From Mark Zuckerberg to Pamela Anderson: The Biopic Portrayals That Ignited Buzz in Hollywood

From Mark Zuckerberg to Pamela Anderson, several stars have openly criticized how their lives were depicted onscreen. Here's what they had to say about the movies and shows based on their stories.

Over the years, many stars have seen their life stories dramatized for film and television, but not all of them were pleased with how they were portrayed. Some weren't even included in the creative process until after the projects had premiered.

Biopics often force filmmakers and actors to strike a delicate balance between fact and fiction. Unsurprisingly, the real people depicted in movies and on TV tend to have strong feelings about the characters based on them.

Some of those who were unhappy have gone on record to publicly criticize the producers who profited from their stories and their likeness. Here are a few of those celebrities.

Chris Hansen — 'Primetime'

"Primetime," starring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, follows the journalist and the fraught production, ethical gray areas and media sensationalism surrounding his show "To Catch a Predator," which aired from 2004 to 2007.

In an interview with USA Today, Hansen slammed "Primetime" for using his "name, image and likeness" for the movie.

"They wanted to exploit the brand that I've built over the last 45 years," he said. "You can decide whether that's ethical or legal or identity theft or however you look at it. But it seems a little [exploitative], as Hollywood often is."

In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hansen clarified that he has "no problem" with Pattinson, calling him a "great actor and a nice guy," but added that the filmmakers "put him in a difficult position."

"He's going to be asked, 'Did you actually meet with Chris Hansen?' And he has to explain why, as an actor portraying me, they never reached out even to have a discussion," the journalist explained.

Mark Zuckerberg — 'The Social Network'

Mark Zuckerberg weighed in on 2010's "The Social Network," which dramatized Facebook's early days, during a public Q&A session in 2014.

Reflecting on Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal of him, he said the film "made up a bunch of stuff" that he found "hurtful," and that he had since "blocked" it out of his mind, per The Guardian.

"The reality is that writing code and then building a product and building a company is not a glamorous enough thing to make a movie about, so you can imagine that a lot of this stuff they had to embellish or make up," said Zuckerberg, who added that he had met Eisenberg and tried to be nice.

Pamela Anderson — 'Pam & Tommy'

"Pam & Tommy" is a 2022 Hulu limited series in which Lily James and Sebastian Stan portray "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson and her ex-husband, Tommy Lee, during the 1995 scandal involving the theft and release of their sex tape.

The following year, Anderson released a Netflix documentary in which she revealed she had no desire to watch the show and said the producers should have asked for her permission before moving forward with it.

That same year, during a cover interview with Variety, she said they still owe her a "public apology."

As for James' portrayal, Anderson told the outlet that she had "nothing against" the actress. "I think that she's a beautiful girl and she was just doing the job," she said. "But the idea of the whole thing happening was just really crushing for me."

Lil' Kim — 'Notorious'

Lil' Kim, who was romantically involved with the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., took issue with how their relationship played out onscreen in the 2009 Biggie biopic "Notorious."

"The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a 'character' to create a more interesting story line instead of a person with talent, self-respect and who was able to achieve her own career success through hard work," she said in a statement.

She added, "Regardless of the many lies in the movie and false portrayal of me to help carry a story line through, I will still continue to carry [Biggie's] legacy through my hard work and music."

Jada Pinkett Smith — 'All Eyez on Me'

After the 2017 Tupac Shakur biopic "All Eyez on Me" hit theaters, Jada Pinkett Smith, a close friend of the late rapper, took to Twitter to call the film's "reimagining" of their relationship "deeply hurtful."

"Pac never read me that poem. I didn't know that poem existed until it was printed in his book. Pac never said goodbye to me before leaving for LA. He had to leave abruptly and it wasn't to pursue his career," Pinkett Smith wrote of the movie's inaccuracies.

"I've never been to any of Pac's shows by his request. We never had an argument backstage," she added.

Despite her grievances, she praised Kat Graham and Demetrius Shipp Jr., who portrayed her and Shakur, saying they "both did a beautiful job" with the material.