Five actors who bet their entire career on one movie and lost
While most movie stars are no strangers to the box office bomb, it takes a special type of awful movie to essentially prevent them from ever working again.
Hollywood has a very short memory, meaning that any actor has an opportunity to turn around their career with the right hit, of which the most famous example in the 21st century has to be Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man. Even though he was considered to be uninsurable because of all the legal and personal issues he faced, his performance as the smart-talking billionaire-turned-superhero ended up launching a massive cinematic universe and turning him into the highest-paid actor in the industry.
Unfortunately, there are some occasions when a film is such a massive critical and commercial disappointment that there simply aren’t offers for anyone involved in the aftermath. While actors with established track records might be able to withstand a few disappointments, those looking to rise in the ranks may find themselves stuck in a pit that they’re unable to escape from.
The most unfortunate irony is that in today’s ecosystem, it’s franchises that tend to sell tickets more than movie stars do. That being said, if a film truly fails to hit the mark, Hollywood is always going to look at someone to single out and blame. No one truly deserves to be a scapegoat, but that’s just how the business works sometimes.
Five actors who lost their careers over one film:
Lea Thompson in ‘Howard the Duck’ (1986)<br>
After co-starring with Michael J Fox in Back to the Future and with Tom Cruise in All the Right Moves, Lea Thompson was in a position to be one of the breakout stars of the ‘Brat Pack’ era. On paper, starring in an adaptation of a popular Marvel comic book seemed like the right choice, especially when considering that it was executive-produced by George Lucas.
However, the first theatrical live-action film based on a Marvel comic didn’t feature Spider-Man, Captain America, the Hulk, or any of the X-Men; it was Howard the Duck, a film so disastrous that it caused Lucas to sell Pixar to Steve Jobs to make up for the loss.
Thompson wasn’t just bad in the film, as the creepy relationship that her character, Beverly, had with the titular hero was deemed to be so disastrous for her career that she never had the same opportunities offered to her again.
Tom Green in ‘Freddy Got Fingered’ (2001)<br>
Tom Green may have never been a mainstream success because of how off-putting and bizarre his sense of humour tended to be, but the Canadian comedian certainly inspired a cult audience among young people, who would have been more than willing to see him on the big screen. It was through a bizarre turn of events that Green was able to write, direct, produce, and star in the unusual dark comedy Freddy Got Fingered, which left audiences repulsed, confused, annoyed, and deeply offended.
While contemporary arguments have been made among cult fandoms that Freddy Got Fingered represents a type of anti-establishment art that is designed to satirise Hollywood, the film landed such a toxic reputation that Green was essentially banished from the industry, despite the fact that he had landed supporting roles in hit films like Charlie’s Angels and Road Trip just one year prior.
John Travolta in ‘Battlefield Earth’ (2000)<br>
John Travolta is one of the rare actors to thoroughly destroy his career twice. Although a series of disappointments in the late ‘80s suggested that he would never reach the same heights as he did with Saturday Night Fever ever again, his Oscar-nominated performance in Pulp Fiction made him bankable once more, leading him to a very successful ‘90s that included Get Shorty, Broken Arrow, Primary Colors, and Face/Off.
While Travolta’s involvement with Scientology has always caused controversy, he made the mistake of investing his efforts into the science fiction epic Battlefield Earth, which was based on a novel by the religion’s founder, Ron L Hubbard. Described as one of the worst films ever made, it was met with scathing reviews and turned Travolta into a complete joke and ensuring that it would be impossible for him to ever be taken seriously again.
Mike Myers in ‘The Love Guru’ (2008)<br>
Mike Myers could seemingly only print gold thanks to the success of the Austin Powers franchise, which produced some of the biggest hits in comedy history. While Myers had a few misses outside of that series, they weren’t significant enough to derail his entire career. His disastrous turn in The Cat and the Hat earned major blowback, but it wasn’t until The Love Guru in the summer of 2008 that Myers eroded any goodwill that he may have had left.
The Love Guru wasn’t just a bad comedy, but a sign that Myers had lost his touch, as his passion project was something people found to be obnoxious, indulgent, and at times pretty offensive. The humbled actor proceeded to essentially take a break from the business altogether, having only popped up for a few amusing cameo roles in Inglourious Basterds and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Ezra Miller in ‘The Flash’ (2023)<br>
When it comes to destroying a career for both off-screen crimes and cinematic disappointments, Ezra Miller has all of their competitors beat. They was so captivating in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and We Need To Talk About Kevin that they were cast as Barry Allen in the DC Extended Universe, a franchise that began underperforming from the start once critics realised what a disastrous decision it was to put Zack Snyder in charge of the creative direction.
The Flash went through multiple delays, several directors’ hands, changes to the DC slate, and an entire reshaping of the company when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over. However, the reported crimes of kidnapping, abuse, and assault from Miller landed the film with a toxic reputation that was made even worse when it turned out to be a giant mess. Ironically, Miller’s only means of proving themself outside of the DC universe was a role in the Wizarding World franchise, but the final film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was also a massive flop.
