Have any academic superstars succeeded in a subject while disliking it? This question is limited to only academic subjects that exist in internationally recognised universities (eg: exclude celebrities and Internet sensations), and is inspired by a discussion with a teenage family member who questions the maxim that interest is most important for deciding your academic subject: are there any academic luminaries who succeeded in a subject that they (secretely or not) despise?

For example, has any Nobel Laureate or Rolf Schock winner despised the subject in which he/she won, or has any Fields Medallist despised maths?
To succeed in any highly competitive endeavour requires long, concentrated, hard work. To put this into something you hate would certainly be a novel type of masochism, even if not successful.