Actors and Actresses who careers didn't develop as you thought they would

[xSabrinax]

Haley Joel Osment. 

[filmlover]

I'm surprised this thread is now on two pages and nobody has mentioned Josh Hartnett. Remember when he was touted to The Biggest Star In The World all the way back in 2001? Missed it by that much.

[The Futurist]

I'm surprised this thread is now on two pages and nobody has mentioned Josh Hartnett. Remember when he was touted to The Biggest Star In The World all the way back in 2001? Missed it by that much.

 

I think he refused Superman Returns.

[TalismanRing]

I think he refused Superman Returns.

 

He did.  He was also in the running for Spider-man and Batman but didn't want to pursue either or to be tied to any franchise.  He fought with then split with his agents over it which affected other work he could get and then just semi-retired for a few years.  Though, one would think The Black Dahlia alone would have killed his career but Scarlett survived and thrived.

 

Haley Joel Osment's height and non leading man looks most likely were a drawback for most of the roles available for the late teens/early twenties age group unless one's doing comedies.   Now that he's getting a bit older he'll probably find more work as a character actor.  It 's a bit of an injustice that he got paid $150,000 for Sixth Sense and Willis walked away with about $70m when he's what makes that film truly work.

Edited September 23, 2014 by TalismanRing

[dashrendar44]

Haley Joel Osment's height and non leading man looks most likely were a drawback for most of the roles available for the late teens/early twenties age group unless one's doing comedies.   Now that he's getting a bit older he'll probably find more work as a character actor.  It 's a bit of an injustice that he got paid $150,000 for Sixth Sense and Willis walked away with about $70m when he's what makes that film truly work.

 

Yeah, he could follow Jackie Earle Haley's path. Former child actor that vanished a bit to become a character actor in his elder years. There are still slots left for actors who aren't leading man good looking but are solid character actors like Steve Buscemi, Ned Beatty, M. Emmett Walsh, Stephen Tobolowsky, Bruce McGill and so forth.

[tommycruise]

Orlando Bloom. He had supporting roles in two of the biggest franchises on earth, as well as a role i Troy. But then he just dropped off the face of the earth until the Hobbit movies

[Joel M]

What about Edward Norton? He was never a big name but he had one of the most impressive resumes in his first 6-7 years as an actor. He was consistently amazing in both good movies (Primal Fear, American History, Rounders) and great movies (Fight Club, 25th Hour). He was so good that people were discussing him as a successor to Brando and DeNiro when the Score came out in 2001. And after his first two substancial commercial succeses with Red Dragon and Italian Job it was looking like even if he would never be a boxoffice draw he had a lot of great roles and great movies ahead of him. And then he spend a decade being just ok in forgettable small movies or sleepwalking through his more mainstream efforts.

 

I guess he's had a small comeback in the last couple of years with supporting turns in Moonrise Kingdom, Grand Budapest and Birdman but back in early 00s I would bet Norton will be the star of Wes Anderson and Inarritu movies by 2014, not the 4th or 5th supporting role in them. 

[lilmac]

I'm going to take a different tack but technically in the spirit of the topic:

 

Matthew Mcconaughey's career didn't develop as I thought it would.  He's found way more mainstream success than I would have given him credit for during his romcom years.  

[John Marston]

Hilary Swank. Don't know where she went

[Lazer]

Orlando Bloom. He had supporting roles in two of the biggest franchises on earth, as well as a role i Troy. But then he just dropped off the face of the earth until the Hobbit movies

He did make a number of other movies, which didn't make much money....but mainly Elizabethtown hurt him go most, IMO.

[filmlover]

Yeah, Orlando Bloom got his big chance, and it didn't work out. But I imagine the royalties he gets from Legolas merchandise is quite pretty, so he doesn't need to worry about his future.

[TalismanRing]

He did make a number of other movies, which didn't make much money....but mainly Elizabethtown hurt him go most, IMO.

 

The combination of Troy, Elizabethtown & Kingdom Of Heaven did him in.   Only Troy made money but he was completely overshadowed in it by Pitt and mostly Bana so it didn't do him many favors.  He also didn't  seem to show well as a leading man in the the other two regardless of box office.

 

Eric Bana, now what happened to him.  He survived The Hulk and went from Troy to Munich but he never really took off and though he still works Deliver Us From Evil isn't where I thought his career was going a decade ago.

[lilmac]

Yeah, Orlando Bloom got his big chance, and it didn't work out. But I imagine the royalties he gets from Legolas merchandise is quite pretty, so he doesn't need to worry about his future.

 

I'd argue that he got his big chance and it did work out, those were the LOTR movies.  Did it propel him to a lifetime of boxoffice earning?  Well, the Pirates franchise took off and he benefited.  With 6 LOTR movies, 3 Pirates of the Caribbean movies and Troy, I'd say he's had a good run.

Edited September 29, 2014 by lilmac

[filmlover]

I'd argue that he got his big chance and it did work out, those were the LOTR movies.  Did it propel him to a lifetime of boxoffice earning?  Well, the Pirates franchise took off and he benefited.  With 6 LOTR movies, 3 Pirates of the Caribbean movies and Troy, I'd say he's had a good run.

Good point, although what I was saying was that outside his involvement in the Pirates sequels and now The Hobbit movies, his career would basically be nowhere after 2005 (well, outside of the Hobbit films, his career is basically nowhere now).

 

He always seemed for a quick trip to obscurity after his franchise films.

Edited September 29, 2014 by filmlover

[TLK]

Eric Bana isn't interested in making a lot of movies and playing the Hollywood game. He only makes one movie per year and doesn't really gives a fuck about being a movie star. Same deal as Viggo Mortenson.

[lilmac]

What happened to Jazzy-J? :-)

He cameoed on Fresh Prince of Bel Air with his rap partner Will Smith but never had a film career (or maybe he didnt want one).

[lilmac]

Gary Ross is weird.

 

Directs Pleasantville, followed by Seabiscuit 5 years later. Both films did respectable business.  He takes a 9-year sabbatical and returns to helm an indie film called Hunger Games. He is now underground again.  

[Ethan Hunt]

Gary Ross is weird.

Directs Pleasantville, followed by Seabiscuit 5 years later. Both films did respectable business. He takes a 9-year sabbatical and returns to helm an indie film called Hunger Games. He is now underground again.

Good, he screwed up Hunger Games

[Fancyarcher]

Gary Ross is weird.

 

Directs Pleasantville, followed by Seabiscuit 5 years later. Both films did respectable business.  He takes a 9-year sabbatical and returns to helm an indie film called Hunger Games. He is now underground again.  

 

He's currently working on the script for The Free State of Jones, that civil war movie with Matthew McConaughey.

 

Judging by his filmography, he tends to take long breaks in-between films, even when it comes to the scripts he writes, so it's not surprising that he didn't immediately (as in a year or so) do a new film after Hunger Games came out.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Fancyarcher

[Warhorse]

I'd figure Chloe Grace Moretz would be getting all sorts of crazy offers since Kick Ass and Hugo. Her co-stars Aaron Taylor Johnson and Evan Peters have had better luck.