17 Roles That Brought the Actors Not Fame and Money, but a Lot of Trouble

Many actors and actresses experience highs and lows in their careers. Certain roles catapult them to superstardom, while others subject them to substantial criticism. Occasionally, in such circumstances, celebrities may find themselves compelled to take a hiatus from the film industry, or even exit it permanently. It’s remarkable how the very role that defines someone’s career can also be its undoing.

Ana de Armas, Ghosted

The movie Ghosted, starring Ana de Armas, made the list of top movie failures of 2023. Viewers wrote that there was no chemistry between her character and Chris Evans. In addition, the reviews noted the mediocre performance of the actress. They wrote that she was a mediocrity with a pretty face.

Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu

The 2022 movie The Menu divided the audience into those who fell in love with it and those who hated it. Many were dissatisfied with the film directed by Mark Mylod. Viewers wrote that everything that happens on the screen looks pointless and empty. Ana Taylor-Joy also got it. Although the reviews wrote that the cast made the most out of an unsuccessful script, the movie was not a masterpiece.

Camila Cabello, Cinderella

Camila Cabello became famous around the world when she was very young. She was in Fifth Harmony, one of the most successful pop groups in history. Later, she became a solo singer and was successful again. Her songs were on top positions in charts in the US, Great Britain, Canada, and others countries. In 2021, she debuted in cinema. Unfortunately, her first role was a failure and at the moment, it’s also her last role.

Cinderella was absolutely bombed by critics and viewers. And even though she sang very well, she wasn’t able to play the character convincingly. Her character seemed flat and inconsistent. After this role, Camila Cabello returned to her music career. By the way, she’s going to be one of the judged in the American “Voice” in the next season.

Jared Leto, Morbius

Morbius was one of the biggest flops of 2022. Even though it was a box office success, but it had a lot of negative reviews. And Jared Leto’s acting was heavily criticized.

By they way, after the failure, the shots from the movie went viral and became memes. The creators decided that it was good for them and released Morbius in movie theaters again. Of course, the viewers weren’t impressed again. But Jared Leto is serious about it: he decided to take part in the sequel. Maybe, it will be better.

Emile Hirsch, Speed Racer

The career of young actor Emile Hirsch was going uphill when he was offered a role in a film by the Wachowski sisters. Unfortunately, Speed Racer was a complete failure. And, as the actor said himself, this role closed the doors into the world of big movies for a long time.

But Emile was able to find some positive outcome. In the following years, he appeared in the movies he wouldn’t have agreed to if Speed Racer hadn’t happened. So, he was on the same set with Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe and with Paul Rudd in Prince Avalanche.

Meg Ryan, Proof of Life

After the success of Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, Meg Ryan was the queen of romantic comedies at the end of the 90s. The kind image of her characters attracted millions of viewers to the screens. But in 2000, the actress appeared in Proof of Life. The movie itself didn’t get good reviews, and also Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe had a romance. But she was still married to actor Dennis Quaid.

This awkward situation ruined the image of Ryan. After that, she had only 1 big role in a similar image, in Kate & Leopold. Later, she mostly appeared in independent movies.

Pamela Anderson, Barb Wire

Action film Barb Wire is considered to be the reason Pamela Anderson’s career ended. What’s interesting is that she was thrilled when she read the script. She dreamed of getting a big role that would bring her an Oscar.

The actress was so committed to the role that she even got a tattoo of barbed wire on her shoulder. She made the work of makeup artists easier. But her dreams didn’t come true. The film was a huge flop, and Anderson got the Golden Raspberry Award.

Madonna, Die Another Day

After reaching a tremendous success in music, Madonna tried herself in movies. And she had some really good roles: Evita and Desperately Seeking Susan. But 2 bad roles in a row in 2002 ruined everything. The actress got 2 Golden Raspberries for her work in Guy Ritchie’s Swept Away and Die Another Day.

Both critics and the public thought that Madonna was simply a bad actress, and it was time she returned to music. And that’s what she did. She’s appeared on the screens several times since then, but only in episodes and cameos.

David Schwimmer, Friends

The most famous role of David Schwimmer, Ross Geller from Friends, was a problem for his future career. This image was so connected to him that even though he chose completely different roles after the end of the sitcom, people couldn’t see anyone but Ross.

The actor also suffered from the fame: no matter where he went, people recognized him everywhere. He said he wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there.

January Jones, X-Men: First Class

After the release of X-Men: First Class, the actress portraying Emma Frost had a ton of criticism. Even her colleagues said that she needed to forget about movies and return to tv-series.

The situation was even spicier because of rumors that January Jones and director of the film Matthew Vaughn had a romance. After that, the actress appeared in movies only a couple of times, the last one was released in 2014. And now, after a long break, Jones is returning to the big screens in the criminal drama God Is a Bullet directed by Nick Cassavetes.

Dev Patel, The Last Airbender

Dev Patel became popular after he was in Slumdog Millionaire. Several years later, he was offered to try himself in a role of a villain, and he appeared in The Last Airbender. This film made him decide to never do superhero movies again.

The film was a box office failure. It is the lowest-rated Nickelodeon Movies film in history. In the following years, the actor worked really hard to fix this mistake.

Michael Bakari Jordan, Black Panther

The character of Michael Bakari Jordan in the Marvel universe is the rare type of villain, the viewers sympathize with. The actor was able to show a person with a history and a motivation for his actions. But it cost him a lot. It wasn’t easy for him to portray the enemy of Black Panther. He even had to get therapy because of the psychological problems he had after that.

Jordan said, “I never was in a character for so long period of time and was, I guess, that dark, that lonely, that painful. So coming out of it, I thought, “Oh yeah, business as usual. I can just go back home, I’ll cut my hair off, and everything will be back to normal.”

Faye Dunaway — Mommie Dearest

In 1981, a biography movie about a Hollywood star Joan Crawford was released. It was called Mommie Dearest. Faye Dunaway blames this role for the downfall of her career. The actress has said many times that she regrets taking part in it. This work took a toll on her emotional condition. Every evening, when she came back home, she felt that Crawford was still with her.

However, there might be another reason why her career wasn’t very good after Mommie Dearest. Her colleagues remember that she was absolutely terrible to her colleagues on the set. She humiliated everyone. The entire Hollywood knew about her ugly behavior.

Mischa Barton, The O.C.

Mischa Barton spent more than 3 years working on one of the most popular teenage series of the 2000s. This is a case when an actress was too good. She became famous worldwide and she couldn’t bear it. She didn’t only leave the project, but also left Hollywood for several years. The next time she appeared on the screens was only 3 years later.

Jessica Alba, An Invisible Sign

At the beginning of the 2000s, Jessica Alba was extremely popular. She was in a great number of films, from comedies to action movies. But at some point, she just disappeared from the spotlight.

Around the end of the 2000s, she did a series of unsuccessful movies. One of them was An Invisible Sign with 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even though there were many people, responsible for the movie, the flop was mostly associated with Alba. After that, she started doing way fewer projects.

Hugh Grant, Did You Hear About the Morgans?

The terrible role in Did You Hear About the Morgans? made Hugh Grunt take a 3-year-long pause, until everyone would forget it. Critics said that his duo with Sarah Jessica Parker had no chemistry whatsoever.

During those years, Grant said that this film cost him the status of a demanded and well-paid actor. He restored his reputation only in 2012, thanks to Cloud Atlas, where he played 6 characters.

Greta Garbo, Two-Faced Woman

At the height of her career, Greta Garbo decided to make an experiment and play a role that was nothing like her usual works. In Two-Faced Woman, she danced rumba, skied, swam, and was still criticized.

It was very painful for her, and she’s often said that this role buried her career. She wasn’t able to return to work. She was only 36 years old, and Two-Faced Woman was the last movie she did.

Jessica Chastain, The 355

It was Jessica Chastain’s idea to do a spy movie, but with women leads. She shared the idea with director Simon Kinberg, and he agreed. Of course, the actress was immediately cast, and she also became the producer.

The 355 wasn’t anything special or memorable. As for Chastain, critics thought it wasn’t a good role for her. In order to put this past her as fast as possible, the actress started new projects, such as James Gray’s Armageddon Time, and Michel Franco’s Memory.

Angelina Jolie, Eternals

If Angelina Jolie is in a film, it’s usually going to be successful. And Marvel universe movies are almost always box-office hits. It seems that nothing can go wrong with Angelina Jolie in a Marvel movie. But Eternals proved that it’s not true. The 2021 film was the worst Marvel movie. Critics called it boring and said that the story was underdeveloped.

Jolie got her fair share of criticism. The viewers said she was acted terribly and that she probably regretted doing it. In recent years, the actress hasn’t appeared on the screens as an actress, she is directing now. The press says that the time when she was at the peak of her acting career is in the past. We have yet to see if she can become popular again. And right now, Eternals is the most recent film in Jolie’s career.

For such a big star as Angelina Jolie, one failed role is not a big trouble. After all, this woman has already proved to the world many times that she is undoubtedly talented. And she is also a recognized style icon and just a person with a big heart.