Top 10 Movies That Sent A-List Actors To The B-List

Josh Hartnett

Rising to prominence in the late ‘90s with “Halloween H20,” Josh Hartnett was one of the biggest leading men of the early 2000s. He starred in the likes of “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor” before appearing alongside Bruce Willis in “Lucky Number Slevin.” The movie was met with ho-hum reviews and grossed a middling $56 million. It wasn’t an outright disaster or anything, but it was enough to sink Hartnett’s career as a leading man. Following “30 Days of Night,” which came shortly after “Slevin,” Hartnett was relegated to supporting roles in little-known movies. Luckily, he would make a comeback of sorts in 2014 by starring in the Showtime horror drama “Penny Dreadful.”

Orlando Bloom

It didn’t get much bigger than Orlando Bloom in the early 2000s. The star of mega-blockbusters like “The Lord of the Rings,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and “Troy,” Bloom was considered a huge box office draw. And yes, his looks helped as well, there’s no denying it! But in 2005, Bloom decided to tone down the heroics and star as the depressed Drew Baylor in Cameron Crowe’s “Elizabethtown.” It was not a good career move. The movie, and Bloom’s performance, were quite heavily criticized and it did not fare well at the box office. Luckily, Bloom had his franchises to coast on, but his time as the up-and-coming action star with a keen eye for new blockbusters was over.

“Superman Returns” (2006)

Usually big movies like “Superman” make careers. Well, not in this unfortunate case. Kate Bosworth saw her popularity grow after the surfing drama “Blue Crush” and became a highly sought-after actress. She landed roles in the likes of “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!” and “Beyond the Sea” opposite Kevin Spacey. This all led to the role of a lifetime - Lois Lane in 2006’s “Superman Returns.” Remember that? Yeah, no one really does. The movie didn’t come to much and Bosworth’s performance as Lois Lane was widely criticized, leading to a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress. And that was pretty much that.

Taylor Lautner

Wanna feel nostalgic? Think about “Twilight” and Taylor Lautner. The “Twilight” films launched Lautner to superstardom and he became the biggest teen idol in the world. But unlike his fictional rival Robert Pattinson, Lautner was unable to make the transition to big boy movies. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying. Shortly before “Breaking Dawn,” Lautner starred in “Abduction,” which attempted to make him an action star. It didn’t work. Like, not at all. “Abduction” has just 5% on Rotten Tomatoes and Lautner’s performance was playfully torn apart by critics, leading to a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor. The first “Breaking Dawn” came out later that year, but it wasn’t enough to save his career as a leading man.

Alicia Silverstone

For her 1993 film “The Crush,” Alicia Silverstone won an MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. That was putting it mildly. Silverstone became a teen idol and starred in a little movie called “Clueless.” You may have heard of it. But Silverstone fell as quickly as she rose. Like Kate Bosworth, her newfound popularity led to a role in a superhero film, in this case, 1997’s “Batman & Robin.” You may have heard of it. But, like, not in the good “Clueless” way. The movie was an unmitigated disaster and nearly killed both Silverstone’s career and the entire “Batman” franchise. While she still landed many roles, Silverstone was definitely knocked off the A-list.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

To be honest, we don’t know what Cuba Gooding Jr. was thinking with “Boat Trip.” This guy was on the tippy top of the A-list, especially after winning an Oscar for “Jerry Maguire.” And then came this truly awful comedy. Not only was the film critically reviled, but it was also accused of being homophobic. Gooding attempted a comeback with the Oscar-baity role of Radio Kennedy in the football drama “Radio,” but this was also considered offensive and terrible. The films turned the Oscar winner into a Razzie nominee, and they all but killed his career. Gooding would make a few sorta-comebacks throughout the years, but his time on the A-list was officially over.

Lindsay Lohan

The mid-2000s was not a good time for teen idol Lindsay Lohan. After striking it big as a movie star, Lohan struggled with both legal issues and substance abuse, resulting in a highly publicized downfall. “I Know Who Killed Me” was released in the midst of this downfall, and it certainly didn’t help with her reputation. While it’s now something of a cult film, “I Know Who Killed Me” was viciously criticized at the time and won seven Razzies, including Worst Actress for Lohan. It proved that she could not be taken seriously as a leading dramatic actress, and when combined with the aforementioned controversies, it resulted in a total collapse of her potential.

Kevin Costner

“Waterworld” dried up like the Sahara, and Kevin Costner sure did pay for it. This film from Kevin Reynolds was the most expensive movie ever made at the time, coming with a price tag of $175 million. But it grossed just $264 million, making it an enormous financial disappointment. This was followed by the action drama “The Postman,” which won five Razzies including Worst Picture. It’s funny - both movies are about the post-apocalypse, and both are responsible for destroying Costner’s career as a leading man. But Costner never gave up acting, and he would later win an Emmy for the History Channel miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys.”

John Travolta

There are bad movies and there are legendarily bad movies. “Battlefield Earth” is the latter. The story behind this film is pretty interesting. John Travolta is no stranger to career slumps, having suffered a major one throughout the 1980s. But “Pulp Fiction” revitalized his career, and he used his newfound power to adapt L. Ron Hubbard’s “Battlefield Earth.” This was a passion project for Travolta, as he has been a member of Scientology since the mid-70s and was personally asked by Hubbard to adapt his novel. But all his hard work and lobbying were for naught. The film was an instant failure, it’s regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, and it sent Travolta into his second career slump.

Mike Myers

It seemed like this comedian would be around forever. Throughout the 90s and 2000s, it was just hit after hit, classic after classic (minus maybe “The Cat in the Hat”). And then came “The Love Guru,” and everything just fell apart. It’s quite amazing how one bad film can completely derail a career of this caliber. But “The Love Guru” wasn’t just bad. It was horrid. Probably one of the worst comedies of the 21st century. And that was pretty much it for Myers as a leading comedy actor. He still pops up in the odd film, and always to a pleasant “Hey, look, it’s Mike Myers!” But his time in the spotlight has long since passed, however unfortunate that may be.