With more than 190 credits on IMDb, Black is regarded as one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors. Some of his well-known roles are in the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, The Holiday, and School of Rock.
He has developed a sizable cult following since his breakthrough performance in the musical film High Fidelity.
One of his admirers said, “Jack Black steadily goes up in ranking as one of my favorite people of all time.”
Another says: “Jack Black just does it for me. He’s positively oozing charisma. He’s talented, he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and seems like a load of fun.”
Black acknowledges that his Hollywood career hasn’t been flawless, and he has expressed remorse about a specific movie.
Even when it first came out, the film was controversial, and many people have criticized it on social media.
One viewer questions: “How did this film make it off the drawing board?”
In agreement, another writes: “This movie was definitely of its time…”
Others have defended the movie, with one viewer stating that it has “a very good message.”
It was enjoyable to see when it first came out. Another person writes, “Watching this when it came out was good. Watching this as an adult now just hits you right in the gut,” pens someone else.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Black’s co-star, called Shallow Hal a “disaster.”
The 2001 romantic comedy centers on a superficial man named Hal (played by Black) who, after being hypnotized into only appreciating a person’s inner beauty, falls in love with a 300-pound woman named Rosemary.
The ladies Hal now finds appealing are viewed as “monstrous” and “ugly” by others due to his shift in viewpoint.
Paltrow, who portrayed Rosemary in the film, has subsequently talked openly about the experience of dressing obese for the part.
The actress recounted to The Guardian: “It was so sad. It was so disturbing. No one would make eye contact with me because I was obese. I felt humiliated.”
People were “really dismissive” of her, she continued.
Paltrow’s body duplicate, Ivy Snitzer, told The Guardian that it seemed as though “the worst parts about being fat were magnified.”
She said: “I was like: maybe I’m done with the concept of fame, maybe I don’t want to be an actor. Maybe I’ll do something else. I just want to make people laugh; I don’t want to make people sad.”
Black added that Shallow Hal “didn’t turn out” the way he had anticipated.
The actor revealed that he was first drawn to the project because he saw it as “an opportunity to work with some dudes I thought were really funny.” It is reported that he received $2 million for the part.
The film’s directors, Bobby and Peter Farrelly, sometimes known as the Farrelly brothers, are well-known screenwriters and directors who have contributed to hits including There’s Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber.
Black allegedly stated in 2006 that “It didn’t turn out as I’d hoped. I wasn’t proud of it, and I got paid a lot of money, so, in retrospect, it feels like a sell-out.”
