Top 10 Worst Actors of the 2000s
![Top 10 Worst Actors of the 2000s](/uploads/blipthumbs/WM-Film-Top-10-Worst-Actors-of-the-2000s_V4W8T3-MPALTFF_480.webp)
#10: Ben Affleck
Affleck’s career underwent the ultimate resurgence in the 2010s. That said, before he could climb back to the top, Affleck had to pull himself up from the bottom. While the scripts did Affleck few favors, his acting rarely elevated the material. When Affleck wasn’t overacting in theatrical soap operas like “Pearl Harbor,” he was phoning it in as Daredevil. (Xref) “Gigli” alone turned Affleck into a punchline along with Jennifer Lopez, leaving audiences to ponder how two actors with zero chemistry could become the It couple in real life. On the heels of more half-assed performances in “Jersey Girl” and “Surviving Christmas,” Affleck started turning things around with “Hollywoodland” and his directorial debut “Gone Baby Gone.” Yet, even Affleck cringes reflecting on this decade’s low points.
#9: Estella Warren
Following her stint as a synchronized swimmer and model, Estella Warren tried transitioning to acting at the dawn of the new century. Warren didn’t stray far from her roots, playing a model in her film debut, “Perfume.” Her acting muscles weren’t flexed much further in “Driven” or Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes.” While there wasn’t much to those roles beyond being the love interest, it’s telling that Mark Wahlberg had more romantic chemistry with Helena Bonham Carter as a chimpanzee than Warren’s character. We’d also argue that Jerry O’Connell had more chemistry with the kangaroo in “Kangaroo Jack.” Warren rounded out the 2000s appearing in several low-budget flicks. The next decade didn’t show greater prospects as Warren became better known for her legal troubles.
#8: Carmen Electra
The opening of “Scary Movie” was funny enough, but when that’s your most creditable role, your résumé might as well be written on toilet paper - and not the soft kind either. Carmen Electra went on to appear in various other parody movies like “Date Movie,” “Epic Movie,” and most regrettably, “Meet the Spartans.” Believe it or not, none of those brought Electra’s worst performance of the decade. That distinction goes to 2005’s “Dirty Love,” playing a woman who takes cultural appropriation to such offensive levels that she’s one step away from performing in blackface. Even when Electra played herself in movies like “Monster Island,” we’re certain that anyone else on set, from the teamsters to the crafts services people, could’ve given a more convincing performance.
#7: Larry the Cable Guy
Once upon a time, there was an unfunny comedian named Daniel Lawrence Whitney. Despite being from Nebraska, Whitney thought he might be able to spice up his act by adopting a stereotypical Southern persona. Enter Larry the Cable Guy, the only character Whitney knows how to play. Even then, Whitney doesn’t play the character especially well, relying on an over-the-top accent and catchphrases to deceive people into thinking what he’s saying is humorous. Throughout the 2000s, it seemed like Hollywood was trying to make this blue-collar comic the next Ernest with vehicles like “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector,” “Delta Farce,” and “Witless Protection.” Unfortunately, Larry the Cable Guy is no Ernest, Daniel Lawrence Whitney is no Jim Varney, and Mater is no Slinky Dog.
#6: Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey closed out the decade with a solid supporting turn as a social worker in “Precious.” Alas, her acting career is still defined by her first leading role. As if the title wasn’t already a giveaway, “Glitter” is the epitome of a vanity project with an artificial performance at the center. It’s also a cautionary tale for every pop star who assumes that just because they have a golden voice, acting will come inherently. Some might argue that critics were too harsh toward Carey, especially given the mental health struggles she was facing at the time. Whether or not a line was crossed, we still can’t call this a passable performance and Carey herself has acknowledged that she was “in over [her] head.”
#5: Jessica Simpson
Where Carey at least gave one good performance, Jessica Simpson repeatedly reminded us why not every pop star is cut out to be a movie star. Between playing herself in “The Master of Disguise” and “The Love Guru,” Simpson gave three unnatural performances. One officially put Daisy Dukes out of style, another made Dane Cook look like an acceptable actor, and the third headlined a film that only played in eight Texas theaters. That’s still a wider release than Simpsons’ acting swan song received. “Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous,” aka “Major Movie Star,” was sent straight to DVD in the U.S. It was released theatrically in a few other countries, but as Conan O’Brien pointed out, English wasn’t the primary language in any of them.
#4: Tom Green
With his supporting roles in “Road Trip” and “Charlie’s Angels,” Tom Green proved that his acting capabilities didn’t extend beyond what we saw on TV. Of course, there are some things you can’t do on TV, but Green had few restrictions in “Freddy Got Finger,” taking his schtick to new frontiers of obnoxiousness, disgust, and anti-humor. Although some have defended the film as a twisted experiment, Green seemed to take pride in how negative the reception was, bringing a red carpet to the Razzies. Where “Freddy Got Finger” was fascinatingly bad, Green’s subsequent performances in “Stealing Harvard” and “Bob the Butler” were forgettably bad. By the decade’s end, Green had faded into obscurity, leaving future generations to ask why their parents found this guy funny.
#3: Rob Schneider
Derp De Derp Da Teetley… oh, sorry. We seem to have gotten our script mixed up with one from “South Park.” Honestly, though, do we need to say anything else? A cameo in an Adam Sandler comedy is about as far as any Rob Schneider performance should go. For whatever reason, Hollywood kept trying to pass him off as a lead throughout the 2000s, casting Schneider as an animal, a hot chick, a carrot, and a gigolo. Okay, one of those was also taken from “South Park,” but we bet you can’t remember which one. Schneider not only made some of the decade’s dumbest and most offensive comedies, but also some of the blandest with his lack of star power poisoning every project from within.
#2: Paris Hilton
In the realm of cinema, Paris Hilton is best known for a certain tape that started circulating in 2004. As far as real movies go, the industry tried capitalizing on the hotel heiress’ notoriety in films like 2005’s “House of Wax.” Although this was stunt casting as its most shameless, Hilton’s performance in that film was more distracting than jaw-droppingly awful. She saved that for “The Hottie and the Nottie,” in which Hilton basically played herself… or at least how she views herself. Hilton doesn’t even have the self-awareness to turn in an enjoyably bad performance. Whenever the cameras are rolling, Hilton acts as if she’s the center of the universe. In reality, she’s a black hole who sucks out any talent in her orbit.
#1: Tommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau is to bad actors what Daniel Day-Lewis is to seasoned thespians. He doesn’t accept many roles, “The Room” being Wiseau’s only performance from this decade. Whenever he returns to the screen, though, it’s a spectacle to behold. Surprisingly, Wiseau is the one actor on this list who has yet to be nominated for a Razzie. Perhaps that’s because Wiseau transcends traditionally bad acting. Seeing Wiseau perform is like having a close encounter with an alien trying to convince us that he’s human, but has no idea how the species is supposed to speak, behave, or process basic emotions. Wiseau is a hoot to observe, but to say he’s anything less than the worst of the worst would be a disservice to his genius.
Who do you expect to see on the inevitable Top 10 Worst Actors of the 2010s? Let us know in the comments.
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