These 10 actors are currently caught in limbo: they’re not precisely washed up, but their careers aren’t thriving either. They live under the shadows of their former successes — most of them being remembered for their glory days rather than recent hits. Here are 10 good actors who haven’t made a good movie in years.
Mel Gibson
He might be one of the most debatable figures in Hollywood, but there’s no denying Mel Gibson’s talent for acting. He has appeared in some of the best historical dramas that the studios have churned out, like Braveheart and The Patriot. The actor has headlined a slew of low-rent action flicks over recent years. Films like Fatman and Force of Nature are almost unthinkable career choices for someone like Mel Gibson. But here we are.
Tim Robbins
Despite being the star of IMDb’s highest-rated film, Tim Robbins doesn’t seem to have had the kind of high-impact career one might expect. True, he headlined The Shawshank Redemption, but the actor also turned in fine performances in other supposed classics like Jacob’s Ladder and Mystic River. That said, some recent films, like Marjorie Prime, have cast doubt on Robbins’ future as a bankable actor. I would say that the actor who starred in Shawshank Redemption is allowed to make two or three bad films in a row. But it could just as easily be said that these films are a sign that it’s time for Robbins to retire.
Sandra Bullock
For a while, it looked as if Miss Congeniality could do no wrong. Sandra Bullock was simply a force of nature in the 90s and the early 2000s. No one could have foretold how ungodly the movies she would star in would get by the mid-2010s. While 2013’s Gravity received acclaim from critics, recent misfires such as Bird Box and Our Brand Is Crisis have cast a little shadow on Sandra Bullock’s star power. But the good news is that Bullock has fared much better as a producer. In fact, it could easily be said that she is doing awesome as a producer these days.
Cuba Gooding Jr
Cuba Gooding Jr. is better known for his outstanding acting roles in movies like Radio and Men of Honor. In the early 90s, he seemed to be on track to become part of the select group of emerging Hollywood royalty. However, in the last few years, his career has lost some focus, leading to what many see as a few roles in movies of questionable quality. While the actor has made attempts to resuscitate his career with television dramas such as Life in a Year, it’s the films like Bayou Caviar that have landed him on this list.
John Travolta
It should be pointed out that some of the actors on this list aren’t “good” in the normal sense one would assume for acting performances, but rather because they have attained an even higher level of cultural status and are icons of pop culture. One such case is John Travolta: while the actor might have never been as skilled as someone like Daniel Day-Lewis, his star power in the late seventies and throughout the eighties is undeniable. After 1994’s Pulp Fiction, though, Travolta’s career has taken a nosedive, and some sporadic successes haven’t been enough to hide the many blunders that led to the release of The Fanatic.
Michael Fassbender
It might be hard to believe that someone as talented as Michael Fassbender has rarely been seen in anything of worth in these past several years. His appearances in Band of Brothers and Inglorious Basterds made it seem like we’d be seeing him in some much larger roles ahead — only for him to almost vanish from sight. Fassbender hasn’t ceased to make films. He continues to get roles in truly awful movies.
Al Pacino
Recall the classic Al Pacino from his early films. Remember how cool he was in The Godfather? Or how threatening he could be in Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon? You can potentially see him as this fresh, young actor who made these iconic films in the 1970s and ’80s. These days, though, it’s hard to remember the last time he’s made a movie that was worth watching — that is, unless you count those Dunkin’ Donuts ads he does in Sandler films.
John Cusack
His bio on IMDb labels him an “unconventional hero,” yet John Cusack seems anything but heroic when you stack him next to Hollywood’s pantheon of action protagonists. More often than not, you get the feeling he’s not even trying very hard to be likable. And it works in his favor when he’s portraying characters who just can’t catch a break. Some of his newly minted films have lacked the sort of dramatic panache we expect from a man who once amused us in Being John Malkovich.
Jared Leto
An actor who won an Oscar and is like a chameleon, but post-Dallas Buyers Club, it’s been mostly bombs. Morbius, House of Gucci, and The Little Things were all beaten to a pulp by the critics—despite his performances that went full-throttle.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp still possesses range and charisma, but when it comes to him outside of the courtroom, his film choices have been pretty spotty. Minamata was an underseen treasure, and Fantastic Beasts was far from enchanting. To see more amazing lists about actors, visit: Lifestyle Fortress
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