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7 Actors Who Were Expected To Make It Big But Didn’t!

Cate

July 11, 2014

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Some actors seemed to show a lot of promise in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, but all that potential seems to have totally faded away with time. Hollywood is notorious for building actors up, only to tear them down and throw them away, and these seven actors are perfect evidence of that. At one point, they were on top of the world. They were getting great roles, making good money and getting recognition for their work. Then, something changed. Here are 7 actors who were expected to make it big but didn’t.

7. Christian Slater

When Christian Slater came onto the scene in the ‘80s, he was compared to a young Jack Nicholson; however, unlike the Oscar-winning actor, his career dried up pretty quickly. Despite showing a lot of potential in movies like “Heathers,” “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” and “Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles,” Slater’s star began to fade in the late ‘90s thanks to some highly publicized brushes with the law.

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6. Orlando Bloom

When he had roles in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the “Pirates Caribbean” franchise, Orlando Bloom was one of the most famous people on the planet. However, since his success in those films, he hasn’t exactly launched a megastar career, despite having shown so much potential. The last time we saw him on screen was in parts two and three of “The Hobbit,” which can mean only one of two things – he is after a paycheck or he is unable to lock down quality roles.

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5. Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds was Hollywood’s golden boy. He broke out with “Van Wilder” and went on to star in the remake of “Amityville Horror;” however, after that his career seemed to stall until he starred opposite Sandra Bullock in “The Proposal.” This role shot the Canadian actor from the B-list to superstardom. However, almost all of his films since have been spectacular flops. “The Green Lantern” was ravaged by critics and “R.I.P.D.” received very negative reviews from critics and bombed at the box office. We aren’t sure if anything can resurrect his career at this point.

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4. Matt Dillon

Matt Dillon began his career as teen idol during the ‘80s; however, during the ‘90s, he managed to escape that mold by taking on more challenging and memorable roles, which earned him critical acclaim. During the mid 2000s, his career seemed to be reaching new heights thanks to the Oscar nod he received for his performance as a crooked cop in “Crash.” Since then, Dillon has failed to keep the momentum. One of his biggest roles since was in “You, Me and Dupree” and that movie was a total disaster.

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3. Ryan Phillippe

Ryan Phillippe went from being a teen heartthrob to a critically film acclaimed actor to a television actor. The last time he made headlines was when he threatened to quit acting altogether – which wouldn’t be such a bad idea given the direction his career has taken. After having roles in Oscar-nominated films like “Crash” and “Flags of our Father,” Phillippe’s career has taken quite the tumble. He obviously can act, but his career in Hollywood seems pretty non-existent.

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2. Josh Hartnett

A decade ago, Josh Hartnett’s career was on the rise. He appeared in a number of Hollywood films including “The Faculty,” “The Virgin Suicides,” “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor.” However, after taking a role in “Black Dahlia,” which was a critical and financial failure, he has rarely been seen on the big (or small) screen. According to Hartnett, it was his choice to take a leave of absence from Hollywood, but we think his career was pretty much over before that decision was made.

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1. Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal – who comes from a show biz family – has been acting for over 20 years. During the early 2000s, his career started gaining momentum thanks to roles in “Donnie Darko,” “The Good Girl” and “Brokeback Mountain,” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Gyllenhaal seemed like he was going to become a huge movie star; however, many of his films since have been box office busts. Will his career ever really rebound? Only time will tell.

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Cate

Cate has a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature and has been the Managing Editor of Fame10 for more than 6 years. Despite having a love for the works of Thomas Hardy, Leo Tolstoy and Lord Byron, she also has an intense fascination with pop culture. When she isn’t writing for Fame10, she’s planning her next big adventure in Southeast Asia.