As you can imagine, not every Hollywood actor’s career is smooth sailing. One day, a really greaet actor can be gathering awards for their outstanding performances or hailed as one to watch, and the next, they’re starring in films that most people won’t watch or have never even heard of. That’s mostly the case for these ten actors, whose acting careers have sadly dwindled and their performances have gotten worse with time.
1. Al Pacino
Al Pacino’s acting career spans multiple decades. Yet, eight of his Oscar nominations came in the first thirty years of his career. We’re sure you remember masterpieces like The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon, and Serpico, but he has many more to his name. Pacino’s most recent nomination was for the 2020 film The Irishman, but to put things in perspective, that was his first in nearly twenty years. That should tell you enough about the roles he has been choosing recently.
2. Cuba Gooding Jr.
After his award-winning performance in Jerry Maguire, most of us kind of just assumed Cuba Gooding Jr would have an incredible Hollywood career. However, a string of flops across various genres quickly changed opinions. That isn’t to say the actor wasn’t in a few good movies here and there. Fans enjoyed his performances in As Good As It Gets, What Dreams May Come, Men of Honour, and most recently American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson. Of course, we all know his clunkers have far outweighed the hits.
3. Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy has played some of the most recognisable characters in popular culture. In fact, we don’t have enough fingers to count how many beloved personalities he has brought to life. That said, his career had a period of deafening silence after a series of questionable films in the noughties…you probably know exactly which movies we’re referring to. As much as we’re excited to see the comedic legend back in action, his recent appearances in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Candy Cane Lane, and The Pickup haven’t exactly been rave performances.
4. Jennifer Lopez
While you may not be entirely convinced of J.Lo’s acting chops, she was in fact the queen of romantic comedies and, yes, even made a few cult classic action films back in the day. Of course, she has mostly been focused on her music career lately, which may be the reason why her recent rom-coms and action flicks have been anything but memorable. Still, we have to give her props for her performances in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Unstoppable, and Hustlers. Other than that, the rest of her film work has been pretty missable.
5. John Travolta
John Travolta’s career has been a series of highs and lows. The actor had major hits with Saturday Night Fever and Grease, but then became box office poison until Quentin Tarantino threw his career a lifeline with Pulp Fiction. Then you have atrocities like Battlefield Earth, Gotti and The Fanatic to ruin it all again.
6. Marlon Wayans
There was once a time when audiences couldn’t get enough of the Wayans family. Marlon Wayans, in particular, made it pretty big in the film industry with his roles in Scary Movie, White Chicks, and the more serious Requiem for a Dream. That said, he’s had more misses in the last ten years than he has successes. We’re talking Naked, Sextuplets, The Curse of Bridge Hollow, Him, the list goes on.
7. Orlando Bloom
Franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean were enough to make Orlando Bloom a global icon in the early 2000s. Of course, there’s a whole list of other epic films the English actor can be proud of. Sadly ( at least for fans), Bloom stepped away from the spotlight for a while after a burnout of sorts. Nothing he has acted in since his return has been able to match his previous success, but they are at least still watchable…well, most of them.
8. Robert De Niro
It’s hard to believe that a two-time Oscar winner like Robert De Niro would ever have to star in anything sub-par, but his most recent films have been more B-grade than blockbuster. Tin Soldier with Jamie Foxx, The War With Grandpa alongside Uma Thurman, and The Comeback with Tommy Lee Jones have all been ok to skip, but then you get films like Killers of the Flower Moon that help to remind us of his incredible talent.
9. Taylor Lautner
Taylor Lautner’s career sadly reached its peak with the Twilight trilogy. We can’t actually think of any successful film the actor has been in since then. Unfortunately, his career never reached the same heights as those of his Twilight co-stars, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Seems there was no amount of back flips he could do to kick off his action career.
10. Tom Hanks
It used to be that seeing Tom Hanks’ name on a movie poster meant the movie would be terrific, if not Oscar-worthy. Now the two-time Academy Award winner has films like The Circle and Pinocchio under his belt (and we all know how bad those were). That said, we’ll admit that not all of his recent movies are horrible. He’s still Tom Hanks after all.
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