Hollywood Ruined His Legacy

It’s always exciting to see a legendary figure come to life on the big screen, but you shouldn't take everything seen in a biopic as absolute truth. Directors often prioritize drama and pacing over the gritty, sometimes boring details of a person's actual life. With that in mind, here are 20 historical figures Hollywood totally ruined.

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1. Braveheart’s Fashion Choices

William Wallace wore a kilt in this award-winning historical epic. However, kilts were not invented until centuries after the Scottish freedom fighter’s passing. So when watching Braveheart charge into battle, just remember that the iconic look is a stretch.

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2. The Greatest Showman’s Ethics

Hugh Jackman portrays P.T. Barnum as a charismatic visionary who simply wanted to spread joy to the world. Historically, P.T. Barnum was a cynical opportunist who made his fortune exploiting workers. He loved scamming audiences with hoaxes and didn’t always treat his performers nicely.

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3. The Imitation Game’s Personality

The real Alan Turing was said to be quite the character, with lots of admirers who enjoyed his company. He’s portrayed as a shy loner because that’s what “mad scientist” movies are historically programmed to do. Chances are, Turing would have been a lot more fun to party with than his movie version.

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4. Pocahontas and the Age Gap

Everyone knows Disney taught us that men and Pocahontas fell in love despite Colonial wars. But the real-life Pocahontas was only eleven or twelve when she met Captain John Smith. There was not a Hollywood-style romance between the young Indian girl and the explorer.

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5. A Beautiful Mind’s Hallucinations

John Nash suffered from schizophrenia, but his disease was depicted quite loosely in this film. The movie portrays Nash’s symptoms as visual hallucinations that appear in the form of people. However, Nash himself said that his hallucinations were primarily auditory.

Elke Wetzig (Elya) on Wikimedia

6. The Social Network’s Motivation

Zuckerberg has pointed out that he was actually dating his future wife the entire time the site was being built. He wasn't some bitter outsider trying to get into exclusive clubs; he was just a guy who loved coding and building things for his peers. The "revenge" plot makes for a better movie, but it doesn't reflect the actual inspiration behind the social media giant.

JD Lasica from Pleasanton, CA, US on Wikimedia

7. Gladiator’s Family Drama

Commodus is portrayed as a sniveling villain who meets his end in a dramatic arena battle against a vengeful general. The real Emperor Commodus actually ruled for over a decade and was eventually strangled in his bath by a wrestler named Narcissus. He was certainly a colorful and controversial figure, but he didn't die in a blaze of glory in the Colosseum.

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8. Patch Adams’ Disdain

Patch Adams himself was never too pleased with how he was characterized. Adams felt that Hollywood simplified him to a happy-go-lucky doctor who made people laugh. What they didn’t focus on was Adams’ heavy activism and political endeavors.

Mark Neyman on Wikimedia

9. Darkest Hour’s Subway Scene

Winston Churchill did not ride the London subway during World War II to gather public opinion. Sure, he was the people’s Prime Minister, but there is no record of him using public transit at that time. Hollywood thought it’d be cute to insert a populist moment where it didn’t happen in real life.

Yousuf Karsh on Wikimedia

10. The Sound of Music’s Escape

The Von Trapp family is shown hiking over the Alps to reach freedom in Switzerland at the end of the classic musical. If they had actually taken that route from their home in Salzburg, they would have walked straight into the heart of Nazi Germany. In reality, they simply boarded a train to Italy and then traveled to the United States from there.

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11. Amadeus and the Rivalry

Antonio Salieri spent his life sabotaging Mozart out of jealousy. Despite sharing years in the same industry, Mozart and Salieri were on friendly terms when alive. Salieri was also quite respected in his own right as a talented musician.

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12. The Blind Side’s Training

The movie suggests Michael Oher had no idea what he was doing when he first played football. In reality, Oher was an exceptional athlete who knew exactly what he was doing. He did not need to learn the basics of football from a family of amateurs.

Keith Allison on Wikimedia

13. Bohemian Rhapsody’s Timeline

Weeks before Live Aid, Freddie tells Brian and Roger he has HIV. History proves that Mercury actually found out about his diagnosis years after Live Aid occurred. This change was clearly made to tug on heartstrings and dramatize the live show.

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14. Straight Outta Compton’s Omissions

This N.W.A. biopic does a great job of showing the group’s rise to fame, but it leaves out some of the members' more controversial behavior. Dr. Dre’s history of physical altercations with women is completely ignored to keep the audience on his side. While the movie celebrates their musical legacy, it brushes over the darker personal flaws that were well-documented at the time.

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15. The King’s Speech and the Timeline

King George only worked with his therapist for months before his radio speech. The truth is, they worked together for years, and George had improved since childhood. The movie shortened their relationship to heighten the sense of urgency.

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16. Napoleon’s Cannon Fire

Ridley Scott’s recent take on the French Emperor shows him firing cannons at the Egyptian pyramids during his campaign. Historians were quick to point out that this never happened, as Napoleon actually had a great deal of respect for ancient history. He brought scientists and artists with him to study the structures rather than using them for target practice.

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17. The Iron Lady’s Mental State

Many felt that Thatcher’s dementia was exploited for narrative purposes in this film. Her children even publicly denounced the movie for glorifying her illness. By doing this, she wasn’t portrayed as the strong leader her children remembered.

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18. Rocketman’s Magical Realism

While it’s inspired by his life, the movie takes creative liberties for the sake of entertainment. If watching a “fantasy musical,” don’t expect it to be grounded in reality. Rocketman presents John’s experiences through a prism of artistic expression.

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19. Elvis and the Manager

Parker was a greedy manipulator, but Elvis still cared about what he had to say. Parker gave Elvis money and comfort, so he probably didn’t see him as evil. The relationship Elvis shared with his manager was far more complicated than portrayed on screen.

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20. The Theory of Everything’s Smoothness

Jane Hawking’s book reveals a lot of conflict between her and Stephen. However, their relationship is portrayed as fairly smooth sailing in the film. While they did love each other, Stephen’s disease placed a strain on their relationship early on. The movie only shows the rose-colored version of their marriage.

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