Sometimes, a breakout performance from an actor has moviegoers convinced they’re on to big things.
They get the leading role in a major movie that will do well both critically and at the box office. In theory, this should translate to sustained success. After all, if an actor is proving themselves, they should keep finding work, right? Especially if they’re winning Oscars.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. There isn’t necessarily a reason for this, either. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out.
In a world where it feels like there are Hollywood plants all around us, we swore these actors would become bigger stars. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
Matthew Fox
If you weren’t around for the Lost’s television run, you missed out. The show was a cultural phenomenon that took the world by storm, thanks in part to its intriguing mystery that kept us guessing.
Given Lost’s popularity, you’d expect its lead actor to use the show en route to a successful career. That wasn’t the case, though. You can say the same, too, for his co-star Josh Holloway.
Hilary Swank
Swank would win two Academy Awards in the 2000s for her work in Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby.
While she boasts a lengthy career, she never truly became a leading lady in Hollywood. In fact, in the eyes of many, she’s best known for being a joke in The Office rather than any of the movies she actually starred in.
Gary Sinise
While Sinise has yet to win an Academy Award (he was nominated for Forrest Gump), he does have several major awards to his name, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
However, like Swank, it felt like Sinise was never really able to break through as a true star. He did, however, have a long-term role as Detective Mac Taylor in CSI: NY.
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Tom Berenger
Major League’s Jake Taylor, Berenger was able to hold his own alongside co-stars Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes, both of whom became major Hollywood stars.
The same never really happened for Berenger. Sure, he also played Thomas Beckett in the Sniper film series, but there’s no denying that he never reached the same level of stardom as his co-stars.
Treat Williams
Sometimes, you’re convinced someone just has it in Hollywood. They have the look, the style, and the screen presence to become the next big thing. You know, someone like Robert Redford or Treat Williams.
Redford, of course, would indeed become the next big thing in Hollywood. The same cannot be said for Williams. He struggled with addiction in the 1980s, which he credits to hurting his career.
Clive Owen
Before Daniel Craig (controversially, at the time, mind you) was cast as the next James Bond in the 2000s, many believed Clive Owen was a shoo-in for the role.
After all, his 2006 ranks among the very best in movie history, starring in both Inside Man and Children of Men. He also, ironically, had a cameo as a 00 agent in The Pink Panther. It would never come together for Owen, though. While he enjoyed a successful career, you can’t help but wonder “what if” with him.
Guy Pearce
Speaking of “what if,” we need to talk about Guy Pearce.
His performance is one of the reasons why Memento is a masterpiece that helped launch the career of director Christopher Nolan. There’s also the fact that he absolutely steals the show from his ensemble cast in L.A. Confidential.
It’s unfortunate because every time he makes an appearance, you can’t help but wonder why he wasn’t a bigger star.
Natalie Dormer
Sometimes, you can’t help but wonder if someone makes a deliberate choice to step away from the spotlight and instead star in smaller, more meaningful films.
That’s the case with Natalie Dormer, who appeared to be in demand following her role as Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones. Before that, she first made a name for herself in The Tudors as Anne Boleyn.
After Game of Thrones, though, her only true big movie was The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.
Leelee Sobieski
Other times, an actor explains why they left the industry despite feeling like they’ll become the next big thing.
After being passed over for Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire, Sobieski quietly but noticeably was building an impressive resume, culminating in a critically acclaimed performance in Joan of Arc.
However, due to wanting to focus on her family, as well as refusing to be typecast in certain roles, she left the industry.
Taylor Kitsch
To be fair, Kitsch had every chance in the world following Friday Night Lights. Unfortunately, they were all in the wrong movies.
Battleship was an infamous box office dud, but nowhere near as bad as the unfortunate story of John Carter. Despite being a great movie, it was a major flop, which not only tanked any chance of a sequel but also Kitsch’s stock in Hollywood.
Dane DeHaan
Speaking of starring in all the wrong movies, DeHaan felt like he squandered his opportunity after his breakout role in Chronicle.
His role as Harry Osborne in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was forgettable, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was a major disappointment.
Barry Pepper
How’s this for the start of your career?
After Urban Safari in 1996, Pepper’s 1998 included Firestorm, Saving Private Ryan, and Enemy of the State. He followed that up a year later with The Green Mile.
Unfortunately, his 2000 included Battlefield: Earth. Despite a long, sustained career, he never came close to living up to his potential.
Tony Dalton
This one I legitimately don’t understand.
If there’s one character I’ll never forget from Better Call Saul, it’s Lalo Salamanca. That’s pretty impressive when you’re sharing the screen with Saul Goodman, Kim Wexler, Gus Fring, and Mike Ehrmantraut.
You’d figure that his success would lead to opportunities left and right, but that’s honestly yet to happen on a level people expected.
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