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Home » Celebrities » 10 Actors Hollywood Tried to Make Happen (But We Just Didn’t Buy It)

10 Actors Hollywood Tried to Make Happen (But We Just Didn’t Buy It)

by Tito Pernalete
October 16, 2025
in Celebrities, Trending
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10 Actors Hollywood Tried to Make Happen

Image Credit: Lifestyle Fortress

Hollywood is always on the hunt for the next big thing, and if it can’t find one, it “makes” one. That goes for movie genres, visual trends, and even celebrities themselves. These 10 Hollywood actors were given the spotlight, the roles, and the marketing, but for one reason or another, audiences just didn’t connect.

15. Chris O’Donnell

Chris O’Donnell
Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Chris O’Donnell was Hollywood’s polite attempt at a ’90s movie star. He played Robin, turned down Men in Black, and starred in forgettable hits like The Chamber and Vertical Limit. He wasn’t bad—just beige. Still, that Batman Forever laundry scene? He acted it 100%. Respect where it’s due, Robin. Unfortunately, he never quite reached the top.

14. Orlando Jones

Orlando Jones
Image Credit: Apple TV

Orlando Jones owned the early 2000s—Evolution, Double Take, The Replacements—then vanished faster than an alien under shampoo. He popped back as Anansi in American Gods and Gregory’s dad on Abbott Elementary, reminding everyone he’s still got it. Seriously, watch Evolution. It’s weird, funny, and way better than you remember.

13. Jai Courtney

Jai Courtney
Image Credit: Shudder

Stop trying to make Jai Courtney happen, Hollywood. It’s not gonna happen. Divergent. Insurgent. Terminator Genisys. I, Frankenstein. A Good Day to Die Hard. Suicide Squad. He’s basically the Sam Worthington of the 2010s—sold as the next big thing, but every movie proved he wasn’t. Big franchises, zero spark.

12. Alex Pettyfer

Alex Pettyfer
Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Alex Pettyfer had the looks, the roles, and the ego—just not the career to back it up. After Magic Mike, where he and Channing Tatum reportedly couldn’t stand each other, his reputation tanked. Hollywood forgives divas with box office clout, not newcomers with attitude. Turns out charm matters more than abs.

11. Noah Centineo

Noah Centineo atom smasher
Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Noah Centineo’s rise and fall happened faster than a Netflix autoplay. He went from “next Zac Efron” to “wait, is he still acting?” after milking the same charming-guy routine in too many forgettable rom-coms. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before worked, but the rest? Not so much. He’s still young, though—never say never.

10. Jon Heder

Jon Heder movie
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures

Following Napoleon Dynamite, Hollywood tried to turn Heder into a mainstream comedy icon with movies like Blades of Glory and The Benchwarmers. Instead, Heder was a better fit for smaller indie roles and TV appearances.

9. Charlie Hunnam

charlie hunnam movie king arthur
Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Hunnam’s breakthrough performance as Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy convinced the industry he was destined to become a leading man. However, the lukewarm reception of his roles in Pacific Rim and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword changed everyone’s minds..

8. Cara Delevingne

cara delevingne american horror story
Image Credit: FX

Supermodel-turned-actress Cara Delevingne exploded into popularity with Paper Towns, which led to her starring roles in Suicide Squad and Valerian – neither of which proved to be box office successes. She’s since found herself more comfortable working on TV, where she’s doing some excellent work in shows like Carnival Row.

7. Armie Hammer

Armie Hammer tallest actors hollywood
Image Credit: IMDB

With the fame and the looks to thrive in Hollywood, Hammer’s career got derailed at its highest point following a series of disturbing allegations and box office bombs that stopped his meteoric rise.

6. Josh Hartnett

Josh Hartnett movie
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Pearl Harbor star proved he had top-billing potential, and we suddenly saw him everywhere, from Hollywood Homicide to Sin City. Still, Hartnett remains a fantastic support actor, as he shows in Nolan’s Oppenheimer, where he plays Ernest Lawrence.

5. Alex Pettyfer

Alex Pettyfer movie
Image Credit: Lionsgate

Despite reinventing his career multiple times, Pettyfer never became as big as Hollywood would have wanted. After his roles in Stormbreaker and I Am Number Four, the actor distanced himself from YA narratives and went straight for Magic Mike, after which his acting career lost steam.

4. Clive Owen

Clive Owen movie Closer
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing

Children of Men positioned Owen at a high level, opening doors to more action-heavy roles. But when movies like Shoot ‘Em Up underperformed at the box office, the silver screen actor quietly moved to television instead.

3. Taylor Kitsch

Taylor Kitsch movie
Image Credit: Walt Disney

The breakout success of Friday Night Lights launched Taylor Kitsch straight to the big screen. Unfortunately, it also landed him in back-to-back flops like John Carter and Battleship, which seriously hurt his shot at becoming a top-tier leading man.

2. Sam Worthington

Sam Worthington movie
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Avatar should’ve made Sam Worthington a household name, but his subdued screen presence didn’t quite stick with audiences. Much like Jake Sully, Worthington’s leading career stayed in Pandora, where we’ll see him again in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

1. Taylor Lautner

Taylor Lautner movie
Image Credit: Summit Entertainment

From teenage heartthrob to action star, Lautner was poised to become a versatile powerhouse, rivaling even the biggest names in the biz. Unfortunately, his role as a teenage werewolf with an aversion to wearing shirts stuck with him, even when he wanted to pursue more serious roles.

RELATED: 15 Hollywood Actors Everyone Loves Deep Down

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Tito Pernalete

Tito Pernalete

Born in Venezuela – and still living there – Tito Pernalete loves all things geeky and sci-fi. He studied Social Communications in college: an odd career choice for a confessed introvert.

Though he has experience as a director of photography for some short films, Tito has been a writer for most of his adult life, with a particular interest in movies/TV and tech in general.

When he's not playing Elden Ring or binge-watching a horror movie marathon, you can find him planning his dream trip to Japan. His favourite film is RoboCop, but he also has a soft spot for cheesy 80s horror flicks and anything made by Wes Anderson. You can find more of his work at Budapest Reporter and Book Nerdection.

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