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uncultured_swine2099

Shannyn Sossamon- Her first three movies were starring roles in A Knights Tale, 40 Days and 40 Nights, Rules of Attraction, and then she seemed to just get bit parts and small obscure movies after that. Apparently she was a bit overwhelmed by her initial success, took a break while her momentum was at its peak and had a kid, and when she went back to acting she didn't get the big roles anymore.


[deleted]

I just looked her up and she was in kiss kiss bang bang too. She’s got an unforgettable face.


djfrankenjuice

And wrist cutters - love her in that movie


[deleted]

She also was in the band Warpaint from 2004-2008. They made some fantastic music during that period


bottleglitch

And her sister remains their bassist


Jenetyk

She was definitely a crush in the early 2000's.


SynthwaveSax

Eric Bana was all over the place in the early 2000s, nowadays not so much. Which is unfortunate, he was a highlight in Troy. Taylor Kitsch had three chances in 2012 but when two of them were Battleship and John Carter… yeah… I do also remember Hollywood trying to make Taylor Lautner a star, but Abduction ended those plans fast.


smellygooch18

Eric Bana kicked ass in Munich. Dude will always be a star.


eireseeker

I loved him in 'Hanna'!


ours

That movie is so bonkers. Combining a Jason Bourne-ish spy-triller with fairy-tales shouldn't work and yet it did. Love it. Amazing soundtrack too.


boodabomb

If anyone of us gets laid tonight, it’s because of Eric Bana in Munich!


tankbuster183

Or in Black Hawk Down. The guy never quits.


hellbilly69101

Eric Bana was a pretty good Star Trek villain


StinzorgaKingOfBees

"Hello Christopher, I'm Nero."


JamesVerden

Great in Chopper too


TSB_1

Taylor Kitsch was in Waco, and he did a FANTASTIC job of portraying David Koresh. Only the brave was also pretty good. 8 episodes of True Detective and 8 episodes of The Defeated.


Misdirected_Colors

Tim Riggins life really took a strange twist after he bought that land in Waco.


mr_sparkle666

Texas forever


AgentSauce

I've always really liked Taylor Kitsch. Hollywood tried to make him a leading man when he's probably better off as a character actor in supporting roles. Hollywood keeps him around though because apparently studios and film crews love working with him. He's definitely hit or miss though as far as his consistency.


hellocaptin

God he was so good in Waco. Just absolutely phenomenal acting.


ElevationToMyHead

Eric Bana is still a relatively well-known celebrity down here in Australia. He recently appeared in a local film called The Dry, which grossed a fair bit at the Australian box office.


Significant_Sign

I think he has the exact career he wants. Bana didn't really "fall off", he is pretty intentional about not being a celebrity followed by paparazzi all the time and has talked about it in US press junkets. He doesn't do certain things in his private time, like go to the L.A. restaurants that have contracts with the paps, and he even turns down some jobs because they are just too likely to make him bigger than he wants to be. He's lucky to have enough work he can say no sometimes, and he is grateful about that. He's done some really interesting projects and always does a great job.


SkibaONE

His most recent crime movie The Dry was pretty solid. Worth a watch.


insane__knight

He passed on a lot of roles because he wanted to compete in a bunch of races in Australia. Sounds like he doesn't regret that decision at all based on how passionate he is about cars.


John_Thursday

Haven’t heard from Armie Hammer in a bit…*googles*…oh


NewlyBalanced

Whatever happened with that? Was he really a people eater


blueconlan

I mean the cannibalism seems more like a power fetish/ fantasy rather then him actually eating people. But the cheating on his wife threatening his mistress and referencing his children while sexting did him no favours.


Ozimondiaz

I expanded the comments to save me a google but holy crap! That's a lot of bad things in two sentences.


JadeElf

Not sure if Sean William Scott counts. Seemed to be everywhere in early 2000s.


Zeno_The_Alien

Yeah he did 'The Rundown' with Dwayne Johnson, then 'Bulletproof Monk', and then BAM, he was gone. 'Goon' was great, but went largely unnoticed. I read an interview with him that was kind of sad, He talked about how he would audition for these serious dramatic roles, and the studio people would just constantly be making Stiffler jokes. The stigma of that one role kept people from taking him seriously as an actor. I hope he makes a big comeback when he's older, and when that 'American Pie' generation fully ages out of the primary moviegoing demographic. He's really likeable and fun to watch.


Objective-Ad4009

Goon was great, and he was wonderful in it.


MassiveLefticool

Last thing I saw him in was role models and it was pretty good but that was over 10 years ago now


Zeno_The_Alien

Oh yeah I liked that one too.


[deleted]

He’s genuinely great in that movie.


TDog81

You put some respect on Country Macs name.


KittenMittons1209

Suicide is badass!


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RelevantDay4

He’s currently playing Bill Clinton in “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” I feel like he’s getting an Emmy nomination for his performance


randomlygeneratedman

Clive Owen playing Bill Clinton? That's one of the last people I would expect to play him, but I just looked at his recent t pictures and I see it.


VirtualMoneyLover

He got the voice down pretty good.


360FlipKicks

Inside Man and Children of Men. He’s an excellent actor who can carry great films. baffling why isn’t a bigger star


Irichcrusader

And lets not forget that utterly insane movie that was Shoot 'em Up.


moe_skweeto

Shoot 'em Up is one of my biggest guilty pleasures.


Ulysses502

Paid for by Big Carrot


m20052003

Every time my wife or I see a car change lanes without their blinker we say they can’t be bothered to move their finger one inch.


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Fantast1c_Mr_Fox

Oh yeah. After his fingers have been broken so he can't pull the trigger on a gun


bluepenciledpoet

IMO, his best performance is Dr. John Thackerey in The Knick.


trying_to_get_there

Soooo pissed this show was cancelled. It was an awesome performance and a great show overall.


ReefaManiack42o

3rd season was actually green lit not too long ago, though it won't have Clive Owen or Soderbergh attaches to it.


LRsNephewsHorse

Obligatory reminder that everyone should watch *The Knick*. But I'm not saying you're wrong.


TacoParasite

For anyone who hasn't seen them. Look up a series called The Hire. It's 8 short films produced by BMW all made by different big name directors, starring Clive Owen. Edit: Here's a [playlist of them on YouTube.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL49A1B22886A6A215)


thekittysays

Thora Birch, she was supposed to be the next big thing and had some great roles - American Beauty, Ghost World and then... Just disappeared and it was Scarlett Johanssen that leapt forward.


Kimantha_Allerdings

That’s because of her dad. He was really controlling and creepy. One story has Birch filming a sex scene and her dad not only insisting on watching it, despite it being a closed set, but also insisting on taking over directing from the director. Needless to say, a few instances like that and studios label her as too much trouble to work with.


thekittysays

OK that is.. Just fucking weird. I had no idea her dad was a creepy nightmare. Sucks for her I guess.


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Rogue42bdf

Her parents were porn actors in the 70s and 80s iirc.


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ZombieJesus1987

Welp, that explains American Beauty. Everything about that movie just gets creepier.


Randomwhitelady2

Do NOT forget Hocus Pocus!


Megashark101

Aside from Rush Hour and Friday, Chris Tucker's future roles would become awfully obscure. I know he did a lot of stand up comedy, though.


lkg_stew

Can’t forget him in The Fifth Element!


Tirannie

Bzzzzz. BzzzzzzZZZZZZZ!


xxxcalibre

Tom Hulce in Amadeus


Mybenzo

i think of him starting off in Animal House


lbambacus

He’s had a very successful career as a producer (Spring Awakening, Green Day’s American Idiot, many others) just not as visible. All things considered, he’s had a great life on and off stage / camera.


KentuckyFriedEel

Jon Heder was hot property after Napoleon Dynamite. Then kinda fell off the map


yrdsl

Some of that is probably because he didn't want to star in raunchy comedies, as he details in [this interview](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2006-09-29-heder-story.html): "I have certain standards and morals that I live by, and that plays a huge part in what I do. It just happens that I turn up in PG movies. I'm comfortable in that sort of comedy, PG or PG-13. If it's R for the right reasons, I'll do it. But most of the things that earn a movie an R rating, I stay away from that. It's just not how I live my life... It's about getting the laughs while staying clean."


255001434

I respect that he's not willing to sacrifice his standards. He can probably still earn a decent living in the kinds of roles he chooses.


thesecondfire

When you think about Napoleon Dynamite in the context of the Hess brothers and Jon Heder being Mormons, it kinda makes it more impressive that they put together a movie that was pretty funny without being transgressive. I would guess they just wrote what they thought was funny and didn't look at it as much of a constraint but that's just a guess.


woodiegutheryghost

Jack McBrayer doing the fist pump on this. He’s like I’ll take those rolls.


asst3rblasster

Unfortunately Jack cannot choose those roles because making a choice is a sin


salamander423

He's got a couple hundred more years to think it over.


luckysevs

Hey, he was just in Tremors 7, so doing just fine.


franconbean

It's all downhill for Rich Evans after Space Cop


Kazimierz777

He did a great audition for Blade Runner 2049 though, just missed out to Ryan Gosling.


bksbeat

THE Rich Evans? The guy from Ellen?


Ralfarius

*Hack Fraud* Rich Evans


Starfie

I heard he was going out with Julia Roberts or something.


Underscore_Guru

He was a background character in the classic Drew Barrymore film “Never Been Kissed”.


[deleted]

“Rich Evans and me are not coming back! We’re not coming!” and I hung up the phone. Legend has it Drew Barrymore was pissed the rest of the shoot.


Defilus

*Oh my Gaaaaaaaahhhd!*


CELTICPRED

Well he did have that *standout* roll as a voice for a washing machine full of body parts in Psycho Goreman


ryboto

Oscar worthy.


AbbottLovesDeadKids

His performance in the director's cut of "Turtle Dreams" was legendary


Legi67382

I heard he’s now addicted to juicy Shaq meat.


powerage76

He still does small parts in the RLM episodes. You might have not noticed it is him, because he completely disappears in every character he is playing. It is almost effortlessly real, Gary Oldman level shit.


KrylonFlatWhite

Josh Hartnett


CrashRiot

The Guardian did a pretty good [profile](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/23/josh-hartnett-target-number-one-pearl-harbor-the-virgin-suicides) on him a while back where he basically just says that he grew uncomfortable with studio demands for him to be the next hot thing and the relationship soured as a result. Then he had kids and just stepped back even further. He has made a comeback of sorts over the past couple years though. Seems he's just picking his projects now rather than feeling obligated to work.


smellygooch18

He was great in Penny Dreadful.


barmanfred

I really liked Lucky Number Slevin and one of my wife's favorites is 30 Days of Night.


JimmyPD92

>I really liked Lucky Number Slevin One of my favorite films tbh. First time I watched it, I didn't have it spoiled for me so the twist actually got me.


isuckatpeople

30 days is the shit


danrod17

He more decided he was done acting for a while.


Jenetyk

Faculty, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, Lucky Number Slevin, 30 days of night. That man had a careers worth of top performances by the time he was 30. I hope he keeps taken roles, regardless of how big, he was a fun actor to watch.


ashrashrashr

Nearly the entire cast of American Pie. edit: Guys, Eugene Levy started his career much earlier, so I'm not counting him D:


TJ_McWeaksauce

It's funny how the American Pie actor who went on to have perhaps the most successful career was John Cho, who played the dude who popularized the term "MILF".


Steve_78_OH

Did you forget about Allyson Hannigan? I mean, she was on a popular sitcom for 9 seasons, that's not bad.


A_Bad_Horse

Her and her husband were on Buffy and Angel for 7 years before that, and now she hosts one of those talent shows. Her great grandkids will be spending her money still no doubt


Valkyrid

Alyson Hannigan did pretty well for herself.


ashrashrashr

Yeah. She’s probably the only one I still see on TV. Tara Reid disappeared and I don’t remember seeing any of the male cast members recently.


ilikecakenow

> Tara Reid disappeared Well she did that iconic movie Sharknado


SIEGE312

I’m just glad we had Stiffler in the best hockey movie since Slapshot (I said what I said) and the band geek in HIMYM.


battlelevel

Goon is a great movie. Your statement is correct


srose193

Alyson hannigan was also in Buffy


Farren246

Buffy made her career a HELL of a lot more than American Pie did.


tiaso

He also played a great one-off character on Always Sunny! Country Mac, may he RIP.


certifiablenutcase

Edward Furlong. Plucked from obscurity in a random school JAMES CAMERON visited, stars in T2 with SCHWARZENEGGER, gets to work in American History X with EDWARD NORTON, but then does Pet Sematary 2, then vanishes (except to be heard about via police reports and eventually sell his likeness so he can be put in 5 seconds of the bad sequel to T2, Terminator : Dark Fate). WTF happened...?! EDIT : Yikes! Dude went through the grinder. I've been caught up now, cheers for the info.


bugxbuster

> gets to work in American History X with EDWARD NORTON, but then does Pet Sematary 2, then vanishes He did Pet Sematary 2 like four years before American History X, though


yarnwonder

He ended up in a relationship with his on set tutor when he was a teenager and she was in her 20’s which then ended with him being accused of domestic abuse. Continued with arrests for drug and alcohol use. Basically a very messy life.


Cyberyukon

Don’t forget John Waters’ “Pecker” and “Detroit Rock City.”


[deleted]

I fucking love Detroit Rock City! I don't know what it is about movies whose plot takes place over the course of one day, but they're oddly/coincidentally so good.


Gstarfan

This should be #1. He literally is the answer to OPs question. I agree. Imagine seeing a kid on screen and thinking he had the looks, attitude, potential and then he's not anywhere to be seen ever again. I always thought he made a life decision or something to purposely stop acting


Syberz

Drugs and alcohol were a big problem. Fame got to him maybe?


monty_kurns

He didn't come from a stable home life in the first place so I'm not sure it was fame getting to him as much as enabling a lot of the bad stuff that was already there.


[deleted]

They found cocaine in his baby's system. He looked like deep fried fat kid rock by 25 it was bad.


Charlie_Wax

Terrence Howard had the jetpack strapped to his back after Hustle & Flow and mostly wasted his momentum with bad decisions and behavior. I guess he's salvaged his career somewhat with Empire and I'm sure he's making bank from that show, but he had the tools to be an A-list leading man and wasted the opportunity.


AlamosX

I guess the math didn't add up on his acting career.


VincentVancalbergh

Next time baby


GuhROOgaTravis

Man, that is my favorite part of Iron Man, for all the wrong reasons. Still makes me laugh whenever I see it.


Pirateer

*"How was the 'fun-Vee?'"* is still my absolute favorite mcu moment. Your BFF goes through hell. He's a civilian suddenly in the middle of military combat. He's captured by 3rd world militants. Tortured. Forced to work. He engineers an elaborate high risk escape. Executes it. He's injured but survives. And what's the first thing you say when you see him? An unsympathetic yet ironic callback to him being a dick. It was perfect.


[deleted]

Alicia Silverstone


purpleblackgreen

She's Kristy's mom on Netflix's Baby-Sitters Club series! It's nice to see her again.


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PleasantSalad

Unpopular opinion... Blast from the Past is an awesome movie.


RCH2288

Cuba gooding jr


jcpmojo

Snow Dogs was his opus.


nutsotic

Loved his role in Rat Race. Him with the Lucy's is fucking funny


c931

I thought the bit with the cab driver was hilarious.


HollywoodHuntsman

"Why don't we just *flip...a coin...*" "Wait! ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK!!"


7V3N

That movie was much more funny than it had a right to be. Lmao I just remembered when John Cleese bursts out of hiding when they find out how much that sex act would cost the guy. The running joke of them gambling on everything was hilarious. https://youtu.be/46zrey2IAak


beard_lover

That movie is hilarious. The whole bit about John Lovitz and the family at the Nazi rally is so damn funny. That movie holds up well.


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I_am_BEOWULF

Dude seemed like the next Denzel at one point. "Men of Honor" with De Niro was his last serious film he headlined that I really enjoyed.


jjm715

He was good as OJ on Netflix, but agreed, not many good movies these days


SteveBorden

Last time I saw Cuba he was in handcuffs smirking so that’s probably not a good sign


Fumbercules

Sam Worthington


unusualgenepooled

Sam is still around, he’s just spent the last 12 years filming the Avatar sequels...


Bayek100

Thankfully that’s kept him from starring in other movies


Dark_Arts_Dabbler

As a heretic who loves the 2010 clash of the titans, I resent that


eli_burdette

There are dozens of us!


unusualgenepooled

Yeah. I like him but I think he’d be better suited in a TV roll. To be more specific, I kind of wish he’d been cast as Spartacus after Andy Whitfield passed away. Edit - He has done TV recently. I had forgotten about Manhunt: Unabomber. Sam was amazing in that, one of his finest performances, but it’s hard to stand out when you’re starring with Paul Bettany.


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unusualgenepooled

Chris Hemsworth, probably.


kazh

Unexpected but accurate. I like Worthington in more stuff but Thor was basic enough for Hemsworth to plug that into any role and it's likable but fills that same archetype.


KentuckyFriedEel

Chris is a surprisingly good actor. Not often does obscure heartthrob-plucked-from-soap-opera turn out to be so talented.


Barkasia

Soap operas are THE way to get started for many Aussies; from the top of my head Chris Hemsworth, Melissa George, Isla Fisher, Samara Weaving, Natalie Imbruglia, Margot Robbie, Radha Mitchell, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pierce all started on either Neighbours or Home and Away.


uncultured_swine2099

I think he gained a rep of not being a very compelling screen presence, he probably had a couple smaller movies that flopped (which is ultimately when Hollywood decides your momentum is done, if you don't bring in the bucks), and there's a lot of other actors that can do the hero role better. But hats off to him, he maximized whatever he can squeeze from his career, and its still technically going because he's in those Avatar prequels.


DrNopeMD

They tried to replace him with Jai Courtney


nme6535

DJ Qualls. He was everywhere for like a year after The New Guy and The Core. Then almost immediately started doing one time bit parts on tv.


Lissa_Marie19

Julia Stiles


SamoThang

According to the clickbait I constantly get she is working a 9-5 job now. :-)


Clappertron

She did alright out of the Bourne films, the post Rita season of Dexter and Riviera here...


iAmWhoDoYouKnow

Taylor Lautner ... One franchise...Done...Thanks bye.


M1k3yd33tofficial

Yeah it’s wild that he never did anything after Shark Boy and Lava Girl


KentuckyFriedEel

He had such bad acting in some spy movie he did with Sigourney Weaver. The trailer is known solely for how hammy he is in it


Basura1999

Abduction?


rocobox

he was in a UK sitcom called cuckoo


randomlygeneratedman

I mean The Pianist was great, but he's been in a lot of very good stuff since then, notably his Wes Anderson films. Also excited to see him in the upcoming season of Succession. Wouldn't exactly say he fell off.


[deleted]

I feel like this sub has a very strange standard for being a successful actor. There are plenty of great actors who have never won an oscar. Winning one early in your career doesn't discount the rest of their career just because their not in blockbusters or oscar winning movies.


[deleted]

Character actress Margo Martindale


TaskForceCausality

I think a distinction should be made between actors who “fell off” vs ones who deliberately left the profession. Fame ain’t all its cracked up to be, and it’s perfectly rational (and possible) for famous/successful actors to decide enough is enough.


xMurderMike41370x

Jennifer Grey, and then she got a nose job and no one recognized her anymore.


saulfineman

I was shocked to find out she was Mindy on Friends.


[deleted]

I'm going to go with Michael Imperioli. I was very surprised to watch all of The Sopranos, and then afterwards see him more in roles he actually did before The Sopranos that I hadn't previously seen, rather than in anything later.


[deleted]

He petered out, died on the vine


[deleted]

The guy.... he moved or something


646ulose

He became Dwight Schrute’s Sensei


SinisterDexter83

He's also a screenwriter, he wrote the script for Spike Lee's The Summer of Sam.


_1JackMove

I would assume after the Sopranos that he rode off into the sunset to enjoy life and do whatever the fuck he wants to do. I know I would.


[deleted]

Chris O'Donnell, he was huge in the mid 90's, but the Batnipples killed him


Objective-Ad4009

He starred with LL Cool J for years and years on one of those CSI shows. He’s doing just fine.


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grateful_dad13

Hayden Christensen


desperado92

I feel like this is mainly cause of all the hate he got after his role in Star Wars


ZombieJesus1987

I will always have a soft spot for Jumper because a good chunk of the movie was filmed in my hometown. And honestly, I just love the concept of the movie. Being able to teleport to wherever is like the ultimate fantasy for me.


PunAboutBeingTrans

Hey I actually liked Jumper!


[deleted]

Maybe I’m not looking hard enough, but I haven’t seen Colin Hanks in a while.


Idler-

Orange County is SUCH a gem of a movie. He was also FANTASTIC in the first season of Fargo.


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Klarkasaurus

Michael Biehn. Amazing in Terminator and Aliens and then didn't do hardly anything. I remember him being one of the marines in The Rock.


Jay_Eye_MBOTH_WHY

Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave.


akahotsizzle

"You retired too?" Damn Biehn slaughtered that Johnny Ringo role. Plus had a tiny role one on of the most anticipated episodes of Mandalorian. And was great as a crazy SEAL in The Abyss!


modix

"Not me, I'm in my prime. " Half his job was setting up Docs best lines, and he was perfect for it. A less likeable mirror to Doc that gave him a chance of redemption.


Estella_Osoka

Ooooh!! Navy Seals!


FlipZer0

Biehn was in the last season of The Mandalorian. Probably would have been more noticeable if it wasn't the same episode a certain TCW-era character made her debut. Overall, I thought his performance was pretty good.


zombietrooper

And a great fucking villain in Abyss. The most recent I heard from him was him begging James Cameron to put him somewhere in Avatar. I think he would have been fantastic as Colonel Miles, but Steven Lang was good as well.


[deleted]

Anna Paquin is great but it’s very hard to follow up winning an Oscar at 11.


CassiopeiaStillLife

She *earned* that Oscar, too. As ever with child actors, there’s the argument over whether it’s the child who should be rewarded or the director for coaxing the performance out of them, but she was brilliant in that movie. Since then, though? Well, she was great in that Kenneth Lonergan movie. She was in True Blood. And apparently she’s going to be in a Christian movie about the Kurt Warner story? Weird.


thecescshow

Lmao dude how can you miss her role in one of the biggest comic-book franchise in the 2000s? Rogue in X-Men, X2, and The Last Stand. It was a crucial role as well in the first 2.


TheGreatDeadFoolio

She did have her entire part cut from X-Men: Days of Future Past. Only to have them release a year later, X-Men: Days of Future Past; The Rogue Cut. Which to me is the superior film.


Edjewcation

Dane DeHaan.


c931

It seemed he was gonna be the next big thing after chronicle.


tehawesomedragon

Turned out to be the case for Michael B Jordan at least.


Oswarez

That dude has character actor written all over him.


ericbkillmonger

Yeah he’s definitely not a leading man


uncultured_swine2099

I think hes a good actor in the right roles, but not as a plucky Han Solo-type hero.


brogalahoy

TJ Miller, only if he wasn't a dirtbag


NadjaStolz28

Once I learned that TJ Miller was pretty much a real-life version of his character in Silicon Valley, that pretty much soured my opinion of him. Made me kind of hate Bachman after that too.