At first glance, acting may look like a glamorous job, but in reality that’s not quite the case. Only a handful of actors achieve fame and success based on their skills and hardworking demeanor. Sometimes, an artist’s success is determined by the bold choices they take in both their personal lives and careers. But, success and talent aren’t always connected. In certain moments, the worst-reviewed actors can also be the most beloved ones.
Let’s take a closer look at these Hollywood stars and understand why they didn’t shine as bright as we would’ve thought.
Sarah Jessica Parker
It is evident that Sarah Jessica Parker gained a significant following due to her role in the show Sex and the City. Other than that, we have not seen her shine on the big screen too often. Apart from her performance on the show, Parker’s acting career is not known for receiving many accolades. In fact, many of the films she went to work on were heavily criticized. Critics mentioned that the characters Parker played were “hard to relate with”.
Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen’s career has been full of ups and downs. Apart from acting in a couple of unsuccessful box-office movies, he also had heated arguments with co-workers behind the cameras. It’s said that Sheen is a difficult actor to work with and that could certainly be the reason why his career hasn’t progressed much. But to Sheen’s benefit, his hilarious antics on the show Two and a Half Men will make the whole country laugh for years to come.
Taylor Lautner
The Twilight Saga was a hit among teenagers but didn’t appeal to any other audience for a reason. The actors were good-looking, but they lacked depth. One of these actors was the shirtless werewolf, Taylor Lautner. Even though his fandom grew amongst that kind of audience, he was not able to find success elsewhere. He starred in some other films that went on being flop very badly. It almost seems that for Lautner, this franchise was the climax of his career.
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Mostly known for her role on the film I Know What You Did Last Summer, Jennifer Love Hewitt’s acting career includes movies with very low ratings. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Jennifer’s films have never earned ratings higher than 60/100. On the other hand, even though I Know What You Did Last Summer was heavily criticized, it still performed well in the box office. Making a total of one hundred and twenty-five million dollars worldwide. There’s still hope for Hewitt.
Zac Efron
Zac Efron’s acting career proves that starting out your career as a preteen movie sensation can certainly add a lot of pressure to the remainder of your career. While some actors thrive, others don’t. Although Efron was able to gain the hearts of millions of fans, most of the roles he’s played are not as diverse as we would expect. Most movie critics share the common thought that Efron’s performances do not live up to the exception he set as a young talented artist. On the positive side, the actor has been trying to take on more challenging roles lately. It sounds like the fruits of his labor will soon be rewarded.
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone, the protagonist of the film Rocky, has had his fair share of screen time throughout his years. So, it’s only natural that not all his performances would be great. Besides Rocky, Stallone has not had a breakthrough performance. He has acted in numerous blockbuster movies that went on to accumulate massive box office revenue, but none were critically acclaimed. Whichever angle we look at it, his bank account has been the biggest winner of it all.
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl has had plenty of roles in romantic comedy movies like Knocked Up and The Ugly Truth. Unfortunately, romcoms are such a niche genre that a lot of actors get typecasted. Meaning that many actors get cast for the same roles over and over and Heigl is a perfect example of that. With that in mind, the actress was never able to showcase her acting range besides featuring in a couple of Grey’s Anatomy episodes.
Steven Seagal
Known for featuring only in action films, Steven Seagal’s acting career has not been as successful as he’d like. In fact, Seagal has been off-screen since 2019 and his last film scored a 3.9/10 on IMDB. With this in mind, it is evident that acting is not an easy job and actors are constantly honing their acting skills in order to perform to the best of their abilities. And with so many amazing young talents coming up, Seagal needs to up the ante.
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco has had a rather unusual acting career. Most of her on-screen performances took place during the show The Big Bang Theory. The show has made millions of Americans laugh out loud and Kaley was one of the pillars of the show. On the other hand, apart from the show, the actress took on some strange roles in movies. While her wit and humor have helped her gain a substantial amount of fans, critics think her lack of “film experience” has damaged her career.
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is perhaps one of the most talked about actors in the industry. Critic’s opinion vary a lot when talking about his acting skills. That’s because the actor’s filmography is so extensive that it was inevitable that “bad” decisions were going to happen. Emphasizing his acting accomplishments, Cage’s career includes one Academy Award and countless bad reviews. Rumors say that these bad reviews are a result of him not being able to successfully translate his quirkiness into some of the roles he’s chosen.
Ryan Phillippe
When plainly looking at Ryan Phillippe’s acting journey, it is evident that he was quite popular during the 90s. He undoubtedly delivered outstanding performances. However, the actor has been somewhat forgotten. It is that this happened because several of the box office films he participated in, went on to bomb badly in the box office. Also, the actor himself admits that the type of movies he used to make is virtually gone. Meaning that if he doesn’t renovate his repertoire he might just end up in the long list of forgotten actors.
Megan Fox
At first glance, Megan Fox is the perfect portrayal of a Hollywood star. Her acting debut in Michael Bay’s Transformers convinced people that she could be the next big thing. However, that was not quite the case. After that, Megan starred in other movies, but none of them performed well at the box office. Apart from that, her career has also hit a few snags, but hopefully, she can overcome it.
Kevin James
Known for his success in the show King of Queens, Kevin James had an unusual start to his acting career. He began his comedic journey as a stand-up comedian. After performing his gigs, Kevin decided to take his talents to the big screen. Sadly, Kevin became another victim of typecasting. He’s been playing the same characters in different movies and he’s had a challenging time trying to break away from it. On top of that and to his own detriment, viewers and critics have a hard time taking his acting seriously due to the goofy nature of most of the characters he’s played.
David Arquette
Coming from a family of actors, David Arquette always knew he was going to be a performer. Arquette has appeared in remarkable films such as the Scream, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and more. But these movies are not quite popular anymore and we haven’t seen much of him since. Which makes us wonder if the has actor decided to leave the spotlight voluntarily or has been blacklisted by Hollywood? We’ll eventually find out…
Katie Holmes
Mostly known for her past relationship with Tom Cruise and her acting in the show Dawson’s Creek, Katie Holmes has never skyrocketed like we thought she would. Sadly, for her fans, Holme’s career did not have many highlights apart for what was previously mentioned and her role as Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins. Maybe one day we’ll see her again on the big screen…
Chuck Norris
The action star, Chuck Norris has a huge fanbase, but necessarily due to his acting because according to Rotten Tomatoes, Chuck is the worst-rated actor of all time, with an average rating of 18.4%. That’s why he is mostly known for being the man behind the countless memes and jokes on the internet. Chuck is an internet phenomenon that turned into a pop culture icon.
David Hasselhoff
It would be instinctual to think that one of the most watched men on TV would be a pretty good actor, right? Sadly, that is not exactly how David Hasselhoff’s career unfolded. “The Hoff” has undeniably been a part of excellent movies, but to his demise, most of the films he’s starred in ended up flopping. The actor has also been heavily criticized for many of his performances on-screen. Yet, to his credit, people will always remember him as an iconic live TV host.
Chris Tucker
In his glory days, Chris Tucker was one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, but recently, that has not been the case. He admits that he decided to step away from acting because he couldn’t find any roles worth dedicating himself to. Since the movie, Rush Hour, Chris has not been seen much in any other movie. Chris’s hilarious presence on the big screen is certainly missed.
Mandy Moore
90s pop sensation Mandy Moore mysteriously took a break from acting, leaving many fans disappointed. Rumors were spread saying that she decided to focus more on her singing, yet no songs were released during her hiatus. Curiously, rumors are said that Hollywood won’t cast her anymore in any film. That’s because her presence on the big screen was not the greatest (according to critics). Apart from that her films did perform well at the box office.
