Can these Hollywood careers be saved?
From Hartnett to Hudson, we offer advice to 22 floundering Tinseltown talents
Can these Hollywood careers be saved?
Hollywood fame is a fickle beast, and it's the rare star who's able to keep his/her career viable for any length of time. The 22 actors and directors we've highlighted here are among those whose careers have stumbled - some of them badly - to the point where their respective futures as major industry players have become an open question. Some are closer to the brink than others, but all of them have suffered enough recent setbacks to jeopardize their stock in Tinseltown (or, in one person's case, their stock with sci-fi loving film fans). Will the individuals profiled here continue on their losing streaks to the point where there's no hope of recovery, or will they break out with a hit film or critically-acclaimed performance just when they need it most? Of course, it's hard not to root for the latter scenario in all of their cases; as the saying goes, everybody loves a comeback.
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Next 125 Commentsalynch
February 21, 2012 at 5:36AM EST Reply to CommentChief takeaway from this slideshow, New Year's Eve is on a career-killing rampage.
marishka hargitae
February 21, 2012 at 6:53AM EST Reply to CommentLooking at alot of these actors , yes they have made some bad choices , some more than others , but Mike myers and Eddie Murphy have a little think called shrek witch although might not have given them come back credit between all the movies it has given them over 100 million dollars so , whether they want to be in the "hot list " again or not they certainly ain't hurting , and love guru wasn't all that bad , but i think the reason it tanked was because it was Austin powers with a different character , but that being said he has the ability that a lot don't and that's to create his own characters , that's what he needs to get back to , but anything fresh and different , I mean look at the A.P movies , they were gold mines , cheap to produce and made 2-3 hundred million some domesticly so he needs to brain storm , we havnt seen the last of him ! Muhaaaaa!
ZacharyTF Longest. Run. On. Sentence. Ever.
February 21, 2012 at 9:46AM ESTocrasaroon @ZacharyTF +10 Internets for taking the words right out of my mouth (/fingers?).
February 28, 2012 at 12:49AM EST
March 10, 2012 at 10:27AM ESTmarishka hargitae
February 21, 2012 at 6:57AM EST Reply to CommentWas she ever a star ? On her own ? I mean yeah the had sex and the city wich i guess was popular but her as an individual what good movies has the done , as the lead ? Plus a lot of ppl can't get over her writing herself as this hot sexy Slut in sex and the city but there's one thing wrong with that , SHE IS FUGLY , LIKE BAD , if she wasn't the writer or producer or w/e she wouldn't have been in that show lol
nina That's really your individual take. She was not the producer of the extremely popular tv Sex and the city. She didn't select herself for the role. Somebody must have thought that she was a good actress and fitted the role. And they weren't disappointed. She indeed was the most popular of the girls, she was the star of the show. As for looks, not every attractive person must have a doll face.
February 23, 2012 at 3:22PM ESTNo one Are you both INSANE?? Sarah Jessica Parker was the lead actress for the television show Sex and the City, not Katherine Horkel.
February 8, 2013 at 10:23PM ESTI still have no idea how Heigel ended up being one of the most popular characters on Grey's. As for range, I can tell you that as a trained actor who's been on television myself, NO, she has none. She stuck to her same old tricks instead of real technique while on that show, and it's always stuck in my craw that she thought so highly of herself as to think she could pull off being a movie star. Hubris. Comes back to bite you in your ass every time.
susannnn personally i along with a million other thought katherine heigl is a fantastic actress and was brilliant in greys anatomy and is sorely missed,if you was as good as actress as her maybe we would have heard of you and you woulnt be reduced to insulting her on internet forums as she obviously DOES have talent or she would never have starred in one of the top tv shopws of our time and made numerous films,jealousy is a bad thing.
February 23, 2013 at 8:17AM ESTmarishka hargitae
February 21, 2012 at 7:01AM EST Reply to CommentHe is fine , used to not care for him but point break ! Good movie , then matrix , wich was offered to will smith who I am a big fan of but those movies worked because of keanu it was made for his persona worked perfect , and he still is making good films , he was great in street kings , he needs to do more films like that , action suspense
marishka hargitae
February 21, 2012 at 7:05AM EST Reply to CommentDecent few movies but can't get over how unattractive she is , her beat movies are the one she plays manly in , good work with clint eastwood tho , o and back to George Lucas he has given his life to give his fans what they want , let him do a few private projects , he is in a lot of stuff behind the sencnes , plus he had nothing to worry about , that's allowed with a net worth of around 3 billion
Veronica Please keep in mind that you aren't commenting on individual slideshows; you can only comment on the slideshow as a whole. As such none of the comments you're leaving even say who you're talking about. I can figure it out, but seriously.
February 21, 2012 at 9:16PM ESTmarishka hargitae
February 21, 2012 at 7:07AM EST Reply to CommentNo saving tucker., after Jackie Chan he had no chance , best advise , sit home and spend your money , what's left of it
Mulderism Have you ever heard of the period? It's the little dot that you use to end a sentence.
February 21, 2012 at 1:13PM ESTThat Werewolf Guy
February 21, 2012 at 7:15AM EST Reply to CommentDoes Nic Cage's career need to be saved? His films (and acting styles) may be controversial among audiences and critics, but I can't remember many movies of his, that tanked. I even read a while ago (can't find the link, sorry), that he is still one of the most profitable stars in Hollywood!
Also I wouldn't call OSMOSIS JONES the low point of the Farellys. It's a highly underrated movie. Especially compared to FEVER PITCH, THE HEARTBREAK KID and HALL PASS.
Don't know about Gibson's acting career, but I'm sure he will continue to blow everybody's mind as director.
And does anyone care what George Lucas is doing? The fans are still buying his merchandise and every new version of his movies on home video, even though they seem to hate four of the six Star Wars movies and still haven'T decided if the current CLONE WARS show is good or not.
Do we really WANT Stephen Sommers to be saved? He made one so-bad-it's-fun movie with DEEP RISING and one bad-but-watchable one with G.I. Joe, but apart from that, he is one of the blandest and most incompetent filmmakers in Hollywood (with a talent for putting seriously gruesome deaths in PG-13 movies!)
I think it's very clear that Chris Tucker doesn't want to be saved. He makes every few years a movie for a huge paycheck, then disappears and then returns when he wants to. It's not that he is shooting crappy DTV kids movies or something like that.
Ellichar
February 21, 2012 at 9:16AM EST Reply to CommentWell, let's see: Chris Tucker is an Eddie Murphy wannabe, Lindsay Lohan needs to get back to her natural red hair and move to New York and do stage and TV work to rebuild her career, Halle Berry should do a romantic comedy and SJP should try her hand at drama. Katherine Heigl seems to have burned bridges thanks to her ego and finds herself persona non grata in Hollywood, but Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't belong obn this list: first she spent the past two years taking care of her family as Michael fought cancer, and also she managed to win a Tony for "A Little Night Music" on Broadway. Hopefully someone will do a new movie version with her and Angela Lansbury doing their roles from the Broadway revival.
Stormshadow4life
February 21, 2012 at 9:33AM EST Reply to CommentI love the Odd Thomas book, but when I found out it was Stephen Sommers directing (and writing) it...all excitement for the movie went out the window. Though, if he can pull off that movie, it'll be a miracle.
ZacharyTF
February 21, 2012 at 9:48AM EST Reply to CommentThe sad thing is, I agree with all of these. I would add Brendan Fraser and Adam Sandler to the list.
That Werewolf Guy I think the only way to save Adam Sandler, is to make two or three of his movies in a row tank hard at the box office. He obviously doesn't care anymore, as long as the money keeps coming. But even though I know many people who claim he never was funny, I pretty much loved every thing he did between BILLY MADISON and DEEDS. After that...nothing.
February 21, 2012 at 10:23AM ESTBrendan Fraser...oh man, he really needs to work with the right people, doing the right material. He annoys me most of the time, but then he was so great in BLAST FROM THE PAST, his three episodes of SCRUBS and...yes, I say it, GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (Say what you want about this movie, but he was absolutely perfect in it.)
jcpdiesel21 Brendan Fraser needs to do more indie and/or dramatic work. He was surprisingly wonderful in both Gods and Monsters and The Quiet American.
February 21, 2012 at 12:55PM ESTrobadude32 SEE Billy Madison!!! HA!
January 10, 2013 at 2:41AM ESTyourblindspot
February 21, 2012 at 9:50AM EST Reply to Comment"She should send pictures of her feet or whatever's necessary." Daniel Feinberg, you are a funny man.
Academy Award nominee Eddie Murphy
February 21, 2012 at 11:28AM EST Reply to CommentDidn't Catherine Zeta-Jones win a Tony a year or two back? Perhaps she could have a whole new career on stage? She was once a pretty good actress, and I'm all in favor of heavier actresses getting respect (ala Monique/Melissa McCarthy), but it appears she is taking the Anjelica Huston approach by becoming almost mannish as she ages. The difference? Huston comes from a royal family of Hollywood and actually has built an entire career for herself, not just a few good movies in a pretty hapless career.
Uma Thurman has the greatest potential for a comeback, with Zeta-Jones in a distant 2nd place.
Monty Jack Catherine Zeta-Jones, "mannish"?! She's still one of the most ravishing actresses in Hollywood.
February 21, 2012 at 1:25PM ESTPrettok Zeta Jones IS part of a royal Hollywood family.
February 21, 2012 at 5:18PM ESTOldies2822
February 21, 2012 at 11:30AM EST Reply to CommentSpike Jonze directed Cage in Adaptation, not Charlie Kaufman (who wrote the film). Otherwise, great list
ceggertsen Thanks for the catch...corrected!
February 21, 2012 at 8:17PM ESTDustin
February 21, 2012 at 1:12PM EST Reply to CommentDavid Gordon Green/Suspiria/WHAT?
Monty Jack
February 21, 2012 at 1:24PM EST Reply to CommentGood God, Lindsay Lohan looks about forty-seven in that picture.
Mulderism
February 21, 2012 at 1:45PM EST Reply to CommentHow do you define success in Hollywood? By critical acclaim or financial success? If it's by financial success then George Lucas's hollywood career is doing very well, thank you very much.
If he wants critical acclaim then he needs to set aside his massive ego and listen to the fans. Like his buddy Spielberg did.
Steven Spielberg tried tampering with ET by using CGI to animate ET in some scenes and by replacing the soldier's guns with walkie-talkies. Fans of the film hated these 'improvements'. Spielberg listened to his fans and said he would never do that again and released ET in its original theatrical format. Spielberg gets it.
Why won't Lucas do that? Why won't he listen to his fans and release a pre-Special Edition Star Wars on blu-ray? Would it be cost effective? Would it put more money in his coffers? Almost assuredly yes.
But that would mean conceding to the fans. That would be admitting that people prefer his old work and reject the numerous 'improvements' and prefer his 'unfinished' versions that were made in the day where technology had not caught up to his vision.
When George Lucas calls the shots and won't listen to anyone else you end up with the much maligned Star Wars prequels, Indy 4 and Red Tails. The latter of which will probably end up being his most commercial failure financially.
From recent interviews it seems that Lucas seems determined to take his ball and go home rather than listen to criticism and take it to heart.
It's time for a new visionary to come along and create a new universe. Surely Star Wars and Star Trek can't be the only SF franchises that we can come up with.
bearpwn Oh Firefly...
February 26, 2012 at 1:01PM ESTJonny "It's time for a new visionary to come along and create a new universe. Surely Star Wars and Star Trek can't be the only SF franchises that we can come up with."
February 27, 2012 at 10:37AM ESTI don't think I've ever agreed more with a comment in my life, It is hard to believe how there haven't been more Space sagas down through the years, I suspect the reason is that Star Wars was so good that no one want's to take it on....
Gamer Two words: MASS EFFECT.
February 29, 2012 at 6:55PM ESTJackson John Carter... Nuff said.
March 10, 2012 at 8:29PM ESTLilly Lucas is worth 3.5 BILLION dollars - he can afford to take his ball and go home. He has enough money and critical acclaim to last a lifetime - no, a hundred lifetimes. The idea that his career needs to be "saved" is ludicrous.
March 13, 2012 at 12:01AM ESTSlartibartfastily JOSS, your public is calling
January 31, 2013 at 5:26AM ESTS Catherine fan
February 21, 2012 at 4:45PM EST Reply to CommentCatherine will have her Comeback
S Catherine fan
February 21, 2012 at 4:45PM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...Catherine will be a huge star again in just a few months
John W
February 21, 2012 at 8:25PM EST Reply to CommentNo Kevin Smith?
ceggertsen He definitely would've been a good addition...ah well, perhaps the next one. There are many we weren't able to cover here.
February 21, 2012 at 11:53PM ESTlongaway
February 21, 2012 at 11:03PM EST Reply to CommentWant to revive Mel Gibson's career? Two words: Mad Max
olip
February 22, 2012 at 9:36PM EST Reply to Commentwhat about Edward Norton? been wondering where he is, I used to adore him
fwgeh
February 23, 2012 at 8:40PM EST Reply to CommentI am surprised Vampire's Kiss wasn't mentioned as one of Nic Cage's best performances
Matt
February 23, 2012 at 9:28PM EST Reply to CommentI belive Eddie Murphy's lowest point was Norbit.
Brandon
February 23, 2012 at 10:32PM EST Reply to CommentThe mummy as a high point. Am I missing something?
Mischka
February 24, 2012 at 9:14AM EST Reply to CommentWhat???? I loved Van Helsing!and hated The Mummy!
Mischka
February 24, 2012 at 9:15AM EST Reply to CommentWhat????? I loved Van Helsing.... and hated The Mummy
ugmaga
February 24, 2012 at 2:01PM EST Reply to CommentWhy make a fantasy tale of 47 ronin, the idea baffles me. The real story has so much depth, why would you throw giants and 3d at it. i hope that im not disappointed, but i know i will be
Amber M
February 24, 2012 at 2:40PM EST Reply to CommentThis meager attempt at entertainment is a joke! Honestly, some of the people listed on this list are among my favorite actors and actresses, many of which I might add, have amazingly successful careers. I think if someone is going to go out of their way of making up such list people should spend a little more time doing their research and selecting appropriate people. I just think it is a joke that almost everyone listed have been responsible for representing some of our favorite characters from our most remembered movies.
trey I agree. Half of the people on here are already legends. If you have already made hundreds of millions of dollars (Mike Myers, George Lucas, etc) and you want to take a break or only do projects you are interested in that's your business. This article is a joke and this writer should never be allowed on this site again.
February 25, 2012 at 9:27AM ESTls Maybe someone should have a telethon to help some of these floundering millionaires (and one billionaire) get through the rough patches in their careers.
March 13, 2012 at 12:25AM ESTMF I think you are analyzing this list a little too much... You are right on the fact that MOST are great actors and do not need to work again. I think the writer is trying to say these actors/directors were once on the top of every list for movies. They are just couple of steps away from that royalty again. That is it!!!
January 14, 2013 at 5:11PM ESTMason
February 25, 2012 at 11:27AM EST Reply to CommentSex in the city was a high point?
PFA
February 25, 2012 at 11:33AM EST Reply to CommentI'm afraid John Cusack is in a bit of a slump as well.
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