Actors who failed to reach their potential

pickarooney

Manchegan wrote: »

OK then, I'll trade you Marisa Tomei for Mary Louise Parker, who deserves movie rockstardom but gets left bit parts.

She's the star of a hit show entering its seventh season

Anyone remember Ellen Muth?

Lirange

Billy Drago

Tipsy McSwagger

filthymcnasty wrote: »

+1 on Bana, a tour de force in Chopper, complete charisma and stole every scene.
But pretty much forgettable in everything since.

He was in Troy,Munich,Hulk,Finding Nemo and Hanna since Chopper and very good in all of them.

coconut5

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

After his performances in Terminator 2 and American History X - Edward Furlong should have been a huge star but alas it wasnt to be

What a waste. He looks awful now.

Phony Scott

I'd probably go for Charles Dance. He's the best thing about 'Alien 3' and made a great baddie in 'The Golden Child' and ramped the same type of bad guy role up a few notches with 'Last Action Hero'. That should have made a big star out of him, but I guess typecasting killed that idea off.

mikhail

Phony Scott wrote: »

I'd probably go for Charles Dance. He's the best thing about 'Alien 3' and made a great baddie in 'The Golden Child' and ramped the same type of bad guy role up a few notches with 'Last Action Hero'. That should have made a big star out of him, but I guess typecasting killed that idea off.

I've only seen him in Alien 3, but I always wondered why he didn't get more work on the back of it. I fully agree that he's the best part of that film.

JP Liz V1

mikhail wrote: »

I've only seen him in Alien 3, but I always wondered why he didn't get more work on the back of it. I fully agree that he's the best part of that film.

Ali G the film

CerebralCortex

fluke wrote: »

Michael Keaton - Yes he was Batman, and rightly turned down Batman 3 because of the camp direction it was taking, but I often feel like he has a lot more to give, he nailed the angst of Batman/Bruce Wayne, and was hilariously ott in Beetlejuice. Anything he's been in since (except Toy Story 3) hasn't really made the most of him, or more often it has been down to his poor choices.

Keaton was ridiculous as Batman and completely wasted in the role.

ronoc 1

i have to agree that keaton was a poor batman, hes a decent actor but doesnt have the presence for such an iconic character. any scene he was in with jack nicholson he looked lost.i find it strange that he wasnt offered the joker role after his performance in beatlejuice.

Sad Professor

I couldn't disagree more about Keaton. I thought he was brilliant as Batman. He nailed psychology of the character. He might not have had the physique for Batman, but he certainly had the eyes and the voice.

Harrocks

Ron Pearlman brillant as hellboy best thing about Alien ressurrection and ends up playing second fiddle to Cage in Season of the Witch.
Type casting can feck up some careers.

irishh_bob

Harrocks wrote: »

Ron Pearlman brillant as hellboy best thing about Alien ressurrection and ends up playing second fiddle to Cage in Season of the Witch.
Type casting can feck up some careers.

hellboy was the most overated piece of crap ive ever seen , cant believe the reviews it got

Phony Scott

Sad Professor wrote: »

I couldn't disagree more about Keaton. I thought he was brilliant as Batman. He nailed psychology of the character. He might not have had the physique for Batman, but he certainly had the eyes and the voice.

Ditto. For me he not only was the best Bats, but more importantly for me, he made the best Bruce Wayne by far, somebody I could engage and relate to. Adam West reminds me of a piece of wood, Val Kilmer reminds me of Val Kilmer, George Clooney reminds me of excess George Clooney and Christian Bale reminds me of Patrick Bateman. Keaton embodied the role.

coconut5

Harrocks wrote: »

Ron Pearlman brillant as hellboy best thing about Alien ressurrection and ends up playing second fiddle to Cage in Season of the Witch.
Type casting can feck up some careers.

I love Ron Perlman in this movie called The Last Supper. TV3 used to play it all the time when they were just a new TV station. Cameron Diaz is in it as well, it's a really clever film.

uncleoswald

Lot of choices on this list that miss the point of the thread i think, and now I'm going to add another.

Harrison Ford.

What an unbelievable "they don't make them like that anymore" screen presence, the only actor who comes close to that now is Clooney. And before anyone accuses him of been a bit wooden go back and watch Frantic, Witness or Presumed Innocent.

But his film choices for the best part of 20 years have been deathly dull; at best lazy and at worst cowardly. Turning down meatier rolls in Syriana and Traffic in favour of running around saving his family type roles that require little more than furrowing his brow. Not saying he doesn't do that better than anyone, see the Fugitive, but he just went so stale, see Firewall.

Hopefully breezier roles like Morning Glory and the upcoming Cowboys & Aliens will help blow the cobwebs off.

Mister Jingles

Chazz Palminteri.

Another great ''wise-guy'' type of actor who hasn't being in too many roles, his most famous being A Bronx Tail. Would of loving to see him in some Martin Scorsese gangster pictures.

arsenallegend

Abbie Cornish- Was brillant in her native Australia with films as such as Somersault and the brillant but sadly underrated Candy (Heath Ledgers greatest performance for me) but since moving to Hollywood she's been wasted in terrible dross like Sucker punch and limitless.

Christina Ricci -was possibly one of the best child actors around with roles in Addams family films but actually slided into adult roles with brillant performance in The opposite of sex and starring in great movies like sleepy hollow, Monster. But ever since Speed Racer its been downhill ever since starring in straight to dvd movies.

Ewam Mcgregor- i will probably get a lot ofhate for this one but for me he hasn't lived up to his potential after Shallow grave and trainspotting. yes he's had the odd role in okay films but he could have been a far better actor.

the_bigman

Ozzie in Into the West.

the_bigman

Fully agree on McGregor. Actually started doing very interesting stuff and regressed the rubbish in which he looked bored. The Ghost was OK though.

the_bigman

Agree on Chazz Palminiteri too.

Mister Jingles

Kiefer Sutherland.

While he has a very successful television career and his character Jack Bauer being the most famous TV character ever in recent times there has never being much of him in films, I think his last big film role would of being The Sentinel, before that Phone Booth which is mostly his voice and then A Time To Kill. (I've seen him in more but they'd be in biggest ones imo)

I've always looked at him as being an Oscar type of actor and think that he has a lot to offer in the film industry and hope that his career does get better. However at the same time I think that only tough guy roles do suit him and doubt we could ever see him in anything different, but you never know .

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Val Kilmer - Even looks completely different now with all the weight

Couldn't agree more. Out of all the Biopic's that have being made of singers I think Val tops the scale with his performance of Jim Morrison.

manti452

pickarooney wrote: »

Lisa Nicole Carson (Ally McBeal, ER) went from being the hottest woman on television to never working again.

Reported mental health issues (schizo or bi polar)

fluke wrote: »

Michael Keaton - Yes he was Batman, and rightly turned down Batman 3 because of the camp direction it was taking, but I often feel like he has a lot more to give, he nailed the angst of Batman/Bruce Wayne, and was hilariously ott in Beetlejuice. Anything he's been in since (except Toy Story 3) hasn't really made the most of him, or more often it has been down to his poor choices.

I believe the paper got good review.. I liked it ). He was in Out of Sight bit part though.. white noise was supposedly a "return" to form. Ken in Toy Story 3.. I love him in the other guys

manti452

+1 for kiefer..

Thinking about it.. Vin Diesel was also a rising star off Pitch Black and F&F and a decent enough turn in Private Ryan... he made an accomplished short and was supposed to be a multi talent with the world at his fee.. He segued into stuff like XXX, A man apart, babylon AD and the pacifier.. and some franchise work now with multiple F&F and looking to get a 3 riddick made, after the excess of the second.. His "next great action star" status seems to have gone flat.. far more likely to go to someone like Statham.

I think the days of Willis, Stallone etc are gone so you wont have just a few big action stars but with people bulking up for roles as required (300, batman, spiderman etc) you'll find action roles split.

UCD2010

Guy Pearce should get alot more leading roles.

Morlar

+1 for Tom Berenger.

Always struck me as a talented actor who never got the roles he deserved.

RoutineBites

Judd Nelson.

Thought he was excellent in the Breakfast Club. Deserves more recognition for his portrayal of John Bender in that film. Unfortunately, he never did make it big.

grohlisagod

Guy Pearce definitely. He's so good in L.A. Confidential and Memento but I can't think of a leading role that he's gotten since.

+1 on Malcolm McDowell.
I would love to have seen Walken get more lead roles also. He's such a good actor.

Jennifer Connelly is a name that comes to mind also. Powerful performances in A Beautiful Mind and Requiem for a Dream but not much since. Such a beautiful and emotive actress.

JP Liz V1

I always thought the likes of James Purefoy, Robert Carlyle and Tim Roth would have bigger careers

willmunny1990

macaulay culkin good child actor never did anything in adulthood!pity

leonidas83

1) William Dafoe, great perfomance in Platoon but never really hit the heights i thought he would, spiderman and daybreakers come to mind.

2) James Caviezel, thought he was going places with The Passion of the Christ and Deja Vu but hasnt really happened either for some reason

3) Heath ledger, could have been one of the greats but didnt for obvious reasons