Very true. Many people in the press and the general public don't have any sense of boundaries when it comes to pestering an actor about a character they play, and the tiresome repetition of having to fend this off for years on end would surely sour anyone on it, even if they legitimately enjoyed something at the time it was first made.

Thinking back, I now remember hearing that he was at the 30th anniversary screening of Empire, which was after the conversation referenced in the article took place, and that he enjoyed seeing the film again for the first time in 30 years, so perhaps that put him on a path of beginning to think better of his character again?