Whether it be a slew of sexual assault allegations or an impressive Razzie Award
collection, there are a wide variety of reasons
why Hollywood isn't keen on bringing these actors back to the big screen.
Jay Mohr showed plenty of promise in the '90s,
thanks to a bit part on "Saturday Night Live" and a breakthrough performance in "Jerry Maguire."
"Whatever."
However, his career in recent years has been more "miss" than "hit." Despite critical
raves and a cult following, his attempt at becoming a sitcom star flopped with the 1999
Fox comedy "Action". His next attempt, "Gary Unmarried," lasted two seasons,
but also received the kind of reviews that would kill any actor's TV career today.
He found slightly better luck as a host, which has resulted in stints on "Last Comic Standing" and,
more recently, "Jay Mohr Sports." But even that path has had some bumps along the way,
including a deal with Disney that ostensibly got canceled.
If that wasn't enough, Mohr's personal life has been a bit of a mess. In July 2016,
he filed for divorce from his wife, actor Nikki Cox, and asked for an emergency petition for full
custody of their son after alleging that Cox suffered from depression and self-medicated.
Although he dropped the petition just six days later, Mohr filed for divorce
again in 2016. It later took another nasty turn, with more allegations of drug use.
Truth be told: John Cusack has been steadily working in recent
years. It's just that a lot of his films haven't caught on the way they used to.
While he made around 20 movies between 2012 and 2016,
a good chunk of those titles went straight to DVD or video-on-demand. Don't act like
you actually saw "The Factory" in 2012 or "The Bag Man" in 2014.
"Can I ask you a question? Why didn't you just hire FedEx?"
Even his higher quality movies, such as "Love & Mercy," failed to ignite passion
in Hollywood, despite brief Oscar buzz for co-star Elizabeth Banks.
Of course, if this were 15 years ago, Cusack would be able to fall back on the occasional rom-com,
like he did to moderate success in 2001's "Serendipity" and "Must Love
Dogs" in 2005. But now that he's in his 50s, that tried and true formula
in flicks such as "Say Anything" and "High Fidelity" is starting to feel old.
On the bright side, Cusack has kept busy with a number of passion projects, including writing a
book about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and co-founding the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
Judge Reinhold was one of Hollywood's quintessential "that guy!" actors in the '80s,
with memorable roles in hits such as "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
and "Beverly Hills Cop." And in the '90s, who could forget his role as Neal in "The
Santa Clause" or his classic appearance as the "close talker" in "Seinfeld".
"Oh, You must be Kramer. I've heard about you!"
These days, people might not remember "that guy" at all. In the last 20 years or so,
his only notable roles were a cameo on "Arrested Development" and a stint on the short-lived
TV series "The O'Keefe's," which got yanked after one month on the air. Other projects,
including a TV reboot of "Beverly Hills Cop" and a sitcom by Judd Apatow, never made it to air.
To make matters worse, Reinhold was charged with disorderly conduct after an altercation
with TSA agents at Dallas Love Field airport in December 2016. He later admitted to being
embarrassed by the incident, according to Page Six — which, by the way, referred to
him as the guy from '80s movies like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," which sorta proves our point.
If there's a glimmer of hope: Reinhold may finally be able to capitalize on Hollywood's
current obsession with nostalgia. In June 2016, Variety reported that the long-awaited
sequel "Beverly Hills Cop IV" had landed two directors, breathing life into a project that has
been delayed seemingly forever. As of this video, however, the project still is yet to be released.
As a principal player in the massively successful Twilight Saga,
Taylor Lautner was poised for superstardom.
"Hey."
But unlike his co-stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson,
who immediately began branching out from the teen vampire drama, Lautner coasted on the
success of the franchise. In between Twilight films, he only snagged a small part in 2010's
"Valentine's Day" and starred in the critical and commercial failure "Abduction" — the latter
offering substantial proof of his lackluster acting abilities and overestimated value.
"I hate this. I hate what they've done to you!"
2015's "Tracers" didn't do much better. After that, his asking price for future
roles — a reported $7.5 to $10 million per picture — seemed laughably high.
Lautner has, however, found some success the comedy genre. He attracted good reviews with
the BBC series "Cuckoo," and he became a member of Adam Sandler's crew with roles
in "Grown Ups 2" and "The Ridiculous Six." Those won't put him in Oscar contention,
but they are fan favorites. Even if Lautner's never going to become a critical darling,
he still has a chance to be on a winning team.
Freddie Prinze Jr. was the Hollywood "it guy" for nearly a decade, starting with "I Know What You
Did Last Summer" in 1997 and extending through his sitcom "Freddie," from 2005-2006. After the
failure of "Freddie" came a few go-nowhere roles, followed by the infamous disaster "Delgo" in 2008,
which would go down in history as one of the lowest-grossing box office openings of all time.
"Delgo?"
"At your service, your highness."
Pivoting back to TV, Prinze Jr. seemed to pick a winner again with a solid role on
"24," except that turned out to be a nightmare. In an interview with ABC News, Prinze Jr. said:
"I did 24, it was terrible. I hated every moment of it. Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in
the world. That's not me talking trash, I'd say it to his face, I think everyone that's worked
with him has said that. I just wanted to quit the business after that. So, I just sort of stopped."
"I think it's not my problem."
And he really did. Aside from a few bit parts, Prinze Jr. has mostly pursued voicework since
his ill-fated run-in with Jack Bauer. He also did some behind-the-scenes work for the WWE,
released a cookbook, and started a second book specifically geared toward gaming,
which is apparently Prinze Jr.'s true passion. He told People:
"I'm a partner in this company called Twitch and they have 9.7
million active viewers watching these people play video games."
So did Hollywood turn his back on Prinze Jr., or was it the other way around?
Though Ashley Greene did not rest on her laurels throughout the success of "The Twilight Saga,"
what she chose to do outside of the blockbuster franchise barely grabbed any attention. Her
biggest credit during that time was a small role in the indie flick "Butter" in 2011, which had
a big-name cast but failed to impress critics and made zero money. The same year that Greene
finished her tenure in the Twilight universe, she starred in "The Apparition," which was
a box office bomb, earning just under $5 million domestically against a budget of $17 million. That
also happened to be Greene's first star vehicle, making the film's failure a double whammy.
"Once you believe it's real…you die."
Her small screen attempts didn't fare much better. "Pan-Am," ABC's big budget
drama centered on the airline industry heyday of the '60s,
was permanently grounded after one season. Greene's short-lived turn on
the Canadian police drama "Rogue" ended with the show's cancellation as well.
It is worth noting that she landed a smaller part in the 2019 film "Bombshell", which actually fared
well at the box office, earning $61.4 million against a budget of $32 million. Besides that
though, she's stuck to smaller productions that have consistently flown under the radar.
For a solid two decades after her debut in "The Mask," Cameron Diaz maintained a status
as one of Hollywood's go-to actors. However, her inconsistency at both the box office and
in reviews has proven that although she's been extremely sought-after, she hasn't always taken
the best offers or put in the best performances. Case in point: Her critically-acclaimed turns in
"Being John Malkovich," "Vanilla Sky," and "Gangs of New York," which she immediately
followed with the dismal sequel to "Charlie's Angels" — "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."
"Enjoy heaven."
"Go to hell!"
Diaz's hit-or-miss career track stalled heavily in 2014 with the critical and commercial flops
"Sex Tape" and "Annie." However, it was around this time that Diaz was
gearing up for some personal rebranding. In 2013, she co-authored "The Body Book:
The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body,"
a best-selling lifestyle manual, which she followed up in 2016 with "The Longevity Book:
The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time."
Her pivot to authorship also coincided with her marriage to Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden
in 2015, all of which eventually contributed to a hiatus from the film industry. In June of 2017,
Diaz addressed her Hollywood hiatus at Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Wellness
Summit. She expressed that years of the jet-setting lifestyle had taken its toll,
and that she "felt the need to make [herself] whole." It would seem, for now,
that Diaz's absence from the silver screen is mostly due to an acute case of fame fatigue.
Jim Carrey was one of the most recognizable actors in the '90s and early 2000s. With roles
in everything from unforgettable comedy classics like "Dumb and Dumber" or "Ace Ventura" to Oscar
winners like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", it was quite easy to imagine Carrey as
one of those actors who would keep showing up in blockbusters until he was too old to do so.
"Ohhhhh, Somebody stop me!"
However, it looks like Carrey fans might have to accept the
possibility that this success is a thing of the past. At this point,
it seems that Carrey has walked away from Hollywood — and may never return.
Unlike many of the stars on this list,
Carrey didn't fail to maintain box office success or fade into obscurity. Instead,
he seems to have quit acting mostly on his own terms. He revealed he's likely retiring during
an interview with Access Hollywood in 2022. When asked if he was being serious, he responded:
"I'm being fairly serious. Yeah."
He went on to elaborate:
"If the angels bring some sort of script that's written in gold ink
that says to me that it's going to be really important for people to see,
I might continue down the road, but I'm taking a break."
He went on to share that he has other interests now,
and these will likely be his focus moving forward. He said:
"I really like my quiet life and I really like putting paint on canvas and I really
love my spiritual life and I feel like, and this is something you might never hear
another celebrity say as long as time exists, I have enough. I've done enough. I am enough."
As of this video, Carrey's last film was the 2022 film "Sonic the Hedgehog 2."
Some might say that Rob Schneider's acting career is defined by raunchy comedies like
Deuce "Bigalow: Male Gigolo," and "The Hot Chick." With that in mind, it's perhaps no surprise that
the actor doesn't appear to be Hollywood's first pick when it comes to major roles. Schneider's
decision to team up with his buddy Adam Sandler to star in these comedies may have seemed like a
great idea at first, but these roles might have harmed his career in the long run.
"This is bulls---!"
"Alright, take it easy man."
Schneider has racked up quite a few Razzie Award nominations over the years,
including in the unfortunate category of Worst Actor of the Decade. It seems that the actor
doesn't have the best luck because he was sued by movie investors for $1.5 million in 2012. They
claim that Schneider and his brother never repaid them for investing in their movie, "The Chosen
One." Schneider's representative defended him in a statement shared with The Wrap. They said:
"The claims are flatly contradicted by the language of the contracts.
The Gambles made an investment in the movie, with no guarantee of success.
The Schneider's are confident that they will be vindicated in court."
Despite all of this, Schneider hasn't abandoned the entertainment industry entirely. The star
ventured into voice acting with a series of animated children's movies like the poorly rated
"Norm of the North" and the very slightly more well-received "The Adventures of Panda Warrior."
More recently, he directed and starred in the mostly ignored 2022 film "Daddy Daughter Trip".
Disgraced former "House of Cards" actor Kevin Spacey seemingly disappeared from
Hollywood after he faced numerous sexual assault allegations.
"CNN. Right now."
His 15 accusers shared stories that spanned decades. "Star Trek:
Discovery" actor Anthony Rapp alleged Spacey made unwanted
advances when he was only 14 years old. The harassment reportedly took place in 1986.
This allegation resulted in a court case in which a jury sided with Spacey in October 2022.
Rapp's legal team argued that Spacey wasn't honest in court. The actor's lawyer said:
"He lacks credibility. Sometimes the simple
truth is the best. The simple truth is that this happened."
As previously mentioned, Spacey faces allegations from 15 different accusers,
so he didn't exactly hop back into acting just because he won this trial. Instead,
he not only lost his "House of Cards" role but was also required to pay back the show's
production company for the money they lost because of him. A Los Angeles judge ordered Spacey to pay
"House of Cards" production company MRC almost $31 million as part of a lawsuit.
The infamous star took a break from major acting roles in 2017 and didn't return until filming
began for his 2022 role in "The Man Who Drew God." This might hint at the path
Spacey's career will take moving forward. There's a chance he may only appear in small
projects given major production studios are likely hesitant to work with him now.
It's probably been a while since you last watched a movie that featured
Jessica Biel. That might be because the actor seemingly has trouble landing gigs.
She even reportedly lost the role of Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises" to Anne Hathaway.
"Oops."
An anonymous source claimed Biel wasn't happy she lost out on this opportunity,
telling New York Daily News:
"Jessica was fuming when she heard she didn't get the role of Catwoman. She really thought she
was going to get it, but when Christopher Nolan handed the role to Hathaway, she was devastated."
If this rumor is true, we totally understand Biel's frustration. This
role would have done amazing things for her career. Unfortunately for the star,
she also allegedly lost a role in the 2013 movie "The Wolverine."
Biel has shifted her focus in recent years. She's now a producer on projects
like "The Sinner" and "Cruel Summer." The star spoke about her new profession
during an interview with Forbes, saying of her work on the latter:
"All of those experiences that I've had have culminated in this moment
[for me] to step behind the cameras and really be a support system and a support
team and really be much more part of the development and then, kind of,
hand it off to these very capable young women [who are starring in the series]."
All of that being said, she isn't totally done with acting. In 2022,
she starred as the titular character in the well-received miniseries "Candy,"
which is based on real-life events that took place in Texas in 1980.
Amanda Bynes was once a top teen star with a promising career ahead of her. However,
a period of back-to-back arrests and controversial behavior led the star
to eventually abandon the entertainment industry altogether. She announced her
retirement at only 24 years old back in 2010. She wrote in a since-deleted tweet:
"If I don't love something anymore, I stop doing it. I don't love acting anymore,
so I've stopped doing it. I know 24 is a young age to retire, but you heard it here first."
It seems that Bynes turned her life around in recent years. In a 2018 interview with Paper,
she revealed that while she was making headlines for outrageous tweets and legal troubles,
she was struggling with substance abuse behind the scenes. She revealed:
"I've been sober for almost four years now."
She also graduated from California's Fashion
Institute of Design and Merchandising in 2019 and enrolled in cosmetology
school in 2022. FIDM assistant dean of admissions Kathi Gilbert told Paper:
"Instructors love her. Love her. She's smart, she participates in class — she's an amazing student."