Introduction
Everyone dreams of making it big in Hollywood, but it’s an extremely cutthroat business.
It takes a lot of work to get up to the top, and the slightest misstep can ruin a career
instantly.
The film industry is full of hungry, talented people looking for work, and someone praised
as the next major star could be yesterday’s news in the blink of an eye.
It happens to even the most famous faces in the movies.
No matter how many accolades one scores, the fall from grace can always be right around
the corner.
Here are 10 famous actors that have disappeared from Hollywood.
Seann William Scott
After making audiences laugh as Stifler in American Pie, Scott became one of the biggest
names in comedy.
Unfortunately, he was never able to find another defining role.
Many of the projects he took following American Pie were critical duds and failed at the box
office, causing studios to stay away from him.
It also doesn’t help that Scott has never been able to escape the shadow of Stifler
and was typecast early on, meaning he never truly expanded his horizons beyond the goofy
party guy.
He’s also not one to seek out publicity, which has kept him out of the public eye for
a while.
Cameron Diaz
In the late 90s and early 2000s, Diaz was Hollywood’s hottest starlet, winning our
hearts in There’s Something About Mary.
After a short winning streak that included a variety of projects, Diaz’s career took
a wrong turn and she had trouble replicating her earlier success.
As her career has gone on, Diaz has starred in a number of poorly received R-rated comedies,
including Bad Teacher and Sex Tape.
Even working with respected director Ridley Scott on The Counselor didn’t turn out well.
It’s unlikely she’ll headline any major movies nowadays with a string of bombs spoiling
her résumé.
Taylor Lautner
Emerging as a heartthrob due to his role as Jacob in the Twilight franchise, Taylor Lautner
seemed to have a nice career laid out for himself.
But once the Twilight saga ended, so did Lautner’s time in the spotlight.
He hasn’t starred in much since he wrapped up his work on the young adult series, and
the few vehicles he has been a part of, like Abduction, have failed miserably.
Allegedly, Lautner also demands very high salaries for jobs and was turned down for
both Stretch Armstrong and David and Goliath because of his outlandish price tags.
The good news for him is that he’s still young, but nobody’s exactly knocking down
his door.
Adam Sandler
Sandler’s fall from the A-list has been well-documented by now, and even some of his
biggest fans are left wondering what happened.
As time went on, Sandler became more concerned with aspects like product placement and working
in cameos for his friends rather than making a funny, entertaining movie.
Things reached a boiling point with Jack and Jill, considered one of the worst films ever
made.
Today, Sandler’s latest projects aren’t even shown in theaters.
They’re directly released to Netflix.
The streaming service is wildly popular, but this probably isn’t how Sandler envisioned
his career winding down.
Eddie Murphy
Arguably the funniest man on the planet in the 1980s, Murphy has one of the most frustrating
career trajectories of all-time.
The former Beverly Hills Cop and Nutty Professor has had difficulties recapturing his earlier
glories, in large part due to a string of flops including Pluto Nash, Norbit, and A
Thousand Words.
He hasn’t been part of a major feature film in four years, and that time away from the
limelight isn’t going to make things any easier.
At least he has Shrek 5 to look forward to, considering DreamWorks brings back his Donkey
character.
That should be a nice payday.
Tobey Maguire
He helped usher in the Golden Age of the superhero movie with his work on the Spider-Man trilogy,
but Tobey Maguire is hardly swinging high through the streets of New York these days.
Since that series ended in 2007, Maguire has acted in only five films.
He did receive a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in 2009’s Brothers, but
it’s hard to call him a true movie star now.
Many point to Maguire never growing out of his boyish charm, as he didn’t sign on for
any gritty roles.
As he got older, that made him appear less convincing.
Maguire has also settled down with a family, so he may not want to dive back into the Hollywood
craziness.
Katherine Heigel
It wasn’t that long ago Katherine Heigel had one of the more promising careers in the
industry.
Knocked Up was a huge comedy hit, and she won an Emmy for her role on Grey’s Anatomy.
Then, the wheels came off.
After being nominated for the Emmy in 2008, Heigel withdrew her name, saying she felt
her performance during that season wasn’t worth the recognition.
She was then written out of the show, and her movie offers have become limited.
Heigel has a reputation for biting the hand that feeds, even criticizing Knocked Up for
being sexist.
Her chances of a comeback are probably dead.
Brendan Fraser
Making a name for himself as the star of the Mummy franchise, Fraser wasn’t able to keep
the hits rolling as his career chugged along.
His successes were always offset by some odd choices, and eventually the bad films caught
up with him.
He found a surprise blockbuster in Journey to the Center of the Earth, but due to his
demands to hold off on the sequel, he was replaced by the Rock.
You can probably guess how that worked for Fraser.
His most recent projects have been flops, and now he’s nowhere to be seen.
With the Mummy being rebooted with Tom Cruise, Fraser can’t even go back to that well.
Hayden Christensen
As Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, and John Boyega can tell you, starring in a Star Wars film
is an easy ticket to superstardom.
Unfortunately for Hayden Christensen, his time in a galaxy far, far away wasn’t as
fruitful.
Playing Anakin Skywalker in the final two prequels, the actor was heavily criticized
for his dull performances, part of which could be blamed on clunky dialogue.
Following Revenge of the Sith, he didn’t have many high-profile offers and faded into
obscurity.
For his part, Christensen seems at peace with his life and has even said he wouldn’t come
back to Star Wars for a quick paycheck.
His stepping down from the limelight seems to be his choice.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
She was one of the biggest names in Hollywood at the turn of the century, winning an Oscar
for her role in Chicago and starring in hits such as Ocean’s Twelve and America’s Sweethearts.
But Jones couldn’t stay on top for much longer.
Some feel that personal issues, like her struggle with bipolar disorder and marital problems
were to blame, but Jones has another idea.
She once spoke out about the lack of roles for women in their 40s in Hollywood, bemoaning
the fact that executives don’t find those kinds of stories interesting.
Jones does have a point there, and she probably could still deliver a knockout performance
if asked.
Those are our picks for actors who have faded from Hollywood.
What do you think of our list?
Are there any we missed?
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