Top 10 Most Cursed Movie Roles

Several “Bond girls,” as they’ve been called, have enjoyed successful careers, from Diana Rigg to Rosamund Pike. Between the 60s and 90s, though, many actresses who starred opposite 007 struggled to reach the heights of their Bond days. 30 years after playing Stacey Sutton, Tanya Roberts said she was never able to land a leading role. After debuting as Tilly Masterson, Tania Mallet mostly abandoned acting due to contractual restrictions and “dreadful” pay. Claudine Auger, Daniela Bianchi, and Maryam d’Abo have also been linked to the so-called “Bond girl curse.” Thinking lowly of “Bond girls,” Eva Green initially hesitated “Casino Royale,” but she changed her mind upon reading the script. With Léa Seydoux and Ana de Armas following Green, perhaps this “curse” is finally broken.

The “Star Wars” prequel trilogy provided a look behind the mask with Hayden Christensen and Jake Lloyd playing a young and younger Anakin Skywalker, respectively. With Darth Vader already being one of cinema’s most iconic villains, fans spent over two decades envisioning what Anakin was like. Christensen and Lloyd didn’t exactly meet those expectations, but it’s not really their faults. Immeasurable hype aside, the dialogue and Anakin’s character development did them little favors. Nevertheless, Lloyd was mistreated by his peers while Christensen got labeled as “the guy who ruined ‘Star Wars.’” Lloyd retired from acting not long after “Phantom Menace.” Christensen has only popped up sporadically since “Revenge of the Sith,” but maybe he can finally break the Anakin “curse” on Disney+.

While not a specific role, various actors who’ve shared the screen with Thornton have died prematurely. The earliest example is Thorton’s “Sling Blade” co-star J. T. Walsh, who died at 54 in 1998. Two years later we lost Jim Varney, whose final live-action film was Thorton’s “​​Daddy and Them.” The next year, Thornton starred in “Monster’s Ball” with Heath Ledger, who tragically didn’t live to see 30. Two “Bad Santa” co-stars, John Ritter and Bernie Mac, unexpectedly died in their early 50s. In “Waking Up in Reno,” Thorton starred opposite Patrick Swayze, who had his life cut short by pancreatic cancer. Maybe these are all unfortunate coincidences, although Shia LaBeouf and Morgan Freeman both endured car accidents shortly after starring with Thorton in films.

Since Jesus is such a recognizable figure, one might assume that this role would do wonders for an actor’s career. However, many actors who’ve portrayed Jesus disappeared from the limelight shortly after, including Ted Neeley of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and John Hassberger, whose only screen credit is “The Thorn.” There are exceptions like Max von Sydow in “The Greatest Story Ever Told” and Victor Garber in “Godspell,” although almost half of the latter film’s cast died relatively young. Speaking of cursed productions, Jim Caviezel dislocated his shoulder, got hypothermia and pneumonia, and was struck by lightning while making “The Passion of the Christ.” Roles haven’t come easily to Caviezel since, but as the actor told Mel Gibson, “We all have to embrace our crosses.”

None of the timelines have been kind to John Connor and the same can be said about the actors who’ve played him. Edward Furlong had the talent to break the curse that’s befallen numerous child stars, but battles with addiction and multiple arrests have stalled his career. Nick Stahl replaced Furlong on “Terminator 3” due to his substance problems. Then in a tragically ironic turn, Stahl went to rehab between two high-profile arrests. Christian Bale remains the most successful John Connor actor, but his viral rant on the set of “Terminator Salvation” was a minor blow to his career. Some might say that Jason Clarke evaded the curse, but he did have the misfortune of starring in “Genisys,” the worst “Terminator” movie ever.

We’re all familiar with Disney’s version of Snow White, but only diehard animation fans are inclined to know that Adriana Caselotti voiced “the fairest in the land.” Although “Snow White” broke box office records, Caselotti only received $970. To maintain the “illusion,” Caselotti’s role went uncredited and she couldn’t promote herself as Snow White. Aside from some minor voice work in “The Wizard of Oz” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Caselotti struggled to find roles in Hollywood. Disney would enlist Caselotti for some future “Snow White” projects. However, Caselotti was caught off guard when Disney replaced her with Mary Kay Bergman as Snow White. Bergman’s story is even more unfortunate, having taken her life in 1999 following a history of bipolar and generalized anxiety disorders.

Winning an Oscar can be the pinnacle of a performer’s career. One would expect the statuette to pave the way for other meaty roles, and in various cases, it does. In other cases, actors succumb to the “Oscar curse.” Most famously, Luise Rainer thought winning back-to-back Best Actress Oscars was the “worst possible thing” for her career, having raised expectations too high. Rainer left Hollywood shortly after. Halle Berry and Kim Basinger, coincidentally both “Bond girls,” are far from retired, but they’ve yet to recapture that Oscar magic. While the “Oscar curse” is often applied to actresses, it goes for male actors like Adrien Brody and Jean Dujardin as well. There’s also the “Oscar love curse,” which has seen various winners get divorced after winning.

In “Poltergeist,” the Freeling family is haunted by a house of nightmare-inducing ghosts. As frightening as the film is, the misfortune surrounding the cast is even more disturbing. Five months following the first film’s release, Dominique Dunne, who played teenage daughter Dana, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend at age 22. Julian Beck succumbed to cancer before “Poltergeist II” hit theaters while Will Sampson passed shortly after. Heather O'Rourke, who stole the show as little Carol Anne, died not long after turning 12 from septic shock caused by congenital stenosis. Her final film would be the posthumously released “Poltergeist III.” The “Curse of Poltergeist” has aroused so much paranoia that it inspired an “E! True Hollywood Story” episode, as well as talks of a documentary film.

The Man of Steel is a beacon of inspiration, but the “Superman curse” reveals the dark side of the cape. The most notorious example is Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed from the neck down after starring in four “Superman” movies. Going back further, Kirk Alyn found his roles limited after playing Superman in the 1940s serials. George Reeves, who played Superman in film and on television, endured similar troubles before dying from a gunshot wound. While it’s been debated whether Reeves’ death was self-inflicted, he could never escape Superman. Ironically, Ben Affleck portrayed Reeves in “Hollywoodland” before making his Batman debut. While it looks like Henry Cavill still has a promising career ahead, his tenure as Superman has also amounted to some controversial moments.

Here’s a role so cursed that the film never got made, despite multiple attempts. “Atuk,” which translates to “Grandfather,” is an unproduced movie about an Inuit man in the big city. Over the years, John Belushi, John Candy, and Chris Farley were in talks for the role, but they all died before shooting commenced. Sam Kinison perhaps came the closest to playing Atuk, but creative differences resulted in a lawsuit against him. A few years later, Kinison died before turning 40. Some believe the “curse” extended to those close to the potential stars, like Michael O'Donoghue and Phil Hartman. As if that’s not creepy enough, Belushi, Candy, and Farley were also considered to play Ignatius Jacques Reilly in an adaptation of “A Confederacy of Dunces.”