Psychoward
Banned
What did she even do wrong? I was young at the time but it seemed like the only person slinging shit was Norm and he was clearly joking...
Actors/Actresses who ruined their careers with a single move.
- Thread starter DarkJediKnight
- Start date
- Status
Miles Quaritch
Member
Where's Jon Hamm?
Dude up and vanished after Mad Men ended. Last movie I remember him being in was The Town.
Dude up and vanished after Mad Men ended. Last movie I remember him being in was The Town.
That is what usually happens when someone finishes a big role. People are less likely to cast him in other big roles. And he had like six movies since mad Men.
She left Melrose Place for a Carrot Top movie. Although she actually switched to Ally McBeal and she got about as many hit shows after Melrose as Marcia, Heather Locklear and Milano. It isn't like any of the actors became huge movie actors, especially not the ones that sticked around.
crazy monkey
Banned
darkwing-buck
Member
He's gonna be in the new Edgar Wright movie.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
Adjusted for inflation, its the single largest box office bomb, ever. It killed a lot of people's careers after that shit, including the damn studio Carolco Pictures.
To this day Im still amazed Pirates of the Caribbean is as big as it is, because I thought the public just hated anything with pirates now.
YesManKablaam
Neo Member
Very rarely does a single move or movie tank someone's career. You get some high-profile duds that leave an indelible mark but even those actors and actresses will continue to find work in some capacity. When reading this thread the first name that popped into my head was Jamie Kennedy and Son Of The Mask, but a quick glance at IGN shows that the guy has been working consistently ever since. True, it's either in small roles or voiceover work, but he still has a career.
She may not have the most sparkling filmography, but Sean Young has been constantly appearing in small productions since the Batman Returns debacle, and Sam Worthington continues to get work. Maybe the thread is talking about people that looked set to be 'big' but never quite crossed that threshold?
If that's the case then I think Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most fascinating modern examples of star image and building a profile. Has anyone else that made their name in a young adult adaptation had the same kind of success/made the transition as well as her? Coming off the back of Twilight it seemed that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson would be Big Things but they slowly faded away (in fact Twilight is a remarkable instance of a box-office titan leaving no lasting cultural impact in record time) and the trio from Harry Potter continue to work but have seemingly deliberately moved away from the limelight. In fact that holds true for almost every example provided in this thread; actors and actresses become disillusioned with the Hollywood lifestyle and purposefully step away.
Lawrence played the game exceptionally well by separating herself from Katniss, not letting that be the character and series that defined her. Whether you like her personality and demeanour is irrelevant, her candour and tone in interviews and press junkets helped build her image, and did a strong job in establishing her as her own person, and not just the blank canvas the audience projects themselves onto that characters like Katniss, Bella etc all tend to be. Can't deny there's an element of luck/good fortune at play too, as she picked projects that paid off (First Class and Silver Linings Playbook hit the mark critically and commercially and cemented her a place) where some other young actresses haven't been as fortunate.
She may not have the most sparkling filmography, but Sean Young has been constantly appearing in small productions since the Batman Returns debacle, and Sam Worthington continues to get work. Maybe the thread is talking about people that looked set to be 'big' but never quite crossed that threshold?
If that's the case then I think Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most fascinating modern examples of star image and building a profile. Has anyone else that made their name in a young adult adaptation had the same kind of success/made the transition as well as her? Coming off the back of Twilight it seemed that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson would be Big Things but they slowly faded away (in fact Twilight is a remarkable instance of a box-office titan leaving no lasting cultural impact in record time) and the trio from Harry Potter continue to work but have seemingly deliberately moved away from the limelight. In fact that holds true for almost every example provided in this thread; actors and actresses become disillusioned with the Hollywood lifestyle and purposefully step away.
Lawrence played the game exceptionally well by separating herself from Katniss, not letting that be the character and series that defined her. Whether you like her personality and demeanour is irrelevant, her candour and tone in interviews and press junkets helped build her image, and did a strong job in establishing her as her own person, and not just the blank canvas the audience projects themselves onto that characters like Katniss, Bella etc all tend to be. Can't deny there's an element of luck/good fortune at play too, as she picked projects that paid off (First Class and Silver Linings Playbook hit the mark critically and commercially and cemented her a place) where some other young actresses haven't been as fortunate.
PumpkinPie
Banned
I think those 'leaked' photos of her face being ejaculated upon did wonders for her. I certainly wasn't a fan before that, but in a weird way it did separate the person from the character she played.
YesManKablaam
Neo Member
Yeah, because that will help make her a viable box office success.
I actually think her response to that regrettable episode was fantastic. It wasn't some pre-scripted speech, she was rightfully pissed off and upset about that breach of privacy.
If you're at all serious about suggesting she 'let' them get leaked, then I don't know what to say. Because yes, absolutely that was a calculated move to boost her profile after she already had an unprecendented run of attaining both box office and award success, up to and including being in two globally successful franchises and winning an Academy Award (as well as nominations). Yup, nude photos were definitely the thing that put her in the spotlight.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Kiss of Death for David Caruso.
Mineshaft_Gap
4077th
Not a whole lot of "with a single move" posts. A lot of vague sort of posts though.
As far as Roman Polanski is concerned... He's been continuously active since he fled the country and won an Oscar for best director in 2002. His career is doing fine.
As far as a single movie as concerned, not a ton of great answers to this. A lot of child actors "they got old" hurrrrr. Terrance Howard around be a good example but his career didn't stay dead. Michael Keaton turning down another Batman movie but it seems his star has risen again.
Not sure if this is a real answer or not or just a case of aging woman in Hollywood: Geena Davis and Cutthroat Island.
Less applicable but still notable is Kevin Costner, who's had somewhat of a career resurgence lately but whose career was a joke after several duds in the 90s (e.g. The Postman, Waterworld).
It seems to me that the fastest way to kill your career in Hollywood is to make it clear that your face doesn't sell tickets. Attaching your name in a significant way to a high profile sinking ship. I mean in a way that your star power is the studio expects to carry the movie. Battlefield Earth led to the second career death of John Travolta. If you have that weight on your shoulders and the movie bombs... Say goodnight. It also makes the situation worse if you aren't immensely talented.
Woody Allen and Roman Polanski both have successful careers because they are, in addition to being human scum, supremely talented writers/film makers. I imagine, given time, Mel Gibson will be in this camp if he isn't already.
As far as Roman Polanski is concerned... He's been continuously active since he fled the country and won an Oscar for best director in 2002. His career is doing fine.
As far as a single movie as concerned, not a ton of great answers to this. A lot of child actors "they got old" hurrrrr. Terrance Howard around be a good example but his career didn't stay dead. Michael Keaton turning down another Batman movie but it seems his star has risen again.
Not sure if this is a real answer or not or just a case of aging woman in Hollywood: Geena Davis and Cutthroat Island.
Less applicable but still notable is Kevin Costner, who's had somewhat of a career resurgence lately but whose career was a joke after several duds in the 90s (e.g. The Postman, Waterworld).
It seems to me that the fastest way to kill your career in Hollywood is to make it clear that your face doesn't sell tickets. Attaching your name in a significant way to a high profile sinking ship. I mean in a way that your star power is the studio expects to carry the movie. Battlefield Earth led to the second career death of John Travolta. If you have that weight on your shoulders and the movie bombs... Say goodnight. It also makes the situation worse if you aren't immensely talented.
Woody Allen and Roman Polanski both have successful careers because they are, in addition to being human scum, supremely talented writers/film makers. I imagine, given time, Mel Gibson will be in this camp if he isn't already.
Even Travolta is not really Battlefield Earth. His last lead role before Battlefield Earth was Face/Off, 3 years earlier. Between that he got a lot of movies, but nothing that made an impact. While after Battlefield Earth, he still got Swordfish a year later which s more high profile than the rest of the stuff he did between Face/Off and Battlefield Earth, outside of The THin Red Line but he was 10th billed there.
Mortimer Brewster
Member
The budget on that one got way out of hand which was ironic because it was green light primarily because Carolco needed a cost contained blockbuster to keep the studio afloat and the choices were Cutthroat or Crusade which had Paul Verhoeven and Arnold attached and while Verhoeven realistically said it could go over budge, Harlin promised that Cutthroat would only cost what it was intitially budgeted for.
Though to be fair, Harlin was as hot a directing name at the time with big money makers Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2 and Nightmare 4 on his resume.
Side not I'd love to se a documentary similar to that one on Cannon done for Carolco.
Shadowhelper
Banned
OJ killing a couple people kinda killed his movie career.
I don't really agree with most of the examples here. Most of those people were always going to go on a downswing. It's really difficult to kill your career with a single mistake, in Hollywood these days. Even Emile Hirsh who almost choked an innocent women to death, is making a comeback and just appeared in The Autopsy in Jane Doe.
But it does seem like Josh Trank might have done that with his behavior on FF4, but if he produces a good script and pitch, would probably be back in the game.
Mel Gibson had taken a long break from acting, like for 10 years, even his outburst didn't destroy him, but I mean, he didn't rape or kill anyone, and it was under drunkeness so who knows? Not saying its impossible to get blackballed obviously, but it's pretty difficult.
I don't really agree with most of the examples here. Most of those people were always going to go on a downswing. It's really difficult to kill your career with a single mistake, in Hollywood these days. Even Emile Hirsh who almost choked an innocent women to death, is making a comeback and just appeared in The Autopsy in Jane Doe.
But it does seem like Josh Trank might have done that with his behavior on FF4, but if he produces a good script and pitch, would probably be back in the game.
Mel Gibson had taken a long break from acting, like for 10 years, even his outburst didn't destroy him, but I mean, he didn't rape or kill anyone, and it was under drunkeness so who knows? Not saying its impossible to get blackballed obviously, but it's pretty difficult.
dead souls
Member
Unpopular opinion time, but he's just not that great of an actor.
DarkJediKnight
Member
And apparently he had a giant penis. People don't like to hire guys with giant penises.
So weird that Hollywood thinks he burned a bridge. He just turned down a job. You'd think these people would have thicker skins. No wonder Nolan avoids the web, he'd probably have a breakdown if he's that salty.
Liam Neeson would like a word with you.
Androidsleeps
Member
To my surprise, Josh Trank is already directing/writing a movie with Tom Hardy (Al Capone biopic).
And No, Jon Hamm didn't "ruin" his career he's doing fine.
Yep. Guys just enjoying himself after being an acting God on TV for so many years.
CrichtonKicks
Member
As a few others noted, she didn't tank anything anyway. She has had a string of long running successes very consistently over 20+ years.
Stallion Dan
Member
Demi Moore Striptease.
She barely done anything since.
She barely done anything since.
I saw Tank Girl on TV the other night which reminded me that Lori Petty was once a thing. She had a nice little streak of success with Point Break, A League of Their Own, Free Willy. There was a bad Pauly Shore movie in there that didn't help but Tank Girl seemed like the end of starring roles for her. She's still working with bit parts on TV but the days of headlining movies stopped after that movie well, tanked.
JadedWriter
Member
Battlefield Earth killed Barry Pepper's career and almost killed Forest Whitaker's if I'm not mistaken.
adamsappel
Member
Sea movies are notoriously expensive, and pirate movies even more so because of the sets and costumes. Prior to Cutthroat Island, the last movie to sink the genre was Pirates, directed by Roman Polanski. Developing that movie kept him out of work for 7 years. Maybe he should try for a sequel.
Had?
Fitting name. More to the point- he left NYPD Blue at a very successful time to pursue film. The "in one move" applies especially because that was disastrous for his career.
He bounced back with CSI in a huge way though so, happy ending.
Pepper has done just fine. He's worked regularly in both high profile and smaller roles, though not as the leading man anymore (which suits him better imo). Everyone was so focused on Travolta in that disaster that they overlooked him.
He's found his niche as more of a character actor anyway (especially in True Grit and Lone Ranger), and just 2 years after Battlefield Earth he co-starred in We Were Soldiers.
Fuck Forest Whitaker. That overacting, lazy-eyed, fuck. Wish his career was gone.
Zoe
Member
There are only so many times you can be told "no" before you just stop trying.
Zeus Molecules
illegal immigrants are stealing our air
Lazy-eyed sure but he has had a very respectable career and can legit act.
No he can't. I dislike him in everything. Fuck him and Anthony Mackie. Bizarro ass Chadwick Boseman motherfucker
Even The Last King of Scotland?
Fuck. Forest. Whitaker.
triplestation
Member
forest w was scary af in the last king of scotland
also bring back brendan for encino man 2
also bring back brendan for encino man 2
JadedWriter
Member
Oh good for him then, I haven't checked his IMDB in awhile so I just assumed he just faded into obscurity.
Barry Pepper was never a big star to begin with. He landed a string of good supporting roles, but he was never a legit leading man. He's still got a nice career.
broncobuster
Banned
Barry Pepper voiced the main character of Prototype. That's neither here nor there.
Androidsleeps
Member
K-Stew delivered a good performance in Clouds of Sils Maria, it wasn't Winters Bone good but she definitely has potential. It wouldn't surprise me of she lands a great role soon that generates some awards buzz.
Mackie is cool and good looking, though I only seen him in captain America, Adjustment Bureau and the HBO movie about LBJ (which was his best role imo)
Soapbox Killer
Grand Nagus
Nobody should hate an actor this much. Did he sleep with your sister or something?
Zeuanimals
Member
I read it was supposed to be a series of Superman movies that would go on for 10 years or so, directed by Brett Ratner. I would've skipped out on that too. 10 years working with Ratner on a superhero series? That's just another way to tarnish your name.
Jeffolation
Banned
Don't forget about Jade!
Being cast as a superhero is certainly not the pinnacle for an actors career like some people are making it out to be. It's a very high risk move. If the movie flops, you're career likely flops with it. If the movie is successful, you're that superhero in everyone's minds now, and it becomes difficult to get other roles.
Ragged Gloves
Member
Ben Affleck when he messed around and got engaged to J.Lo. His career went south and hasn't been the same since. His friend Matt Damon career took off.
Shannen Doherty (Brenda on Beverly Hills 90210) turned into such a massive bitch on set and creator Aaron Spelling ended up firing her - which was a BIG deal as she was the star of the show.
Because she was so horrible (randomly not showing up to work, getting into fist fights with other cast members including Jennie Garth who played Kelly, etc) FOX were willing to anger 90210 fans and lose ratings just to get rid of Shannen.
Following her termination, Shannen was unemployable for over a decade as nobody wanted to hire her, so Aaron Spelling feeling guilty about firing her on 90210 decided to give her a second chance and cast her as the lead in his new show (Prue on Charmed).
He came to the realization that she was still a massive bitch and impossible to work with, and ended up firing her again.
She hasn't acted since.
lol @ tori spelling's photo here.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked