Fame is a fickle mistress, as many Hollywood celebrities have discovered by now.
Some fell from grace following rifts with movie producers, but quite a few were victims of their success.
When you identify too much with a character, it’s hard to be believable playing another part.
You’re stuck being the character that made you famous.
Hollywood execs know this and quietly pass on them, which is quite a shame as we’re talking about very talented actors.
10 /10 Macaulay Culkin
Let’s face it, Macaulay Culkin will always be the cute boy in Home Alone. One of everybody’s favorite Christmas movies to the point that we know every gag and funny line.
However, Culkin’s life after that was anything but humorous. The wonder kid only made a couple of movies after the two Home Alone blockbusters and, then, Hollywood forgot about him.
Sadly, in recent years most of the news about Macaulay Culkin was about his life unraveling, with many of his friends worrying about his physical and mental health.
9 /10 Nicolas Cage
Remember when Nicolas Cage won an Academy Award for his role in Leaving Las Vegas? That was back in 1995. He did a couple of great movies after that, like City of Angels or Face/Off, but not much else.
He’s still pretty active but no longer on Hollywood’s A-list. He hasn’t been cast in a good movie in almost two decades.
Since the actor struggles with financial problems, he’s been forced to accept parts in a barely decent film. He’s still in his 50s, so let’s hope his luck will change.
8 /10 Eddie Murphy
Such a loss for moviegoers! You’d be hard-pressed to name your favorite Eddie Murphy movie as the actor made so many great comedies, starting with the Beverly Hills Cop series.
That was in the 1980s. The second Dr. Doolittle movie came out in 2001, and that’s about it. Eddy Murphy hasn’t made any great movies since then. Hollywood no longer needs him, although he is such a great comedian.
7 /10 Katherine Heigl
The 42-year old American actress became noticed for her performance in Grey’s Anatomy, which brought her an Emmy award in 2007.
The same year, she starred in the romantic comedy Knocked Up, which was a great success at the box office.
However, she also earned herself a reputation for being difficult, and you cannot blame big showbiz shots for letting her fade away.
After all, she openly criticized both her part in Grey’s Anatomy and the one in Knocked Up, calling the movie sexist. How about the paychecks? Were those sexist, too?