17 Actors Whose Careers Were Derailed by a Single Role
Most Hollywood stars can weather a box office failure or two, but some roles prove catastrophic, permanently altering an actor's trajectory in the industry. From notorious performances that overshadow entire careers to films that trigger professional exile, these 17 actors experienced career-defining setbacks from a single project.
Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest
The 1981 Joan Crawford biopic Mommie Dearest featured Faye Dunaway's performance that drew the worst reviews of her career and a Worst Actress Razzie. Dunaway later reflected that the film "turned my career in a direction where people would irretrievably have the wrong impression of me," adding that it created "an awful hard thing to beat." The role effectively ended her leading-lady status in Hollywood.
Elizabeth Berkley in Showgirls
Elizabeth Berkley's transition from Saved by the Bell to Paul Verhoeven's 1995 film Showgirls was meant to launch her into stardom. Instead, the film's dismal initial reception destroyed her movie career overnight. Berkley described experiencing "so much cruelty" and being "bullied" by the industry, noting that "no one associated with the film spoke up on my behalf to protect me."
Shannen Doherty in Mallrats
After leaving Beverly Hills 90210 in 1994, Shannen Doherty chose Kevin Smith's slacker comedy Mallrats as her film vehicle. The box office flop ended her movie aspirations, with Doherty stating: "It died and so did my film career. People literally thought that I was carrying the movie so [because] it was a box-office failure, it was completely on me."
David Caruso in Jade
David Caruso left NYPD Blue in 1994 with ambitions for film stardom, but his 1995 erotic thriller Jade earned just $4 million at the box office. Caruso described the aftermath: "When Jade came out and did $4m at the box office, the town went silent. I could have taken my telephone and my answering machine and thrown them both in the dumpster." He returned to television the following year.
Sofia Coppola in The Godfather: Part III
Though Sofia Coppola never aspired to be an actress, her performance in The Godfather: Part III was widely panned, with one newspaper describing her as "hopelessly amateurish." Coppola called the experience "embarrassing" but noted it didn't destroy her since acting wasn't her passion. She subsequently became an acclaimed director rather than pursuing acting.
Rupert Everett in The Next Best Thing
Rupert Everett's mainstream Hollywood career ended with 2000's The Next Best Thing, a catastrophic romcom co-starring Madonna. Everett described career death as "rather like real death," adding that the film "blew my new career out of the water and turned my pubic hair white overnight."
Lea Thompson in Howard the Duck
Following her success in Back to the Future, Lea Thompson starred in 1986's Howard the Duck, which became one of the most infamous disasters of Eighties cinema. Thompson reflected: "In the course of a year, I was in the biggest hit and the biggest bomb. So that probably destroyed my film career."
Matthew Modine in Cutthroat Island
The 1995 pirate movie Cutthroat Island was one of Hollywood's biggest bombs, derailing Matthew Modine's leading-man trajectory. Modine described reading reviews as "horrible, horrible, horrible" and feeling like "the walking dead." He noted that the experience "kind of damaged my career," though he continued working in supporting roles.
Judge Reinhold in Vice Versa
Judge Reinhold's 1988 body-swap comedy Vice Versa marked "the end of my highfalutin Hollywood career," as he put it. "That's when the phone stopped ringing," he said, forcing him to leave Los Angeles and confront past behavior on film sets.
Kelly Clarkson in From Justin to Kelly
Kelly Clarkson's contractual obligation to star in 2003's From Justin to Kelly created "a very miserable time of my life." Clarkson begged to be released from the film contract and credited the success of her single "Miss Independent" with saving her career from the movie's failure.
John Gilbert in His Glorious Night
Silent film star John Gilbert's transition to talkies with 1929's His Glorious Night reportedly revealed a "squeaky voice" that audiences found disappointing. Whether due to voice issues or studio sabotage, Gilbert's career declined rapidly, and he died at 38 following alcoholism struggles.
The Monkees in Head
The Monkees' 1968 surreal film Head was a massive flop that band member Michael Nesmith compared to "a murder" of the group. Nesmith stated: "By the time Head came out, the Monkees were a pariah... and it was over."
Maxwell Caulfield in Grease 2
Maxwell Caulfield's leading role in 1982's Grease 2 ended his major movie career despite being positioned as the next John Travolta. Caulfield described being "stone cold dead in Hollywood" for two years after the film's failure.
Jennifer Grey in Wind
Following Dirty Dancing success, Jennifer Grey's decision to get a nose job during production of 1992's Wind had devastating consequences. Grey wrote: "Overnight I [lost] my identity and my career... I banished myself." She didn't appear in another studio film for eight years.
Brandon Routh in Superman Returns
Brandon Routh's 2006 turn as Superman failed to launch his movie career despite the film earning nearly $400 million worldwide. Routh revealed struggling with the aftermath: "Superman Returns did not pan out the way I thought it was going to... There was no sequel."
Meg Ryan in In the Cut
Meg Ryan's departure from romcoms to star in 2003's erotic thriller In the Cut proved too drastic for audiences. Ryan called the reaction "vicious" and noted that "sex throws people." The film marked her retreat from Hollywood superstardom.
Greta Garbo in Two-Faced Woman
Greta Garbo's 1941 film Two-Faced Woman received brutal reviews, with Time magazine comparing her performance to "seeing your mother drunk." The humiliation led Garbo to retire at 36, never making another film.
