Actors Who Seemed To Vanish After Their Movie Flopped
There are celebrities in Hollywood who have stood the test of time. I’m thinking of people like Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, and Robert De Niro. The people on this list are not those people. The people on this list had their time in the limelight. They acted their little tushies off, and then they pretty much disappeared for the spotlight.
Keep reading to find out why some of your favorite actors from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s just aren’t around anymore.
Colleen Haskell
Colleen Haskell became famous after appearing on the first season of Survivor. She got the most attention of any of the contestants, probably because of her conventional good looks.
Colleen guest stared on a few sitcoms and even starred in a 2001 movie with Rob Schneider called The Animal. That was the last movie Haskell ever made. It did okay at the box office, but apparently, it didn’t do well enough.
Chris O’Donnell
Chris O’Donnell was all over the place in the mid-’90s. He played a rugby-playing medical student in Circle of Friends and a man patiently waiting on the sidelines in Scent of a Woman.
O’Donnell was a solid choice to play Robin in 1995’s Batman Forever. He played Robin again in that movie’s sequel. Even though that movie did well financially, it was so universally disliked that Warner Bros canceled plans to turn the series into a trilogy. O’Donnell stayed off the big screen for a few years after that, but he still continues to appear in TV shows.
Hayden Christensen
Canadian actor Hayden Christensen thought he had landed the role of a lifetime when he was cast as a young Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels. Unfortunately, the writing in the Star Wars prequels didn’t do him any favors. I don’t think anyone could have walked away from that movie unscathed. He has still make some appearances as Anakin Skywalker though in various Star Wars TV shows.
He appeared in a few other low budget films since then, but so far nothing noteworthy. Hayden bought a farm in Uxbridge, Ontario, and now he’s learning about livestock. Christensen doesn’t live there full time but still enjoys his farm life in Canada.
Eddie Murphy
For a while there, it seemed like Eddie Murphy was absolutely everywhere. You couldn’t see a kids’ movie without hearing his voice or seeing his face. This man reigned as the king of comedy in the early 2000s.
Then, all of a sudden, he took a step back. He could tell that his star power was waning. He told the press, “I think my cool and edge are gone … Whatever my edge or cool was back then, I’m onto some other area. I don’t know what it is.”
He is set to make a comeback as the voice of Donkey in an upcoming Shrek sequel.
Brandon Routh
Brandon Routh certainly looks like a superhero, but his career didn’t exactly take off like one. When he was cast as Superman in Superman Returns, he probably thought he was headed for superstardom.
The movie was supposed to be a huge blockbuster, but it didn’t make as much money as producers expected. Routh didn’t show up in another movie for two years, and all of his subsequent roles were small guest parts.
Megan Fox
Megan Fox was at the top of her game after the first Transformers movie. Then rumors started to spread about Fox’s temperament on set. Apparently, she was difficult to work with, which is probably more of a reflection of the expectations Hollywood puts on women more than anything else.
Her movie Jonah Hex didn’t do very well at the box office. She took on some smaller roles, and then pretty much disappeared altogether.
Taylor Lautner
Taylor Lautner was slowly inching his way up Hollywood’s ladder when he was suddenly cast as Jacob, the teenage werewolf, in the infamous Twilight series. While his decision to take on the role of Jacob Black probably earned him a lot of money, it also cost him some respect.
Taylor has been slowly trying to rebuild his reputation as a serious actor by taking on small roles in well-received television shows. He pivoted to co-hosting a popular podcast with his wife, Taylor Lautner.
Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton’s name was everywhere after her role on The O.C. boosted her to the top of Hollywood’s “It List.” She wasn’t able to make her stardom last beyond The O.C., though.
For Mischa, staying on top was much harder than getting to the top. She’s actually appeared in quite a few low budget horror movies since The O.C. ended, but you probably wouldn’t have seen those movies unless you’re a diehard horror fan.
Julia Stiles
Julia Stiles was the woman who every ’90s girl wanted to be. She was a smart, sassy, no-nonsense type with a soft side that only became apparent if you broke down her walls. She was intoxicating— and then she was gone.
It’s possible that Stiles just aged out of her typecasting. She had a small role in Silver Linings Playbook. She landed recurring roles in Amazons The Lake, and DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms.
Roberto Benigni
It seemed like Italian actor Roberto Benigni was going to do great things after the commercial and critical success of Life is Beautiful. He had a unique point of view and heaps of talent, and the whole world seemed to like his vibe. He even won an Oscar for his work.
Then he starred in a live-action adaptation of Pinocchio that didn’t make much sense. He was 50 years old at the time and Pinocchio’s whole schtick is that he wants to be a real boy— not a real middle-aged man.
Lori Petty
Tank Girl was the perfect project for Lori Petty. It’s just that the movie itself wasn’t as well made as it could have been. Basically, it was a mess. It barely earned $4 million at the box office and it cost $25 million to make.
Petty had a hard time recovering after that movie flop, but many, many years later, she landed a role on the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black.
Matthew Modine
Who is this guy again? Oh yeah, he was in Full Metal Jacket. After being in a whole bunch of really good grown-up movies, Carolco Pictures decided to put him in a pirate movie. The thing is, people weren’t really into pirate movies in 1995. It would take Johnny Depp and some Disney money to make people excited about sailing the seven seas.
The movie made barely any money at the box office and Modine didn’t make another movie for two whole years. He’s made a comeback with Netflix’s Stranger Things as Dr. Martin Brenner.
Madonna
So, Madonna hasn’t exactly disappeared, but her acting career definitely has. When was the last time you saw Madonna in a movie?
Madonna starred in a bunch of movies back in the day, including Evita and A League of Their Own. Those movies did pretty well, but she also starred in flops like Shanghai Surprise, Swept Away, and The Next Best Thing. Let’s just say that she’s much better at the whole singing thing she has going on.
Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy was a pretty big star in the ’90s. She was the host of MTV’s Singled Out, and she was pretty successful as a model. She tried her hand at acting with roles in films like BASEketball and Scream 3.
Her movies weren’t very well received and she’s struggled to stay on top of the Hollywood game ever since. Her cousin, Melissa McCarthy, is doing quite well on the big screen.
Dana Carvey
Dana Carvey was a huge star on Saturday Night Live. He created some unforgettable characters and he was a huge part of the success of the show in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Like many SNL alums, he decided to pursue a movie career after he left the show.
His movie, Master of Disguise, wasn’t very well received by critics. All of his subsequent roles have been cameos and voice-overs.
Jessica Simpson
You probably know Jessica Simpson best as a pop star or a reality star, but she did try to transition into acting at one point in her career. She played Daisy Duke in a Dukes of Hazzard remake and she tried her hand at a couple romantic comedies.
Ultimately, it didn’t really pan out and Jessica decided to give up on her dreams of becoming a movie star. She’s still a star in her own right, though.
Lindsay Lohan
At the beginning of her career, Lindsay Lohan looked like she was set up perfectly for a life of movie success after movie success. As a child actress, she stole our hearts in The Parent Trap. Then she made us laugh in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls.
While there was a large chunk of time where she stayed away from acting, she has starred in come rom-coms and seems to be making an effort to getting back on our screens.
Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton is undoubtedly a talented actor. Just look at Beetlejuice and the first two Batman movies. Then, in 1998, he starred in Jack Frost. The movie was supposed to be about a dad who died in a car accident and then came back as a creepy snowman.
The movie (obviously) didn’t do so well, and it took Keaton a long time to return to the big screen. Luckily, he did return with box office hits like Birdman and Spotlight.
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba was an audience favorite in the 2000s. She starred in a bunch of successful movies, and then she took a step back from acting to focus on family life. One of her last big movies was Sin City which didn’t do so well with critics.
The film made her a lot of money, but it didn’t do much to define her as an actress. Now Alba is more focussed on running her own businesses.
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone became a household name after Clueless became a cult classic. She dominated pop culture in 1995, so much so that people would go around saying Cher’s catchphrases.
People liked her as Cher, but they didn’t like her as any other character. Every other movie she was in after Clueless was a complete flop. Eventually, Alicia turned more to guest star roles in TV shows.
David Caruso
In 1993, character actor David Caruso played Detective John Kelly ABC’s NYPD Blue. Caruso thought he had it made. He was on a hit TV show, so it would be easy for him to branch out and move on, right? Wrong.
He starred in two underwhelming crime thrillers before he disappeared from the public eye. Caruso didn’t get another gig for two years, then appeared in a few little-watched movies. He was in CSI Miami until 2012, but that’s about it.
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom was something of a heartthrob in the 2000s. He stunned us with his good looks as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings series. He also starred in Pirates of the Caribbean, but in that film, he was largely overshadowed by Johnny Depp.
After starring in a few romantic comedies that didn’t do so well, Bloom took a step back from the spotlight.
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner is the girl next door who is almost too perfect. Her winning smile and soothing voice made people absolutely fall in love with her. She had a few big hits with 13 Going on 30 and Daredevil, but after she married Ben Affleck, her career took a backseat to his. Now that they are divorced, she might be back on our screens soon!
Garner is still doing good work in Hollywood, but her career is nowhere as big as it used to be.
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton tried to turn her reality star fame into movie star fame, and it just didn’t work out. Her first major role was in the House of Wax remake, which earned her a Razzie award that year.
She tried acting a few more times before she decided that the job wasn’t really for her. She’s turned to advocating for state and federal laws to end teenage treatment facilities like the one she was sent too.
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an intense actor who’s been in some majorly successful movies, including Raising Arizona, Adaptation, and Leaving Las Vegas. Nobody is saying that this man can’t act. The thing is, sometimes he acts too much. Nick, could you tone it down just a little bit? He probably can’t. That’s why he’s Nick Cage.
His most recent movies have opened to mixed or negative reviews. Hopefully, somebody will put his acting talents to good use in the future.
