Top 10 Famously Bad Actors Who Redeemed Themselves

You wouldn’t expect someone who won an Oscar at the tender age of twenty-five to end up on this list - even if the Oscar was for writing rather than acting. However, Ben Affleck’s career post “Good Will Hunting” didn’t exactly inspire confidence even as he made the leap from indie features to big-time blockbusters. One only need watch “Gigli” for proof. However, the actor’s creative juices seemed to shift sometime around 2007 when he began directing in addition to acting. “The Town” and “Argo” were equally thrilling and taut and his lead performances greatly grounded the proceedings. Sure, his DCEU movies were relatively lackluster, but his involvement gave us some of the best onscreen Batman we’ve ever seen.

Everybody loves Ramond, right? Well, maybe not always. Though it’s true that Ray Romano enjoyed nine seasons of the hugely successful “Everybody Loves Raymond,” sitcoms as a medium are rarely the pinnacle of thespian mastery. And aside from that, for a long time his only other major live-action role was in… well… “Welcome to Mooseport.” Four “Ice Age” sequels later, however, and Romano began showing a versatile new side, managing to be both grounded and endearing alongside on-screen wife Holly Hunter in “The Big Sick.” He continued that success in 2019, appearing in critically acclaimed streaming giant movies “Bad Education” and “The Irishman” for HBO and Netflix, respectively. Come to think of it, we might love Raymond even more now.

You didn’t think we’d leave out the other half of the romantic leads from “Gigli,” did you? Though thoroughly popular, virtually the entirety of her work from the 2000s was littered with hackneyed romcoms, such as the aforementioned film, “Monster-in-Law” and everything in between. Though she started the 2010s with more of the same with “The Back-up Plan,” she also expanded her genre boundaries to more of the thriller variety with “Parker” and “The Boy Next Door.” Still, we wouldn’t even be talking about her right now were it not for her absolutely powerhouse performance in 2019’s “Hustlers.” Her turn was emotionally nuanced, and even at the age of fifty - though it’s neither here nor there - she’s still got it, so to speak.

As is the situation with other actors on this list, it can be difficult to strut your stuff when the material is seriously lacking. Even so, Dakota Johnson didn’t make herself look good in any of the three “Fifty Shades” movies. Yet elsewhere we saw glimpses of her potential in films like “A Bigger Splash” and “Black Mass.” Indeed, once “Fifty Shades” had run its course in 2018, she surprised us with how psychologically deep she could get in thrillers like “Bad Times at the El Royale” and “Suspiria,” holding her own with an acting legend like Tilda Swinton in the latter. And if you’re one of the many who haven’t seen “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” do yourself a favor - watch it now.

Speaking of “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” Johnson’s co-star Shia LaBeouf has also received his fair share of criticism, if not more. Being brought up on the Disney Channel with the sitcom “Even Stevens,” LaBeouf turned into a bona fide moviestar in 2007 with the advent of the live-action “Transformers” movies. Naturally, being Michael Bay ventures, the sequels severely dipped in quality, and one can’t think of Shia LaBeouf and sequels without thinking of his much maligned performance in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Throw in some personal troubles, and it seemed like you could just write off LaBeouf for good. However, 2019 saw him wow audiences playing a fictionalized version of his father in “Honey Boy,” which he also wrote.

Another Disney Channel alum, for a while Zac Efron couldn’t escape his “High School Musical” image. It didn’t help that he followed the series up with teen movies “17 Again” and “Charlie St. Cloud,” the latter of which being particularly derided as a lifeless melodrama. However, since then, he’s managed to shed his pretty boy image with raunchy comedies like the “Neighbors” movies. And sure, this phase in his career gave us duds like “Dirty Grandpa” and “Baywatch,” but he remains a watchably energetic presence regardless. If you wanted proof that he’s grown as a dramatic actor, look no further than “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil & Vile,” in which he played serial killer Ted Bundy unnervingly and convincingly. Now what’s that about his Netflix series?

Much like “Fifty Shades of Grey” tarnished Dakota Johnson’s reputation, the “Twilight” saga did that and then some to Kristen Stewart. Granted, the role was poorly written, but her lack of verve and outward interest didn’t make her look too great either. Couple that with a pretty underwhelming “Snow White and the Huntsman,” and Stewart didn’t need much more incentive to step away from Hollywood. Proving she’s a better fit for the indie scene, she gave a trio of nuanced performances in 2014 with “Camp X-Ray,” “Clouds of Sils Maria,” and “Still Alice.” Not stopping there, she also made a methodically reserved psychological thriller like “Personal Shopper” feel wholly personable. In short, K-Stew is back if you know where to find her.

Even during his heyday in the mid-to-late ‘90s, Adam Sandler couldn’t be counted on for much more than his usual brand of wacky and unrestrained performances. Then an interesting thing happened in 2002, when he shocked audiences with just how grounded he could be as a dramatic actor in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love.” Then it was back to the usual shtick for the next decade and a half, giving us aggravatingly unfunny caricatures in “Jack and Jill” and “That’s My Boy.” But he came back hotter than ever in 2019 with “Uncut Gems,” giving an Oscar worthy performance as a gambling addict in over his head. We don’t expect experimental Sandler to stay for long, but we eagerly await his return.

Now here’s an actor who really learned to be good by doing. With little acting experience outside commercials, Tatum was thrown into the romantic dance drama “Step Up” in 2006, which was hugely successful yet critically derided. From there, he continued to struggle, not being convincing enough in such serious work as “Fighting” and “Dear John.” Then his career took a much-needed detour in 2012, surprising everyone with his comedic sensibilities in “21 Jump Street.” Pair that with his semi-autobiographical “Magic Mike,” and suddenly Tatum flexed some serious range, among other things. Perhaps his best performance came in 2014’s “Foxcatcher,” wherein he played a wrestler grappling with the pressure to succeed. Good on you, Channing.

Robert Pattinson found himself squarely in Hollywood actor jail as a result of the “Twilight” curse. Even a somewhat well reviewed movie like “Water for Elephants” made many of his detractors groan. Much like his “Twilight” co-star Kristen Stewart, Pattison stepped away from the blockbuster scene, and eventually earned high marks as early as 2014 for movies like “The Rover.” And just like Sandler with “Uncut Gems,” Pattison teamed with the Safdie Brothers on “Good Time” and essentially washed away the bad taste of “Twilight’” Need more confirmation that he’s grown? He got picked to play the title character in Matt Reeves’s “The Batman,” a role that doesn’t go to just anyone.