose to ignore what she described as both verbal and non-verbal cues of discomfort. Her account was a familiar one that most women have experienced more than once. While it may not constitute assault or harassment, it firmly places Ansari in the jerk column of this list.
2. Sweetheart - Millie Bobby Brown
Fans will recognize Millie Bobby Brown from her role as Eleven on Stranger Things, but the young actress has more on her plate than performing. In 2016, she co-hosted the#KidsTakeOver special for the United Nations Children’s Fund’s 70th Anniversary Gala. Brown gave an incredibly heartfelt speech about the importance of children being afforded the opportunity to choose their own destiny. She compared the children aided by UNICEF to the character that she played, who like many of these kids, was a victim of circumstance.
Brown also worked with UNICEF last year in preparation of World Children’s Day, “a day for children, by children.” She participated in an advocacy campaign for the organization.
Although the actress is very busy, she still finds time to regularly aid UNICEF in their efforts.
1. Jerk - Kevin Spacey
This one should be no surprise, as the downfall of Kevin Spacey has been widely publicized. It began when fellow actor Anthony Rapp accused the House of Cards star of making advances towards him when he was underage. In a move that was widely criticized, Spacey used his response not only to deny any memory of the incident, but also to come out as a gay man.
Rapp’s account resonated with several other victims, who have since come forward with their stories. Scotland Yard is investigating at least three assault claims against Spacey, with plenty of people now speaking out about experiencing harassment at the hands of the actor.
The decision was made that House of Cards would go into its final season without Spacey. His upcoming Gore Vidal biopic was axed as well.
Do you know of any other jerks or sweethearts who have starred in Netflix productions? Let us know in the comments!
