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Hollywood careers that just ended abruptly

B.A._Baracus

A random thread.
But I just happened to switch on an episode of Baywatch there randomly on TV and it guest starred Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie from Saved by the Bell)
The episode in question was in 1992 which was the same year Saved by the Bell ended. This of course is all leading up to her infamous Showgirls movie in 1995.

Only aged 23 when the movie came out her career pretty much ended as the movie was a flop. She would star in movies like Any Given Sunday (1999) but the damage was done.
In a 2015 interview the director of Showgirls, Paul Verhoeven, apologized for her career ending so soon. Not that it was his intention or anything like that. But having made a movie that failed he felt responsible for what he says 'Hollywood blackballing her'.

It's mental looking back. She was young, beautiful, tall, could act and had a rocking body. If you were a betting man, then the (seemingly) smart bet would have been on her.

Anyone else come to mind?

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Samsonsmasher

Post 1945 a host of actors arrived in Hollywood such as Kirk Douglas, Lee Marvin, Paul Newman, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Audie Murphy etc who had fought in WW2 and acted in WW2 movies.

They were real tough dashing men who had seen combat were suffering from PTSD heavy boozers serial womanizers could play vulnerable romantic leads and convincing soldiers cops cowboys gangsters and heroes.
Men and boys wanted to be like them and woman swooned over them.
Somewhere along the line that earthiness was gone.

The biggest stars of the 1960s 1970s 1980s and 1990s like Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis, Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise grew up in this masculine WW2 environment.

It hasn't disappeared in the real world. Guys like that still exist but they aren't being recruited by Hollywood. However leading men under 40 these days are pretty not handsome, do not have that raw masculinity and when they try to act that way on screen it comes across as phoney.

The likes of Chris Hemsworth for instance although muscle bound and Aussie is a boring drip. His equivalent in the 1940s and 1950s would have been Victor Mature or Charlton Heston or Robert Taylor who oozed charisma.

pixelburp

Real men have PTSD? That's a ... unique angle. Shades of "we need another war to sort the men out" reduction.

All Hollywood is artifice and veneer, that includes the rolling version of heroism or masculinity. Fashions change, and TBH if you're looking for the "broken hero" mould, it still exists. Liam Neesons bank balance is testament to that.

dubstepper

weldoninhio wrote: »

Denzel Washington's movies are generally decent too.

100%.I re-watched 'Man on fire' recently and was struck by how he made a revenge style movie into something so much more.

Ash.J.Williams

pixelburp wrote: »

Real men have PTSD? That's a ... unique angle. Shades of "we need another war to sort the men out" reduction.

All Hollywood is artifice and veneer, that includes the rolling version of heroism or masculinity. Fashions change, and TBH if you're looking for the "broken hero" mould, it still exists. Liam Neesons bank balance is testament to that.

there's a lot to be said for it...

pixelburp

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

there's a lot to be said for it...

It would certainly thin out the ranks on the internet of posturing keyboard manly men. But I suspect many would suddenly discover hitherto unknown medical conditions preventing proof of their manliness.

I certainly prefer my male heroes of the John Wick mould than the steroid monsters of the 80s. That shít wrecks your body. Give me beautiful Keanu gunning down the baddies

bnt

The way I see it, if a parent - usually the mother - takes time off or scales back (in quantity or quality), that’s not really unusual or remarkable. Having the resources to keep working when you have young children is a variable e.g. I mentioned Phoebe Cates as an example of someone who chose to stop working. By contrast, Anne Hathaway has been working less but seems to be juggling work and kids very well.

Someone like Rick Moranis was remarkable because it is so unusual to see the father as the sole parent in Hollywood, but he could afford the time off after a string of hits.

tipptom

RandomViewer wrote: »

Clive Owen ,tipped for big things but never really got there, good actor

A few of the people mentioned in this thread including Clive have appeared in Curb your Enthusiasm,wonder was Larry running a programme for waifs and strays who had their career cancelled for various things

loyatemu

Owen and Farrell are similar in that they were leading men who didn't quite make the A-list. After a certain age they found themselves taking more character and supporting roles, or lead roles in smaller movies (Farrell has been in number of Yorgos Lanthimos movies like The Lobster). Also TV. They're both still fairly busy. As someone mentioned, Owen was in the running to be James Bond after Pierce Brosnan but the casting dragged on and I think he dropped out.

odyssey06

Nitrogan wrote: »

Patrick Bergin
Looked like he was making a name for himself with Sleeping with the Enemy and Patriot Games, then he disappeared.

If they were making a film about Ian Bailey, they should cast Bergin

MildThing84

Robert Arkins of the Commitments fame. Really thought he would go on to star.

FullBack Jam

weldoninhio wrote: »

Denzel Washington's movies are generally decent too.

Denzel will be 70 in a few years time. He hardly fits into the modern day actor category.

S.M.B.

Wedwood wrote: »

On a slightly different angle, where have all the proper A list movie stars gone ? There’s virtually no movie stars today who you would go to a movie on their star power alone.

Are we living in an era where the true star of a lot of tent pole movies is the intellectual property the studio has decided to produce their movie around?

Combined with the dawn of prestige TV I think it's a big reason why there seems to be a lack of traditional A list movie stars these days.

[Deleted User]

the_pen_turner wrote: »

russel crowe

eh hes starring in a movie that was released in the past few months. one of the few cinema released in fact.

joe40

Wedwood wrote: »

On a slightly different angle, where have all the proper A list movie stars gone ? There’s virtually no movie stars today who you would go to a movie on their star power alone.

Every decade since movies began have had mega stars who had movies built around them, but virtually nothing like that since the turn of the century.

Examples:
30s/40s James Cagney, Humphrey Bogarde, Cary Grant
50s/60s John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, Marlon Brando
70s/80/s Robert DeNiro, Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, Harrison Ford

The closest modern equivalent I can think of is Tom Hanks, but you could argue he’s part of the gang of fading stars from the 70s/80s/90s which include Stallone/Swarzenegger/Roberts/Nicholson etc.

I can’t think of any movie actor or actress under the age of 40 who’s next movie I’m waiting to see.

I was going to say Matt Damon, then I remembered he's the same age as me.
In my mind I'm still under 40.

The Inbetween is mine

joe40 wrote: »

I was going to say Matt Damon, then I remembered he's the same age as me.
In my mind I'm still under 40.

No, you're correct.... he's been reduced to doing ads for grocery stores the poor sod

pixelburp

There are no stars because Hollywood isn't driven by star power alone anymore,. Look at the movies that succeed and it's not because of who they star, not completely. Of course a Big Name will carry a certain amount of water but by and large the strength lies in a market filled predominantly with IPs; Marvels, Star Wars, Harry Potters, etc etc etc. For a while you had that gold Rush for "shared universes" You can debate the merits of that business model but it ain't cos of some pivot from masculine ideals of leading men. Its just the executive discussion isn't "what can Arnie star in?", but "what IP do we own we can adapt?"

Minime2.5

flasher0030 wrote: »

Denzel will be 70 in a few years time. He hardly fits into the modern day actor category.

if hes making movies in modern day times then his age has nothing to do with it

Minime2.5

Emma Stone another whose star has faded

Minime2.5

Elisha Cutebert. Another very hot actress that sunk into oblivion

Ash.J.Williams

Judge reinhold

Edit-
You know things aren’t great when there’s a TV movie version of the movie you’re most famous for and you’re the only original cast member in it

Bev hills cop

FullBack Jam

Minime2.5 wrote: »

if hes making movies in modern day times then his age has nothing to do with it

Ok. But the original poster on this particular topic was referring to leading actors under 40.
But ya, I've had a recent run of Denzel movies myself. Never disappoints. Have to watch Fences yet.

El Duda

Minime2.5 wrote: »

Emma Stone another whose star has faded

You mean Emma Stone who was nominated for an academy award in 2019 and is currently in line to play Cruella de Vil in the next Disney Live action remake/reboot.

That Emma Stone?

weldoninhio

flasher0030 wrote: »

Denzel will be 70 in a few years time. He hardly fits into the modern day actor category.

Pretty much at least one decent film a year for the past 20 years is pretty modern.

weldoninhio

Niner leprauchan wrote: »

eh hes starring in a movie that was released in the past few months. one of the few cinema released in fact.

Unhinged? Decent movie to pass the time. Bit silly in places but entertaining

Montage of Feck

Thought Edward Norton had disappeared, but no just doing some incognito roles in the likes of the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Morathi

Montage of Feck wrote: »

Thought Edward Norton had disappeared, but no just doing some incognito roles in the likes of the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Apparently another one of those "difficult to work with" actors.

Thelonious Monk

I think Leo DiCaprio would be considered a huge movie star headliner right now. He's box office.

Hurrache

El Duda wrote: »

You mean Emma Stone who was nominated for an academy award in 2019 and is currently in line to play Cruella de Vil in the next Disney Live action remake/reboot.

That Emma Stone?

And also starred in the relatively recently released (2019), and every entertaining, Zombieland Double Tap.

dubstepper

joe40 wrote: »

I was going to say Matt Damon, then I remembered he's the same age as me.
In my mind I'm still under 40.

Also not sure I would say Matt Damon is in the rarefied elite tier.

the purple tin

Teri Hatcher.

Edward Furlong seems to be at the B-movies for years.