Hollywood insider Matthew Belloni reveals who are the nicest celebrities off the screen. Belloni, a former entertainment lawyer, was previously the editor of The Hollywood Reporter. Since March of 2022, he has run a Spotify podcast called The Town, where he creates content with exclusive reporting about Hollywood and behind-the-scenes celebrity activities.
When it comes to actors' behind-the-scenes lives, fans do not always get much access to what actors act like when they are off-camera. Of course, there are some actors whose personal lives are unearthed such that they get canceled or widely disliked. For example, there is the case of Chris Pratt, who, despite his massive success, is widely disliked on the internet for a variety of reasons, including his alleged involvement with an anti-LGBTQ+ church. But who are truly the kindest souls in Hollywood? While plenty of Hollywood’s most prominent actors have interviews available online or post amusing content for their social media followers, much of this still creates a sort of performative barrier between the actors and their "real" selves.
Now, Belloni gives movie fans insight as to who the nicest Hollywood actors are in real life on his podcast The Town. In his aptly titled “The 10 Nicest Stars in Hollywood” episode, Belloni and fellow Hollywood insider Lacey Rose create a so-called “definitive list” of the 10 nicest actors off-camera, based on “past interactions, connections, and word of mouth.” The lucky 10 were concluded to be Amy Adams, Jennifer Aniston, Sterling K. Brown, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Allison Janey, Tom Hiddleston, Bryan Cranston, and Jennifer Garner. Belloni and Rose also determined an honorable mentions list, which consisted of Margot Robbie, Ed Helms, Josh Gad, Octavia Spencer, and Conan O’Brien.
While there are some exceptions, the list broadly skews toward comedic actors and talk show hosts. The talk show host trio—with Kimmel, Meyers, and O’Brien—should come as no surprise. Although there has been a recent backlash against talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, most hosts generally have to forge positive interactions with hundreds of people that they interview, so hopefully, that personability should transfer off the camera. Ferrell is known for playing comedic and also very likable characters, and Brown plays one of the most adored characters, Randall, on This is Us. Some of the other choices have had less strictly comedic roles, including Cranston, who most notably played Walter White on Breaking Bad, who, while perhaps sympathetic at times, became a terrifying force.
However, their place on this list contrasts or coincides with what their filmography might suggest, these actors’ inclusion nonetheless speaks well of their characters. While all of these names are already seasoned stars, it's nice to see a couple of less talked about actors get on this list, including Gad and Hiddleston, who are relatively newer to their stardom as compared with their colleagues on the list. Many of these actors will star in notable upcoming films, including Barbie, which features both Ferrell and Robbie.
Source: The Town