History HollywoodHypeMachine / WouldBeAndOneTimeAListers

* Creator/BurtReynolds had a meteoric rise to fame that led him to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world during TheSeventies, being practically synonymous with A-list stardom and hunky sex symbol masculinity. His career took a downward turn in TheEighties after a combination of highly publicized marital issues, financial troubles and feuds with other celebrities. This caused him to be seen by studios as a liability, and it wasn't helped that he starred in occasional critical and commercial flops like ''Film/StrokerAce'' and ''Film/CopAndAHalf''. He still managed to to work fairly regularly and seemed primed for a CareerResurrection after an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''Film/BoogieNights'' but it wasn't meant to be. ''Film/{{The Crew|2000}}'' was his last role as a leading man and the beginning of a string of critical and commercial failures including ''Film/{{Driven}}'', ''Film/TheDukesOfHazzard'' and ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing'' ended any chance of a return to the A-list. By the time of his death in 2018 he was still finding plenty of work but it was overwhelmingly DirectToVideo shlock.

* Creator/BurtReynolds had a meteoric rise to fame that led him to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world during TheSeventies, being practically synonymous with A-list stardom and hunky sex symbol masculinity. His career took a downward turn in TheEighties after a combination of highly publicized marital issues, financial troubles and feuds with other celebrities. This caused him to be seen by studios as a liability, and it wasn't helped that he starred in occasional critical and commercial flops like ''Film/StrokerAce'' and ''Film/CopAndAHalf''. He still managed to to work fairly regularly and seemed primed for a CareerResurrection after an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''Film/BoogieNights'' but it wasn't meant to be. ''Film/{{The Crew|2000}}'' was his last role as a leading man and the beginning of a string of critical and commercial failures including ('Film/{{Driven}}'', ''Film/TheDukesOfHazzard'' and ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing'' ended any chance of a return to the A-list. By the time of his death in 2018 he was still finding plenty of work but it was overwhelmingly DirectToVideo shlock.

* Creator/BurtReynolds had a meteoric rise to fame that led him to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world during TheSeventies, being practically synonymous with A-list stardom and hunky sex symbol masculinity. His career took a downward turn in TheEighties after a combination of highly publicized marital issues, financial troubles and feuds with other celebrities. This caused him to be seen by studios as a liability, and it wasn't helped that he starred in occasional critical and commercial flops like ''Film/StrokerAce'' and ''Film/CopAndAHalf''. He still managed to to work fairly regularly and seemed primed for a CareerResurrection after an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''Film/BoogieNights'' but it wasn't meant to be. ''Film/{{The Crew|2000}}'' was his last role as a leading man and the beginning of a string of critical and commercial failures including ('Film/{{Driven}}'', ''Film/TheDukesOfHazzard'' and ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing: A Dungeon Siege Tale'' ended any chance of a return to the A-list. By the time of his death in 2018 he was still finding plenty of work but it was overwhelmingly DirectToVideo shlock.

* Creator/BurtReynolds had a meteoric rise to fame that led him to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world during TheSeventies, being practically synonymous with A-list stardom and hunky sex symbol masculinity. His career took a downward turn in TheEighties after a combination of highly publicized marital issues, financial troubles and feuds with other celebrities. This caused him to be seen by studios as a liability, and it wasn't helped that he starred in occasional critical and commercial flops like ''Film/StrokerAce'' and ''Film/CopAndAHalf''. He still managed to to work fairly regularly and seemed primed for a CareerResurrection after an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''Film/BoogieNights'' but it wasn't meant to be. ''Film/{{The Crew|2000}}'' was his last role as a leading man and the beginning of a string of critical and commercial failures including (''Film/{{Driven}}'', ''Film/TheDukesOfHazzard'' and ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing: A Dungeon Siege Tale'' ended any chance of a return to the A-list. By the time of his death in 2018 he was still finding plenty of work but it was overwhelmingly DirectToVideo shlock.

* ** Creator/BurtReynolds had a meteoric rise to fame that led him to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world during TheSeventies, being practically synonymous with A-list stardom and hunky sex symbol masculinity. His career took a downward turn in TheEighties after a combination of highly publicized marital issues, financial troubles and feuds with other celebrities. This caused him to be seen by studios as a liability, and it wasn't helped that he starred in occasional critical and commercial flops like ''Film/StrokerAce'' and ''Film/CopAndAHalf''. He still managed to to work fairly regularly and seemed primed for a CareerResurrection after an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''Film/BoogieNights'' but it wasn't meant to be. * ''Film/{{The Crew|2000}}'' was his last role as a leading man and the beginning of a string of critical and commercial failures including (''Film/{{Driven}}'', ''Film/TheDukesOfHazzard'' and ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing: A Dungeon Siege Tale'' ended any chance of a return to the A-list. By the time of his death in 2018 he was still finding plenty of work but it was overwhelmingly DirectToVideo shlock.

* Creator/RyanReynolds had the fortune/misfortune of coming along when Hollywood had a dearth of young leading males. After getting his big break in the ABC series ''Series/TwoGuysAGirlAndAPizzaPlace'', Reynolds starred in a number of well-regarded comedic roles. However, most of his films from the late '00s and early '10s (with the exception of ''Film/{{Buried}}'') received mixed reviews at best. His intended dramatic breakout performance in 2011's ''Film/GreenLantern2011'' was also a critical and commercial underperformer, and then ''Film/TheChangeUp'' didn't do well either. 2012's ''Film/SafeHouse'' was a hit but didn't give Reynolds a significant boost because Creator/DenzelWashington was the big draw. The bombing of ''Film/{{RIPD}}'' and the under-performance of ''WesternAnimation/{{Turbo}}'', on the same weekend no less, seemed to suggest his momentum was trending downward once more. But with the critical and commercial success of ''{{Film/Deadpool|2016}}'' film, with much praise for his performance as the lead character, this might change most especially when he earned nominations from the Golden Globe Awards, of all things. While it received mixed reviews from critics, Reynolds had another hit with ''Film/TheHitmansBodyguard''. He continued this successful streak with ''Film/DetectivePikachu'' and ''Film/FreeGuy''. Even better is that in light of the Disney-Fox merger, Reynolds will still be able to play Deadpool while all other X-Men actors are recast, meaning that he'll still have plenty of opportunities to reprise his signature role.

* Creator/DavidSpade was a notable staff writer turned cast member of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in TheNineties, before leaving like many of his contemporaries to start a film career. Together with fellow ''SNL'' alum and close friend Creator/ChrisFarley, Spade headlined ''Film/TommyBoy'' and ''Film/BlackSheep1996''. Both films were hits with audiences despite being less well-received by critics, and found even more success on home video. The duo planned to collaborate on a third comedy, but Farley’s overpowering drug addiction created tension which rocked his partnership with Spade. They managed to repair the rift, but Farley’s death permanently kiboshed all plans for that third film. Spade managed to find a measure of success in the following decade on TV with supporting role on the sitcoms ''Series/JustShootMe'', ''Series/EightSimpleRules'', and ''Series/RulesOfEngagement'', and also veered into animation voice-over work with his role as Emperor Kuzco in Creator/{{Disney}}’s ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove''. His live-action film career, however, was tanked by the failures of ''Film/JoeDirt'', ''Film/DickieRobertsFormerChildStar'', and ''Film/{{Benchwarmers}}''. Spade’s presence on the big screen since then has stayed afloat primarily through his supporting roles in the films of fellow ''SNL'' alum and close friend, the aforementioned Adam Sandler.

His downfall was further cemented by an [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/hes-radioactive-inside-johnny-depps-self-made-implosion exposé]] published by ''The Hollywood Reporter'' uncovering dozens of backstage accounts of his deteriorating behavior, involving drug abuse during filming of ''Dead Men Tell No Tales'', failing to show up at a movie festival that billed his appearance (resulting in a film he starred in being pulled without getting a screening), paying his first wife a previously unreported settlement to hush up a voicemail in which he [[NWordPrivileges reportedly said the N-word]], and a ruthless smear campaign against Heard, at one point attempting to bully Warner Bros. into removing her from ''Film/{{Aquaman}}''. The article also revealed that he'd been pushed out of a big budget Creator/HarryHoudini miniseries even though executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer had long been his biggest ally and defender in the industry. However, he maintains a lucrative endorsement with Dior for one of their men’s fragrances since these sorts of controversies don’t really seem to stick in the company’s native France. It would be over a year before he booked another project, unsurprisingly a French film, which is called ''Film/JeanneDuBarry ''.\\\

He tried to appeal the ruling but the upper court denied it on the grounds that it was highly unlikely the incredibly thorough and nasty ruling would be successfully appealed. The case also aired out old dirty laundry about his drinking and drug problems and the lack of reliability that come with them, advertising how difficult it is to depend on him and making him impossible to insure. He tried suing Heard directly in the US to mixed results. She was found to have defamed him in an opinion piece she wrote in the Washington Post, where she never mentioned his name and in which she never actually said he abused her. However, the jury also found he defamed her by proxy when his lawyer put out a statement on his behalf saying that her allegations were a hoax and implying that she and her friends staged a scene to frame him for destroying a closet as part of said hoax. The case was eventually settled before the appeals process with her paying him a tenth of what he was awarded at the trial (via her insurer as well) and with her not having to admit culpability or sign an NDA as part of the settlement. It also made public sexual assault allegations that had previously only been disclosed to the judge in the UK trial. Later on, Depp's fans paid to unseal documents that among other things had her suppressed medical records that the US judge considered hearsay, him admitting that she'd never abused him so he didn't have to sit for a psychological evaluation, and his medical records that backed up the nature of her sexual assault claims due to his impotence. It’s unlikely he’ll ever get any franchise work again. Disney has already made plans for a ''Pirates'' spin-off starring Creator/MargotRobbie but is still figuring out if he has a role in the planned reboot of the main series.\\\
His downfall was further cemented by an [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/hes-radioactive-inside-johnny-depps-self-made-implosion exposé]] published by ''The Hollywood Reporter'' uncovering dozens of backstage accounts of his deteriorating behavior, involving drug abuse during filming of ''Dead Men Tell No Tales'', failing to show up at a movie festival that billed his appearance (resulting in a film he starred in being pulled without getting a screening), paying his first wife a previously unreported settlement to hush up a voicemail in which he [[NWordPrivileges reportedly said the N-word]], and a ruthless smear campaign against Heard, at one point attempting to bully Warner Bros. into removing her from ''Film/{{Aquaman}}''. The article also revealed that he'd been pushed out of a big budget Creator/HarryHoudini miniseries even though executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer had long been his biggest ally and defender in the industry. However, he maintains a lucrative endorsement with Dior for one of their men’s fragrances since these sorts of controversies don’t really seem to stick in the company’s native France. It would be over a year before he booked another project, unsurprisingly a French film.

* Similar to Eddie Murphy, Creator/JimCarrey was ''the'' big comedian of TheNineties. Carrey started off playing supporting or minor roles in movies in TheEighties, but after the back-to-back successes of ''Film/AceVentura'', ''Film/TheMask'', and ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' in 1994, his star shot up like a rocket. Unfortunately for him, while his comedic roles brought a major bank, it made him severely {{typecast|ing}} as an actor. [[TomHanksSyndrome Attempts at more dramatic fare]], such as ''Film/TheTrumanShow'', ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'', ''Film/TheMajestic'', and ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind'', while earning him praise from critics, under-performed if not flopped at the box office[[note]]''Film/TheTrumanShow'' was the exception due to [[NeverTrustATrailer the trailer downplaying the drama]].[[/note]] compared to his broad comedies. Unlike most however, Carrey's status is more self-imposed, making a conscious decision to [[TomHanksSyndrome pursue more serious works]] rather than just continue with the comedies that made him incredibly popular. After making ''Film/AceVenturaWhenNatureCalls'', he repeatedly refused to star in sequels to his comedic works (except for ''Film/DumbAndDumberTo''), likely a wise choice given the critical receptions those films wound up getting. Carrey's highest-profile role in six years, the villain of ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'', earned many jokes of bringing together two fallen icons of the '90s. It ended up successful enough to warrant a sequel, but as of 2022 Carrey is content to live in semi-retirement as an actor otherwise, dabbling in other artistic media in the meantime.

* Creator/OrlandoBloom appeared in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' trilogies and was one of the biggest stars of the [[TurnOfTheMillennium early-mid '00s]]. Since then, his career has suffered several hits, including critical thrashing and HypeBacklash, but he works steadily in highly regarded (if small) productions, for which he is finally starting to receive positive attention from the critics. His career appears to be thriving, but it's doubtful it will reach its former stratospheric heights. By all accounts, this seems to be his intention (he reportedly turned down Jake Gyllenhaal's role in ''Film/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'').[[note]] It seems fairly obvious that the role was written with him in mind and that Gyllenhaal was basically told "act as much like Orlando Bloom as possible." So he isn't wholly out of the loop...[[/note]] He recently came back into prominence with ''Series/CarnivalRow''.

* Creator/LouisCK started out as a struggling hack comedian with a few unsuccessful projects under his belt like ''Film/PootieTang'', which he wrote and directed, and his HBO show ''Series/LuckyLouie'' which only lasted one season. Eventually, he revised his comedy act using Creator/GeorgeCarlin's method of writing new material every year and scrapping his old material, since then he has become one of the most popular stand-up comedians in the world. He parlayed his success with stand-up into other forms of entertainment, giving well received performances in films like ''Film/AmericanHustle'' and ''Film/BlueJasmine''. He also created and starred in ''Series/{{Louie}}'', a semi-autobiographical TV show that became popular with both audiences and critics. He also had a leading role in hugely successful animated film ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets''.\\\

* Creator/JamesFranco had a slower climb to the top than most, with noted roles in the short-lived ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' and the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy''. His push didn't come until ''Film/OneHundredAndTwentySevenHours'' and being named the Sexiest Man Living in 2009. For the next three or so years, he headlined a lot of big films - some did well and others less so. He took a step back from acting to focus on his education, and has leaned more towards becoming a producer and director in addition to acting. Things seemed to be going well for him when he won a UsefulNotes/GoldenGlobe for his role as Creator/TommyWiseau in ''Film/TheDisasterArtist'', but almost immediately afterwards, he started getting sexual assault allegations thrown at him, which probably contributed to him not getting an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for the film. Only time will tell if his career can recover from those allegations.

* Similar to Eddie Murphy, Creator/JimCarrey was ''the'' big comedian of the 1990s. Carrey started off playing supporting or minor roles in movies in TheEighties, but after the back-to-back successes of ''Film/AceVentura'', ''Film/TheMask'', and ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' in 1994, his star shot up like a rocket. Unfortunately for him, while his comedic roles brought a major bank, it made him severely {{typecast|ing}} as an actor. [[TomHanksSyndrome Attempts at more dramatic fare]], such as ''Film/TheTrumanShow'', ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'', ''Film/TheMajestic'', and ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind'', while earning him praise from critics, under-performed if not flopped at the box office[[note]]''Film/TheTrumanShow'' was the exception due to [[NeverTrustATrailer the trailer downplaying the drama]].[[/note]] compared to his broad comedies. Unlike most however, Carrey's status is more self-imposed, making a conscious decision to [[TomHanksSyndrome pursue more serious works]] rather than just continue with the comedies that made him incredibly popular. After making ''Film/AceVenturaWhenNatureCalls'', he repeatedly refused to star in sequels to his comedic works (except for ''Film/DumbAndDumberTo''), likely a wise choice given the critical receptions those films wound up getting. Carrey's highest-profile role in six years, the villain of ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'', earned many jokes of bringing together two fallen icons of the '90s. It ended up successful enough to warrant a sequel, but as of 2022 Carrey is content to live in semi-retirement as an actor otherwise, dabbling in other artistic media in the meantime.

* Creator/BruceWillis became prominent during TheEighties with two breakthrough roles: on TV as private investigator David Addison in the popular comedy-drama ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', and on film as ActionHero John [=McClane=] in ''Film/DieHard''. His willingness to do his own stunts in the latter made him an action star overnight, promptly becoming one of the genre’s most enduring leading men for the following decades. ''Die Hard'' kickstarted a [[Franchise/DieHard franchise]] comprising multiple sequels, with other action flicks he’s been in including ''Film/TwelveMonkeys'', ''Film/TheFifthElement'', ''Film/Armageddon1998'', ''Film/Red2010'', ''Film/TheExpendables'' and its sequel ''Film/TheExpendables2''. He evaded typecasting while proving he could be more than a fighter with roles in comedy (''Film/LookWhosTalking'', ''Film/DeathBecomesHer'', and ''Film/TheWholeNineYards'') and drama (''Film/PulpFiction'', ''Film/TheSixthSense'', and ''Film/MoonriseKingdom''). Then his decline began in 2013 when his most recent and final ''Die Hard'' film, ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard'', not only became the worst-reviewed one of the franchise, but failed to reach the financial gross of its predecessors. His other films of that year, ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' and ''Red 2'', barely scraped by in the box office. His descent into low- or no-budget, poorly received DirectToVideo action schlock in TheNewTens, which was mitigated in the decade’s initial years with career-best work in ''Moonrise Kingdom'' and ''Film/{{Looper}}'', sealed its grasp after that year, for that quite aptly described most of his films since then. When he starred in eight such films in 2021, the Golden Raspberry Awards created a special category for that year titled “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie” in jest. On March 30, 2022, however, Willis’s family disclosed that Willis, after being diagnosed with aphasia, which negatively impacted his cognitive abilities to read and speak, had chosen to retire. It then became clear that he'd been struggling with the condition for years, with crew members citing incidents where he outright forgot where he was and what he was doing, much of his output was revealed to have covered medical bills and because the productions didn't strain his mental abilities. Several who mocked the actor’s recent output at once took back their statements in sympathy, with even the Razzies notably rescinding that special “award” after acknowledging it was in very bad taste retrospectively. The publicity after his announcement caused an outpouring of support and goodwill, with fans and critics saying he deserved to be remembered for the classic films he made at his peak rather than those brought on by his later circumstances. Now, Willis is regarded sympathetically and thought of as a very talented actor who made a lot of terrific films before his career was hurt by his condition rather than the washed-up, Creator/StevenSeagal-type has-been he'd been written off as before.

* In the early 1960s, Creator/PattyDuke attained star status when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1962 film adaptation of ''Film/TheMiracleWorker''. At age 16, she was the youngest person to win an Academy Award at the time, and this led to her starring in ''Series/ThePattyDukeShow'', a sitcom [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin where she starred as identical cousins]]. However, her career took a hit when she starred as a drug-addled actress in the 1967 drama ''Film/ValleyOfTheDolls'', which was a critical and financial flop and is often listed as one of the worst movies ever made. 1970 looked to be a bounce-back year when she won an Emmy for Actress in a Leading Role for the TV movie ''My Sweet Charlie'', but her acceptance speech was rambling and disjointed, which made many wonder whether she was struggling with alcoholism. And then, later that year, she was the subject of scandal when she revealed that she was pregnant while she was romantically linked with ''three'' men: Michael Tell (whom she was married to for 13 days before having the marriage annulled), Desi Arnaz Jr., and Creator/JohnAstin, whom she eventually married and would adopt her son [[Creator/SeanAstin Sean]][[note]]In the 1990s, Sean took a blood test which determined that Michael Tell was his biological father, but he regards all three men as his fathers.[[/note]]. During the 1970s, her career slowed down to bit parts as she focused on raising her sons, and in the 1980s, she served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1985 to 1988. In 1987, she published a memoir, ''Call Me Anna'', in which she revealed that she had bipolar disorder, becoming one of the first celebrities to openly discuss their mental health, which led her to spend the rest of her life raising awareness about mental health. From the 1990s onward, she largely shifted her focus to producing and directing, only occasionally partaking in acting. Her last major role was in a 2015 episode of the Disney sitcom ''Series/LivAndMaddie'', another sitcom about PolarOppositeTwins, [[ActorAllusion in which she starred as the titular twins' identical grandmother and grand-aunt]], before she passed away in March 2016.

* Following her StarMakingRole in ''Film/WhenHarryMetSally'', Creator/MegRyan starred in a string of successful romantic comedies and dramas over the course of the 1990s (most notably her three films with Creator/TomHanks, with ''Film/SleeplessInSeattle'' and ''Film/YouveGotMail'' both grossing over $100 million at the domestic box office). She very quickly became "America's Sweetheart" as a result. However, Ryan's reported affair with her ''Proof of Life'' co-star Creator/RussellCrowe (while Ryan was still married to, albeit separated from Creator/DennisQuaid) did serious harm to Ryan's [[ContractualPurity "good girl"]] image. She gained even more negative publicity when she appear on the UK talk show ''Parkinson'' while promoting the erotic thriller (and very much a PlayingAgainstType role) ''In the Cut''. The interview was awkward and uncomfortable, with host Michael Parkinson later calling her "terrible" while Ryan shot back saying she felt like he was a "disapproving father" towards her with his tone. Not helping were the ill-advised cosmetic procedures, which further diminished her [[GirlNextDoor "girl next door"]] appeal. Following the 2004 boxing drama ''Film/AgainstTheRopes'' (which [[BoxOfficeBomb flopped at the box office]] and was panned by critics for being a stale ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' clone), Ryan wouldn't appear in another movie for three years. She would resurface in the independent movie ''In the Land of Women'' and [[DirectToVideo direct-to-DVD movies]] like ''The Deal'' and ''Mom's New Boyfriend.'' That was already a massive slide from where she'd been previously, but quite possibly the [[StarDerailingRole biggest nail in her coffin]] was her next major theatrically released film, 2008's ''The Women''. Response from critics was overwhelmingly negative, with the film garnering a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Ryan herself would also be nominated for a [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Worst Actress Razzie]] (alongside co-stars Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Debra Messing).\\

Ryan had been the queen of The '90s, but between problems in her personal life (which would irreparably damage [[OvershadowedByControversy the public's perception of her]]) and poor choices in roles, she's now [[CelebrityIsOverrated disappeared from the Hollywood landscape]] (literally too, as she's now living in New York). While some of her earlier films are still well liked for [[NostalgiaFilter nostalgic reasons]], it's also clear many of them [[ValuesDissonance haven't aged all that well]]. Ryan herself meanwhile isn't looking to make a [[CareerResurrection comeback]] anytime soon either, as she's stated in later interviews that she's felt liberated since losing her America's Sweetheart image and generally likes [[ReclusiveArtist keeping a low profile]] and living a normal life. Though she has gotten a bit of attention due to her son Creator/JackQuaid's recent high profile success.

2015 seemed to be the turning point, even though sometime that year, he was cast in secret by Warner Brothers for ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem''. It was the first film in a five-installment franchise to play BigBad Gellert Grindelwald. Although his appearance in that specific film amounted to a cameo and they managed to keep it under wraps until the press screening. That May he and now ex-wife Creator/AmberHeard were caught trying to sneak their dogs into Australia without the proper biosecurity paperwork to film ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' in the country. Heard was charged with perjury because the dogs belonged to her but the two of them ended up signing a non-prosecution deal in which they had to publicly admit they broke the law and pay a substantial fine. During the same production, Depp was often late to work and was often drunk when he did show up. It culminated in him essentially going on a weekend long rampage during which he managed to $100,000 of damage to his rental home and severed the tip of his finger off when he got it caught in something when he punched a wall. He had to fly back home to the US to see a specialist which cost the production two precious and expensive weeks. An embarrassed Disney decided at that point to part ways with him as they'd long grown tired of dealing with his drinking and lack of reliability but waited to officially announce their decision until after the movie came out. When it did two years later, it got bad reviews and underperformed at the box office, ending his days as leading man. The ''Film/DarkUniverse'' in which he was supposed to star as the Invisible Man flopped in its first outing, ''Film/TheMummy2017'' and was cancelled. Also in 2016 came his divorce from Heard who was granted a domestic violence restraining order. Depp went on a scorched earth legal campaign against her (see below) that ended up blowing up in his face. He tried to paint her as the aggressor but she's remained consistent that she only ever hit back in self-defense and admitted to hitting him once in defense of her sister because she believed he was going to push her down a long staircase. \\\\

He tried to appeal the ruling but the upper court denied it on the grounds that it was highly unlikely the incredibly thorough and nasty ruling would be successfully appealed. The case also aired out old dirty laundry about his drinking and drug problems and the lack of reliability that come with them, advertising how difficult it is to depend on him. He tried suing Heard directly in the US to mixed results. She was found to have defamed him in an opinion piece she wrote in the Washington Post, where she never mentioned his name and in which she never actually said he abused her. However, the jury also found he defamed her by proxy when his lawyer put out a statement on his behalf saying that her allegations were a hoax. The case was eventually settled before the appeals process with her paying him a tenth of what he was awarded at the trial (via her insurer as well) and with her not having to admit culpability or sign an NDA as part of the settlement. It also made public sexual assault allegations that had previously only been disclosed to the judge in the UK trial. Depp's fans also paid to unseal documents that among other things had her suppressed medical records, him admitting that she'd never abused him so he didn't have to sit for a psychological evaluation, and his medical records that backed up the nature of her sexual assault claims due to his impotence. It’s unlikely he’ll ever get any franchise work again. Disney has already made plans for a ''Pirates'' spin-off starring Creator/MargotRobbie but is still figuring out if he has a role in the planned reboot of the main series.\\\

His downfall was further cemented by an [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/hes-radioactive-inside-johnny-depps-self-made-implosion exposé]] published by ''The Hollywood Reporter'' uncovering dozens of backstage accounts of his deteriorating behavior, involving drug abuse during filming of ''Dead Men Tell No Tales'', failing to show up at a movie festival that billed his appearance (resulting in a film he starred in being pulled without getting a screening), paying his first wife a previously unreported settlement to hush up a voicemail in which he [[NWordPrivileges reportedly said the N-word]], and a ruthless smear campaign against Heard, at one point attempting to bully Warner Bros. into removing her from ''Film/{{Aquaman}}''. The article also revealed that he'd been pushed out of a big budget Creator/HarryHoudini miniseries even though executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer had long been his biggest ally and defender in the industry. However, he maintains a lucrative endorsement with Dior for one of their men’s fragrances since these sorts of controversies don’t really seem to stick in the company’s native France. It would be over a year before he booked another project, unsurprisingly a French film.\\\

Ryan had been the queen of The '90s, but between problems in her personal life (which would irreparably damage [[OvershadowedByControversy the public's perception of her]]) and poor choices in roles, she's now [[CelebrityIsOverrated disappeared from the Hollywood landscape]] (literally too, as she's now living in New York). While some of her earlier films are still well liked for [[NostalgiaFilter nostalgic reasons]], it's also clear many of them haven't aged well. Ryan herself meanwhile isn't looking to make a [[CareerResurrection comeback]] anytime soon either, as she's stated in later interviews that she's felt liberated since losing her America's Sweetheart image and generally likes [[ReclusiveArtist keeping a low profile]] and living a normal life. Though she has gotten a bit of attention due to her son Creator/JackQuaid's recent high profile success.

* Similar to Eddie Murphy, Creator/JimCarrey was ''the'' big comedian of the 1990s. Carrey started off playing supporting or minor roles in movies in TheEighties, but after the back-to-back successes of ''Film/AceVentura'', ''Film/TheMask'', and ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' in 1994, his star shot up like a rocket. Unfortunately for him, while his comedic roles brought a major bank, it made him severely {{typecast|ing}} as an actor. [[TomHanksSyndrome Attempts at more dramatic fare]], such as ''Film/TheTrumanShow'', ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'', ''Film/TheMajestic'', and ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind'', while earning him praise from critics, under-performed if not flopped at the box office[[note]]''Film/TheTrumanShow'' was the exception due to [[NeverTrustATrailer the trailer downplaying the drama]].[[/note]] compared to his broad comedies. Unlike most however, Carrey's status is more self-imposed, making a conscious decision to [[TomHanksSyndrome pursue more serious works]] rather than just continue with the comedies that made him incredibly popular. After making ''Film/AceVenturaWhenNatureCalls'', he repeatedly refused to star in sequels to his comedic works (except for ''Film/DumbAndDumberTo''), which was likely a wise choice given the critical receptions those films wound up getting. Carrey's highest-profile role in six years, the villain of ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'', earned many jokes of bringing together two fallen icons of the '90s.

* Creator/DavidSpade was a notable staff writer turned cast member of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in TheNineties, before leaving like many of his contemporaries to start a film career. Together with fellow ''SNL'' alum and close friend Creator/ChrisFarley, Spade headlined ''Film/TommyBoy'' and ''Film/BlackSheep''. Both films were hits with audiences despite being less well-received by critics, and found even more success on home video. The duo planned to collaborate on a third comedy, but Farley’s overpowering drug addiction created tension which rocked his partnership with Spade. They managed to repair the rift, but Farley’s death permanently kiboshed all plans for that third film. Spade managed to find a measure of success in the following decade on TV with supporting role on the sitcoms ''Series/JustShootMe'', ''Series/EightSimpleRules'', and ''Series/RulesOfEngagement'', and also veered into animation voice-over work with his role as Emperor Kuzco in Creator/{{Disney}}’s ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove''. His live-action film career, however, was tanked by the failures of ''Film/JoeDirt'', ''Film/DickieRobertsFormerChildStar'', and ''Film/{{Benchwarmers}}''. Spade’s presence on the big screen since then has stayed afloat primarily through his supporting roles in the films of fellow ''SNL'' alum and close friend, the aforementioned Adam Sandler.

* Creator/CameronDiaz got tons of publicity after ''Film/TheMask'' became a Top 10 box-office hit. For several years afterwards she was in many critically and/or commercially successful films such as ''Film/MyBestFriendsWedding'', ''Film/GangsOfNewYork'', ''Film/TheresSomethingAboutMary'', and ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich'', while also branching out into voice acting with the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' film series. She is the second actress to earn $20 million for a film, after Creator/JuliaRoberts. However, starting around 2012, her star power began diminishing as her films became less acclaimed, culminating in 2014 with three critically bashed films – ''Film/TheOtherWoman'', ''Film/SexTape'', and ''Film/Annie2014'' – with Diaz winning a Razzie Award for the first two. Three years later, Diaz formally announced her temporary retirement from acting before returning in 2022 to star in an action-comedy for Creator/{{Netflix}}.
* Creator/FayeDunaway exploded onto the scene with ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'' and a subsequent Oscar nomination. She was hyped up throughout the 60s/70s with hits like ''Film/TheThomasCrownAffair1968'', ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', ''{{Film/Chinatown}}'', and ''Film/{{Network}}'' (for which she won an Oscar). She got singled out by Creator/JoanCrawford, who said that she was the only actress of her generation who "has what it takes" to become a star. Prophetic words - as Faye was chosen to play Joan herself in the adaptation of her daughter's tell-all book ''Literature/MommieDearest''. What was anticipated as a hard-hitting and gritty biopic ended up a hammy [[{{Narm}} unintentional comedy]] with the portrayal of Joan turned into a deranged cartoon character. Her hopes of winning an Oscar vanished, and the film's reception as a SoBadItsGood camp classic destroyed the star's reputation - along with stories of her being a massive primadonna on set (rumour has it that the cast and crew found her so horrible they told her there wasn't a wrap party). She all but vanished from leading roles afterwards, with her most notable credits since being ''Film/{{Supergirl|1984}}'' and ''Film/DunstonChecksIn''.

* Creator/JenniferGarner initially rose to fame co-starring on the TV show ''{{Series/Felicity}}'', later being touted as the next big ActionGirl after coming to public attention with ''Series/{{Alias}}''. But she turned out to be rather unsuccessful as a movie headliner. Though she had a hit with the {{romantic comedy}} ''Film/ThirteenGoingOnThirty'', her big action film debut in ''Film/{{Elektra}}'' flopped while her follow-up romantic comedies did only marginally better. She seems stuck in small supporting roles nowadays: such as in ''Film/{{Juno}}'', ''Film/DallasBuyersClub'', and ''Film/LoveSimon''. After a career lasting nearly two decades, Sydney Bristow is still by far her most iconic role.

However, in the 2010s, starting with ''Film/{{Alice in Wonderland|2010}}'' (which was critically mauled while being financially successful), HypeBacklash kicked in. Audiences grew tired of Depp's LargeHam tendencies in his roles, and the drug and alcohol abuse that plagued his career since the mid-to-late '80s became an issue again and studios started having less patience with him in that regard as his box office receipts took a down turn. In 2011, while ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' and the fourth ''Pirates'' movie were hits, ''Film/TheRumDiary'' and ''Film/DarkShadows'', the latter film released the following year, tanked. Then came ''Film/TheLoneRanger2013'', in which he -- despite being Caucasian -- played the title role's sidekick Tonto to much controversy (especially as he played him as a Jack Sparrow-style buffoon). The film received poor reviews and became Disney's biggest BoxOfficeBomb, leading to a studio write-down of $190 million ''and'' the end of their long-time relationship with producer Creator/JerryBruckheimer. Depp's star power faded overnight, with ''Film/{{Transcendence}}'' and ''Film/{{Mortdecai}}'' total flops. Although he did receive critical praise for ''Film/BlackMass'', that was a brief respite. \\\
2015 seemed to be the turning point, even though sometime that year, he was cast in secret by Warner Brothers for ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem''. It was the first film in a five installment franchise to play BigBad Gellert Grindelwald. Although his appearance in that specific film amounted to a cameo and they managed to keep it under wraps until the press screening. That May he and now ex-wife Creator/AmberHeard were caught trying to sneak their dogs into Australia without the proper biosecurity paperwork to film ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' in the country. Heard was charged with perjury but the two of them ended up signing a non-prosecution deal in which they had to publicly admit they broke the law and pay a substantial fine. During the same production, the two of them got into a huge fight in which he severed the tip of his finger. He had to fly back home to the US to see a specialist which cost the production two precious weeks which amounts to untold sums of money. An embarrassed Disney decided at that point to part ways with him as they'd long grown tired of dealing with his drinking and lack of reliability. When the movie came out two years later, it got bad reviews and underperformed at the box office, ending his days as leading man. The ''Film/DarkUniverse'' in which he was supposed to star as the Invisible Man flopped in its first outing, ''Film/TheMummy2017'' and was cancelled. Also In 2016 came a high-profile domestic violence case against him from Heard, who published shocking pictures of bruises on her face, allegedly from him, to back up her claims. Depp has alleged that she was the abusive one and although the UK ruling (see below) isn’t particularly kind to her despite her winning, she’s remained consistent that she only acted in self-defense, including admitting on the stand that she’d punched him once in defense of her sister because she believed he was going to push her down a flight of stairs.\\\\
The first ''Fantastic Beasts'' movie in 2016 was a critical and financial success and WB decided to stick by him for the time being. However by the time the second one, ''Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald'', came out the Weinstein scandal had hit and they decided to downplay his role in the marketing. When that film got mixed to negative reviews and declined in revenue from the first, the situation changed. WB also went through a management shake-up in 2019, including a new CEO and parent company in telecom giant AT&T, both of whom have less of a tolerance for [=#MeToo=] situations than the old guard. After he lost a risky libel case in November 2020 against a tabloid in the UK court system for calling him a “wife beater” (the judge ruled that 12 of the 14 instances the defendant brought forth met the civil requirements for domestic violence), he was fired from the franchise in the middle of the production of the third installment. His replacement, Creator/MadsMikkelsen, was signed on within three weeks.\\\
He filed for a re-trial but it was dismissed under the pretense that it was highly unlikely to change the ruling and he was ordered to pay the tabloid's legal bills. The case also aired out old dirty laundry about his drinking and drug problems and the lack of reliability that come with them, advertising how difficult it is to depend on him. He’s also continuing down the litigation course, this time in a case in Virginia state court directly against Heard over an opinion piece she wrote in the Washington Post that has been delayed multiple times mostly due to COVID-19 creating a court backlog and didn’t go to trial until April 2022. It’s unlikely he’ll ever get any franchise work again. Disney has already made plans for a ''Pirates'' spin-off starring Creator/MargotRobbie but is still figuring out if he has a role in the planned reboot of the main series.\\\

The US trial ended up being a mixed bag for Depp, with the jury finding that Heard defamed him with the allegations while also finding that his lawyer defamed Heard on his behalf when he called her allegations a hoax. He was awarded $10 million in damages and she was awarded $ 2 million, which they both appealed (with Heard arguing that the trial should have never been allowed to happen in Virginia and that what she wrote didn't reach the "actual malice" standard that is used against public figures). About six months later after the trial ended, they settled with Heard paying him $1,000,000 via her insurer. However, in her statement she wrote, "I have made no admission, this is not an act of concession" and did not have to sign a Non-Disclosure agreement as part of the settlement. While he did technically win the trial (though the settlement voids it), it also made public sexual assault allegations that had previously only been disclosed to the judge in the UK. That coupled with other salacious details brought forth in the trial and in documents that Depp's fans paid to unseal (including that a lot of Heard’s evidence was suppressed, he himself admitting that he’d never been abused, him trying to submit nudes of her and paint her as the murderer of a childhood friend who’d died in a car crash, and much more) continued to keep him nuclear to American companies. On top of the fact that it was established that studios had tired of dealing with him well before the allegations, with Heard's op-ed having been published a month after Disney had publicly announced that they were moving on without him in the ''Pirates'' series, it's unlikely that anything has changed.

* Creator/LouisCK started out as a struggling hack comedian with a few unsuccessful projects under his belt like ''Film/PootieTang'', which he wrote and directed, and his HBO show ''Series/LuckyLouie'' which only lasted one season. Eventually, he revised his comedy act using Creator/GeorgeCarlin's method of writing new material every year and scrapping his old material, since then he has become one of the most popular stand-up comedians in the world. He parlayed his success with stand-up into other forms of entertainment, giving well received performances in films like ''Film/AmericanHustle'' and ''Film/BlueJasmine''. He also created and starred in ''Series/{{Louie}}'', a semi-autobiographical TV show that became popular with both audiences and critics. He also had a leading role in hugely successful animated film ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets''.
** And then that wave of success came to a screeching halt in late 2017 when he was accused of sexually harassing various women, and unlike other men being accused of sexual misconduct around that time (most famously Harvey Weinstein), CK immediately admitted that the allegations were true and apologized. Netflix, FX, and various other companies that were in business with him immediately cut ties. There was a small chance that his honesty would save his career, only for that to fail when his attempts at a comeback ran into controversy with jokes about the transgender community and survivors and victims of the Parkland school shooting. He's since managed to bounce back, self-releasing two stand-up specials, ''Sincerely'' and ''Sorry'', both of which were generally well-received and nominated for Grammys (and, in the former's case, won), as well as selling out major venues in the US and internationally, though time will tell how long this comeback will last.

* Creator/BrendanFraser first got noticed with ''Film/EncinoMan'', and then became a star with ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' and ''Film/TheMummy1999''. However, many of his movie choices ended up flopping, and doing too many action movies took a toll on his body (Fraser also thinks [[https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/brendan-fraser-metoo-story/story?id=53289449 being the target of a sexual assault case]] also blackballed him in some circles) Even if he barely stopped, Fraser's career faded from the spotlight - as put by a [[https://www.gq.com/story/what-ever-happened-to-brendan-fraser profile]], "He was there on the poster, year after year, and then he wasn't, and it took him turning up in a supporting part in the third season of a premium-cable show, ''Series/TheAffair'', for many of us to even realize that he'd been gone." In 2019, however, he received more attention than he got in years through his role as Robotman in ''Series/DoomPatrol''. The DC superhero series was the first of many high-profile projects Fraser signed on to by the following decade's beginning. Among these include a major role in Creator/StevenSoderbergh's crime thriller ''Film/NoSuddenMove'', the lead role in Creator/DarrenAronofsky's drama ''Film/TheWhale'' (for which he won an Academy Award), and a supporting role in Creator/MartinScorsese's upcoming ''Killers of the Flower Moon''.

* Creator/LouisCK started out as a struggling hack comedian with a few unsuccessful projects under his belt like ''Film/PootieTang'', which he wrote and directed, and his HBO show ''Series/LuckyLouie'' which only lasted one season. Eventually he revised his comedy act using Creator/GeorgeCarlin's method of writing new material every year and scrapping his old material, since then he has become one of the most popular stand up comedians in the world. He parlayed his success with stand-up into other forms of entertainment, giving well received performances in films like ''Film/AmericanHustle'' and ''Film/BlueJasmine''. He also created and starred in ''Series/{{Louie}}'', a semi-autobiographical TV show that became popular with both audiences and critics. He also had a leading role in hugely successful animated film ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets''.

For many, he's now a despised joke punchline and virtually persona non grata, [[OvershadowedByControversy to the point where even those who think he's a good actor will stop well short of defending his views and behavior]]. Even his older hits such as the ''Film/MadMax'' and ''Film/LethalWeapon'' series have fallen from the pop culture landscape even as other '80s franchises were rediscovered and put through the NostalgiaFilter. As [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160110034820/http://moviebob.blogspot.com/2015/05/whos-real-speed-bump-on-fury-road.html this article]] by Creator/BobChipman noted, the ads for ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' went out of their way to downplay any association with Gibson (who had played the title character in the original films), lest he serve as box-office poison merely through association with the series. As for Gibson himself, it's been noted that post-meltdown he's shown a willingness to take on villain roles, something he had never done before, perhaps implying he's [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity embraced the public perception of himself]]. He did have a [[CareerResurrection major comeback]] with ''Film/HacksawRidge'', which he directed but didn't star in, and ''[[Film/DaddysHome Daddy's Home 2]]'' was an onscreen success story, so he's not quite finished yet. At the same time, a good deal of ink has been spilled by critics wondering ''why'' creatives and audiences support someone who hasn't repented of/atoned for his past actions.[[note]](Gibson in particular has constantly framed his domestic abuse scandal, which was revealed through an audio leak, as an invasion of his privacy.[[/note]]

* Creator/BrendanFraser first got noticed with ''Film/EncinoMan'', and then became a star with ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' and ''Film/TheMummy1999''. However, many of his movie choices ended up flopping, and doing too many action movies took a toll on his body (Fraser also thinks [[https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/brendan-fraser-metoo-story/story?id=53289449 being the target of a sexual assault case]] also blackballed him in some circles) Even if he barely stopped, Fraser's career faded from the spotlight - as put by a [[https://www.gq.com/story/what-ever-happened-to-brendan-fraser profile]], "He was there on the poster, year after year, and then he wasn't, and it took him turning up in a supporting part in the third season of a premium-cable show, ''Series/TheAffair'', for many of us to even realize that he'd been gone." In 2019, however, he received more attention than he got in years through his role as Robotman in ''Series/DoomPatrol''. The DC superhero series was the first of many high-profile projects Fraser signed on to by the following decade's beginning. Among these include a major role in Creator/StevenSoderbergh's crime thriller ''Film/NoSuddenMove'', the lead role in Creator/DarrenAronofsky's drama ''Film/TheWhale'' (for which he was nominated for an Academy Award), and a supporting role in Creator/MartinScorsese's upcoming ''Killers of the Flower Moon''.

* Creator/EddieMurphy was the hottest comedian around back in TheEighties. He started out on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' during one of its toughest {{Audience Alienating Era}}s, perhaps being ''the'' reason SNL escaped cancellation. He would soon bring his wit to the big screen in films like ''Film/FortyEightHrs'', ''Film/TradingPlaces'', ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop'' and ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'', and ''Film/ComingToAmerica'' (his only misstep was 1986's ''Film/TheGoldenChild'', just in terms of quality), as well as his standup specials ''Delirious'' and ''Raw'', and even [[SoBadItsGood a couple of hit songs]] such as "Party All the Time". But after the failure of his 1989 vanity project ''Film/HarlemNights'', in which he directed and starred with his comic idols Creator/RichardPryor and Redd Foxx, Murphy's career plummeted in TheNineties, with ''Film/Another48Hours'', ''Film/TheDistinguishedGentleman'', ''Film/Boomerang1992'', ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopIII'', and ''Film/VampireInBrooklyn'' all bombing (though ''Boomerang'' has been VindicatedByHistory). He had become a walking punchline, infamously mocked by Creator/DavidSpade on SNL in 1995 when he said "Look, kids! a falling star! Make a wish!", which ''really'' [[BerserkButton made him mad]]. He bounced back with his 1996 remake of ''Film/{{The Nutty Professor|1996}}'', and ''Film/{{Metro}}'', ''Film/DrDolittle'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', ''Film/{{Life|1999}}'', and ''Film/{{Bowfinger}}'' were all successful to varying extents. But in the 2000s, Murphy did way too many [[RatedGForGangsta family-friendly films]] that, with the exception of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' series, were poorly received. Films like ''Film/DaddyDayCare'', ''Film/TheHauntedMansion'', ''Film/MeetDave'', and ''Imagine That'', were panned by audiences and critics, and 2002's ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPlutoNash'' was [[BoxOfficeBomb one of the biggest bombs in Hollywood history]]. He received an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination as Best Supporting Actor for ''Theatre/{{Dreamgirls}}'' in 2006, but the much-maligned 2007 film ''Film/{{Norbit}}'' probably torpedoed his hopes of winning. He was praised for starring in ''Film/TowerHeist'' in 2011, but 2012 brought ''Film/AThousandWords'' (filmed several years before its release), which was universally panned and had the "privilege" of being his first film to go [[DirectToVideo Direct-to-DVD]] in Britain. After that, he had only had an appearance at the SNL 40th anniversary special and one film, ''Mr. Church'', a more dramatic role that was critically panned and a box office failure. Things may be coming around though -- in 2019 he starred in ''Film/DolemiteIsMyName'', which was critically acclaimed, especially for his performance, and followed that up with a triumphant guest hosting gig on ''Saturday Night Live'''s ChristmasEpisode, and a return to an old role in ''Film/Coming2America''. He's even planning a return to stand-up, though the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusPandemic has put that on hold for now.

* Where do we even begin with Creator/AdamSandler?
** Sandler made his first hit as a cast member for ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' for five seasons, at a time when the show was about to head for another AudienceAlienatingEra since the infamous season six. After leaving ''SNL'', he made his feature film debuts in ''Film/BillyMadison'' and ''Film/HappyGilmore'', both of which were released a year from each other. Despite both film receiving mixed reviews, they both scored modest box office returns. His next film was ''Film/{{Bulletproof}}'', which was critically panned and nearly fizzled out his career, but then got a ''huge'' push when he became star of ''Film/TheWeddingSinger'', which became Sandler's first blockbuster hit. This paved the way for Sandler becoming a CriticProof star, with ''Film/TheWaterboy'' and ''Film/BigDaddy'' becoming big hits against a backdrop of otherwise mediocre reception. With the exceptions of ''Film/LittleNicky'', ''WesternAnimation/EightCrazyNights'' and ''Film/ReignOverMe'' (the latter of which was a rare [[TomHanksSyndrome departure from comedy to drama]]), Sandler's films managed to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars and turn big profits regardless of poor critical reception.\\\
However, by the early 2010's, audiences began to lose interest in Sandler's crass humor, and his films began to underperform. ''Film/JackAndJill'' went on to be regarded as one of the worst films ever produced, and ''Film/ThatsMyBoy'' became Sandler's first biggest flop since ''Eight Crazy Nights''. Additionally, studio executives began to grow irritated with how terrible his movies were becoming to the public eye, and his usual friendliness with everyone he works with ended up going downhill one day when Sandler [[IdiotBall marched into Sony's studio offices demanding that $200 million be set aside]] for a potential ''TabletopGame/CandyLand'' movie, a move that ended up sending the film into DevelopmentHell. He did one final attempt to save his floundering career with ''Film/{{Pixels}}'', but it instead became one of the most hated films of 2015 and bombed spectacularly, ensuring that audiences were no longer attracted to Sandler's comedy as they were a decade ago. Following this flop, Sandler began to divest himself heavily from Sony and has almost completely disappeared from the silver screen aside from voice parts in the ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania'' films, and has been relegated to doing films for Creator/{{Netflix}}. Time will tell if his critically acclaimed perfomance in ''Film/UncutGems'' will get him out of this rut.
** His career behind the camera hasn't worked out well, either. Aside from his own films, most of Sandler's off-screen production ventures, such as ''Film/TheMasterOfDisguise'' and ''Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star'', were universally panned and did poorly at the box office, and also helped [[StarDerailingRole derail the careers of those who starred in them]]. All of them were produced through his company, Creator/HappyMadisonProductions, which has become synonymous with abysmal low-brow humor (but continues to churn out films as part of that Netflix deal).
* Creator/EddieMurphy was the hottest comedian around back in TheEighties. He started out on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' during one of its toughest {{Audience Alienating Era}}s, perhaps being ''the'' reason SNL escaped cancellation. He would soon bring his wit to the big screen in films like ''Film/FortyEightHrs'', ''Film/TradingPlaces'', ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop'' and ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'', and ''Film/ComingToAmerica'' (his only misstep was 1986's ''Film/TheGoldenChild'', just in terms of quality), as well as his standup specials ''Delirious'' and ''Raw'', and even [[SoBadItsGood a couple of hit songs]] such as "Party All the Time". But after the failure of his 1989 vanity project ''Film/HarlemNights'', in which he directed and starred with his comic idols Creator/RichardPryor and Redd Foxx, Murphy's career plummeted in TheNineties, with ''Film/Another48Hours'', ''Film/TheDistinguishedGentleman'', ''Film/Boomerang1992'', ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopIII'', and ''Film/VampireInBrooklyn'' all bombing (though ''Boomerang'' has been VindicatedByHistory). He had become a walking punchline, infamously mocked by Creator/DavidSpade on SNL in 1995 when he said "Look, kids! a falling star! Make a wish!", which ''really'' [[BerserkButton made him mad]]. He bounced back with his 1996 remake of ''Film/{{The Nutty Professor|1996}}'', and ''Film/{{Metro}}'', ''Film/DrDolittle'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', ''Film/{{Life|1999}}'', and ''Film/{{Bowfinger}}'' were all successful to varying extents. But in the 2000s, Murphy did way too many [[RatedGForGangsta family-friendly films]] that, with the exception of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' series, were poorly received. Films like ''Film/DaddyDayCare'', ''Film/TheHauntedMansion'', ''Film/MeetDave'', and ''Imagine That'', were panned by audiences and critics, and 2002's ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPlutoNash'' was [[BoxOfficeBomb one of the biggest bombs in Hollywood history]]. He received an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination as Best Supporting Actor for ''Theatre/{{Dreamgirls}}'' in 2006, but the much-maligned 2007 film ''Film/{{Norbit}}'' probably torpedoed his hopes of winning. He was praised for starring in ''Film/TowerHeist'' in 2011, but 2012 brought ''Film/AThousandWords'' (filmed several years before its release), which was universally panned and had the "privilege" of being his first film to go [[DirectToVideo Direct-to-DVD]] in Britain. After that, he had only had an appearance at the SNL 40th anniversary special and one film, ''Mr. Church'', a more dramatic role that was critically panned and a box office failure. Things may be coming around though -- in 2019 he starred in ''Film/DolemiteIsMyName'', which was critically acclaimed, especially for his performance, and followed that up with a triumphant guest hosting gig on ''Saturday Night Live'''s ChristmasEpisode, and a return to an old role in ''Film/Coming2America''. He's even planning a return to stand-up, though the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusPandemic has put that on hold for now.
* Similar to Eddie Murphy, Creator/JimCarrey was ''the'' big comedian of the 1990s. Carrey started off playing supporting or minor roles in movies in TheEighties, but after the back-to-back successes of ''Film/AceVentura'', ''Film/TheMask'', and ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' in 1994, his star shot up like a rocket. Unfortunately for him, while his comedic roles brought a major bank, it made him severely {{typecast|ing}} as an actor. [[TomHanksSyndrome Attempts at more dramatic fare]], such as ''Film/TheTrumanShow'', ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'', ''Film/TheMajestic'', and ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind'', while earning him praise from critics, under-performed if not flopped at the box office[[note]]''Film/TheTrumanShow'' was the exception due to [[NeverTrustATrailer the trailer downplaying the drama]].[[/note]] compared to his broad comedies. Unlike most however, Carrey's status is more self-imposed, making a conscious decision to [[TomHanksSyndrome pursue more serious works]] rather than just continue with the comedies that made him incredibly popular. After making ''Film/AceVenturaWhenNatureCalls'', he repeatedly refused to star in sequels to his comedic works (except for ''Film/DumbAndDumberTo''), which was likely a wise choice given the critical receptions those films wound up getting. Carrey's highest-profile role in six years, the villain of ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'', earned many jokes of bringing together two fallen icons of the 90s.
* Creator/JudeLaw spent years as a bit player as well as earning two Oscar nominations for both ''Film/TheTalentedMrRipley'' and ''Literature/ColdMountain'' before receiving a huge, notable Hollywood marketing push in 2004, starring in ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'', the remake of ''Film/{{Alfie}}'', and half a dozen other films. Creator/ChrisRock engaged in some LampshadeHanging at his expense at the Oscars ceremony, making fun of how this "Creator/TomCruise [[PoorMansSubstitute Lite]]" was receiving so much hype and so many pictures for what seemed to be no reason ("If you can't get Tom Cruise... just ''wait''!"). Of course, every film either bombed or was a disappointment, and then he got caught cheating on his then-fiance Sienna Miller with his children's nanny, shattering any hopes for him as an A-Lister. Even with his career damaged, however, Law has continued plugging away, with major roles in ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'', ''Film/RepoMen'', and other recent Hollywood films. It's a serviceable career, although not nearly the highly bankable, Cruise-style A-lister that the studios were hoping he would be. This might changed after he was cast as the younger version of Albus Dumbledore in ''Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald'' and as Yon-Rogg in ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'' which shows that he's still around.

* Creator/FayeDunaway exploded onto the scene with ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'' and a subsequent Oscar nomination. She was hyped up throughout the 60s/70s with hits like ''Film/TheThomasCrownAffair1968'', ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', ''{{Film/Chinatown}}'', and ''Film/{{Network}}'' (for which she won an Oscar). She got singled out by Creator/JoanCrawford, who said that she was the only actress of her generation who "has what it takes" to become a star. Prophetic words - as Faye was chosen to play Joan herself in the adaptation of her daughter's tell-all book ''Literature/MommieDearest''. What was anticipated as a hard-hitting and gritty biopic ended up a hammy [[{{Narm}} unintentional comedy]] with the portrayal of Joan turned into a deranged cartoon character. Her hopes of winning an Oscar vanished, and the film's reception as a SoBadItsGood camp classic destroyed the star's reputation - along with stories of her being a massive primadonna on set (rumour has it that the cast and crew found her so horrible they told her there wasn't a wrap party). She all but vanished from leading roles afterwards, with her most notable credits since being ''Film/{{Supergirl|1984}}'' and ''Film/DunstonChecksIn''.
* Creator/BrendanFraser first got noticed with ''Film/EncinoMan'', and then became a star with ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' and ''Film/TheMummy1999''. However, many of his movie choices ended up flopping, and doing too many action movies took a toll on his body (Fraser also thinks [[https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/brendan-fraser-metoo-story/story?id=53289449 being the target of a sexual assault case]] also blackballed him in some circles) Even if he barely stopped, Fraser's career faded from the spotlight - as put by a [[https://www.gq.com/story/what-ever-happened-to-brendan-fraser profile]], "He was there on the poster, year after year, and then he wasn't, and it took him turning up in a supporting part in the third season of a premium-cable show, ''Series/TheAffair'', for many of us to even realize that he'd been gone." In 2019, however, he received more attention than he got in years through his role as Robotman in ''Series/DoomPatrol''. The DC superhero series was the first of many high-profile projects Fraser signed on to by the following decade's beginning. Among these include a major role in Creator/StevenSoderbergh's crime thriller ''Film/NoSuddenMove'', the lead role in Creator/DarrenAronofsky's drama ''Film/TheWhale'' (for which he was nominated for an Academy Award), and a supporting role in Creator/MartinScorsese's upcoming ''Killers of the Flower Moon''.
* Music/JenniferLopez practically became an A-list star overnight after her performance in ''Film/{{Selena}}'' was praised by critics, and she followed it up with several critically acclaimed films such as ''Film/OutOfSight'' and ''Film/TheCell''. She also became noteworthy for being one of the few thespians who was able to successfully juggle both a singing and acting career, in 2000 she became the first person to have both the number one album and star in the number one film in the same week. Though some critics were disappointed when she later switched over to starring in middling romantic comedies like ''The Wedding Planner'', ''Film/MonsterInLaw'', and ''Film/MaidInManhattan'', but her films were still successful box-office wise for the most part, and even the critically mauled ''Film/{{Gigli}}'' didn't seem to stall her career much. But then she took a four-year break from her film career, and her first film since her break, ''The Back-Up Plan'' received worse reviews then any other film she's starred in so far, so while Lopez is still getting work in films ([[Series/AmericanIdol and]] [[Series/ShadesOfBlue television]]), it took 2019's ''Film/{{Hustlers}}'' for a return to her former A-list status to be considered by The Machine.
* Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger started out as a low-budget actor with forgettable films like ''Hercules in New York'' in his name, but soon found luck when a little-known director named Creator/JamesCameron tapped him to play the title role in ''Film/TheTerminator''. Although the movie received initially mixed reviews, it soon became such a massive pop culture behemoth that its [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay sequel]] in 1991 grossed ''seven times'' its predecessor. He soon scored more action roles throughout the 1980's and 1990's, with major box-office hits like ''Film/{{Predator}}'', ''Film/TotalRecall1990'' and ''Film/TrueLies'' becoming quintessential action flicks of the era. Unfortunately, his stint as Mr. Freeze in ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' didn't fare as well, and it ended up [[{{Pun}} freezing]] his star power for the rest of the 90's. He made one final stint as T-800 in ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' before deciding to take a break from acting and serve as the Governor of California for eight straight years, and then returning to film. His recent films though haven't been particularly successful with even his return to the ''Terminator'' series, ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' and ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'', proving to be a commercial disappointment. He even hosted a celebrity season of ''Series/TheApprentice'' in 2017 but left after one season. Despite his downturn, he's still thought of highly due to his previous success and even some of his post-comeback films have earned respect due to his [[{{SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct}} acting being noted to have improved considerably]] since his heyday and his willingness to take more risks and challenge himself.
* Creator/CatherineZetaJones made a ''major'' splash with her {{Fanservice}}-y role in ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'', and instantly became a household name (internationally, anyway - she had already been fairly well-known for a while in the UK). Unfortunately, before she could get much work, she hooked up with Creator/MichaelDouglas and practically vanished for years, only making the occasional movie like ''Film/{{Chicago}}'' (for which she won an Oscar). She doesn't seem to mind her current obscurity, but she could have been as A-List as anybody given enough of a push. However, she recently went public about her struggles with bipolar disorder (as well her husband's cancer diagnosis a few years back) which could be a fair explanation for why she has not worked as much as she used to.
* Creator/CameronDiaz got tons of publicity after ''Film/TheMask'' became a Top 10 box-office hit. For several years afterwards she was in many critically and/or commercially successful films such as ''Film/MyBestFriendsWedding'', ''Film/GangsOfNewYork'', ''Film/TheresSomethingAboutMary'', and ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich'', while also branching out into voice acting with the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' film series. She is the second actress to earn $20 million for a film, after Creator/JuliaRoberts. However, starting around 2012, her star power began diminishing as her films became less acclaimed, culminating in 2014 with three critically bashed films – ''Film/TheOtherWoman'', ''Film/SexTape'', and ''Film/Annie2014'' – with Diaz winning a Razzie Award for the first two. Three years later, Diaz formally announced her temporary retirement from acting before returning in 2022 to star in an action-comedy for Creator/{{Netflix}}.
* Creator/JenniferGarner initially rose to fame co-starring on the TV show ''{{Series/Felicity}}'', later being touted as the next big ActionGirl after coming to public attention with ''Series/{{Alias}}''. But she turned out to be rather unsuccessful as a movie headliner. Though she had a hit with the {{romantic comedy}} ''Film/ThirteenGoingOnThirty'', her big action film debut in ''Film/{{Elektra}}'' flopped while her follow-up romantic comedies did only marginally better. She seems stuck in small supporting roles nowadays: such as in ''Film/{{Juno}}'', ''Film/DallasBuyersClub'', and ''Film/LoveSimon''. After a career lasting nearly two decades, Sydney Bristow is still by far her most iconic role.
* Creator/KateHudson got a huge StarMakingRole as a drugged-out groupie in ''Film/AlmostFamous'', even being nominated for an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward. She was immediately given major role after major role in {{romantic comed|y}}ies, all of which did middling business and resulted in critics (including Creator/RogerEbert) hemming and hawing over how far she had fallen. Years of magazine covers, bikini shots, and more romantic comedy roles have done little for her career even if that certainly hasn't stopped her from trying. ''Almost Famous'' is Hudson's only film that still is fondly remembered today. Nowadays, she's better known for her successful Fabletics athletic wear brand.
* Creator/ElisabethShue had a solid career as a child/teen actress: with prominent roles in ''Film/TheKarateKid1984'', ''Film/AdventuresInBabysitting'', ''Film/{{Cocktail}}'' and the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' sequels, but really hit the big time with a critically acclaimed performance alongside Creator/NicolasCage in ''Film/LeavingLasVegas'', going against her previously established GirlNextDoor image. Though big things were expected, a few high-profile critical and commercial flops, the most infamous being ''Film/Molly1999'', where her depiction of an autistic woman garnered strong vilification from disability rights groups, didn't really hit the highs that were anticipated of her, thus leaving Shue with a more-or-less solid but unremarkable career since then. She mocked this with a starring role in ''Film/Hamlet2'', where she played a [[AsHimself fictionalized version of herself]] who quits acting in disillusionment to become a nurse. At the very least, she started regaining a bit of popularity in TheNewTens which began after ''Film/Piranha3D'' became a slight hit. She then landed some big roles on television and streaming, first with ''Series/CSICrimeSceneInvestigation'' followed by ''Series/{{The Boys|2019}}''. She then came back as her ''Karate Kid'' character in the sequel series ''Series/CobraKai''.

* Following her StarMakingRole in ''Film/WhenHarryMetSally'', Creator/MegRyan starred in a string of successful romantic comedies and dramas over the course of the 1990s (most notably her three films with Creator/TomHanks, with ''Film/SleeplessInSeattle'' and ''Film/YouveGotMail'' both grossing over $100 million at the domestic box office). She very quickly became "America's Sweetheart" as a result. However, Ryan's reported affair with her ''Proof of Life'' co-star Creator/RussellCrowe (while Ryan was still married to, albeit separated from Creator/DennisQuaid) did serious harm to Ryan's [[ContractualPurity "good girl"]] image. She gained even more negative publicity when she appear on the UK talk show ''Parkinson'' while promoting the erotic thriller (and very much a PlayingAgainstType role) ''In the Cut''. The interview was awkward and uncomfortable, with host Michael Parkinson later calling her "terrible" while Ryan shot back saying she felt like he was a "disapproving father" towards her with his tone. Not helping were the ill-advised cosmetic procedures, which further diminished her [[GirlNextDoor "girl next door"]] appeal. Following the 2004 boxing drama ''Film/AgainstTheRopes'' (which [[BoxOfficeBomb flopped at the box office]] and was panned by critics for being a stale ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' clone), Ryan wouldn't appear in another movie for three years. She would resurface in the independent movie ''In the Land of Women'' and [[DirectToVideo direct-to-DVD movies]] like ''The Deal'' and ''Mom's New Boyfriend.'' That was already a massive slide from where she'd been previously, but quite possibly the [[StarDerailingRole biggest nail in her coffin]] was her next major theatrically released film, 2008's ''The Women''. Response from critics was overwhelmingly negative, with the film garnering a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Ryan herself would also be nominated for a [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Worst Actress Razzie]] (alongside co-stars Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Debra Messing).\\

Ryan had been the queen of The '90s, but between problems in her personal life (which would irreparably damage [[OvershadowedByControversy the public's perception of her]]) and poor choices in roles, she's now [[CelebrityIsOverrated disappeared from the Hollywood landscape]] (literally too, as she's now living in New York). While some of her earlier films are still well liked for [[NostalgiaFilter nostalgic reasons]], it's also clear many of them haven't aged well. Ryan herself meanwhile isn't looking to make a [[CareerResurrection comeback]] anytime soon either, as she's stated in later interviews that she's felt liberated since losing her America's Sweetheart image and generally likes [[ReclusiveArtist keeping a low profile]] and living a normal life. Though she has gotten a bit of attention due to her son Creator/JackQuaid's recent high profile success.
* Creator/MelGibson was an A-list superstar and a beloved heartthrob in the '80s and '90s, especially as he successfully branched out into directing. While he'd always been known to have fairly controversial views, he kept them under wraps well enough that audiences were able to ignore them and turn out for his movies in droves. His career peaked in 2004 with ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'', a retelling of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}' crucifixion which, despite controversy (especially over its portrayal of Jews), was one of the most successful independent films of all time, financed largely through Gibson's own efforts. Not long after ''The Passion'', however, things changed virtually overnight thanks to the revelation of his racism, anti-Semitism, and {{Jerkass}} [[DomesticAbuse treatment]] of his girlfriend across a number of widely publicized incidents, which only made the controversy over ''The Passion'' that much more notable.\\
\\

* Creator/GinniferGoodwin received something of a Kate Hudson-esque push, getting numerous romantic comedy roles and magazine covers. But she didn't do a film after ''Film/SomethingBorrowed'' until 2016's ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'' (a five year gap). She was however chosen as the headliner of ABC's ''Series/OnceUponATime'' which has been a consistent hit with viewers. She appears to be slowing down after giving birth, and has had consistently less screen time in recent years, but remains part of the main cast at least.
* Creator/ChevyChase was '''the''' original breakout star of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' thanks to a winning combination of deadpan humour and slapstick. He was even dubbed "Funniest Man in America" and his status as the original host of the Weekend Update led to a rumour that he would replace Creator/JohnnyCarson as the host of ''Series/TheTonightShow''. After leaving ''SNL'', he was one of the biggest comedy stars of the 1980s, thanks to the likes of ''Film/{{Caddyshack}}'', the ''Film/{{Vacation}}'' series, ''Film/{{Fletch}}'', ''Film/SpiesLikeUs'' and ''Film/ThreeAmigos''. He even appeared with Music/PaulSimon in the video for "You Can Call Me Al". In TheNineties, however, things went south -- his movies began consistently underperforming, and his attempt at a late night talk show was such a disaster that it was cancelled after just six weeks in 1993. As well, his reputation for being difficult to work with was catching up with him; he was even permanently banned from guest-hosting ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1997. After years of minor roles, he experienced a CareerResurrection in ''Series/{{Community}}'' -- but that was short-lived due to him feuding with Creator/DanHarmon and complaining about the quality of the show. He recently announced that he's clean and sober and willing to work, but nobody in Hollywood ''wants'' to work with him due to his notorious status. (The movie ''Film/{{Accepted}}'' joked about this with a class called "The Rise and Fall of Chevy Chase".)

* Creator/WillFerrell, after a stint with The Groundlings for several years, first got his big break as a cast member of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in 1995. There, he performed many of the most memorable impressions of the show's history, namely that of Robert Goulet, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush and Creator/AlexTrebek, and became one of ''Saturday Night Live''[='=]s most beloved cast members. During Ferrell's final season at ''SNL'' in 2001, he performed as the antagonist in the CultClassic ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'', and two years later had his first starring film role post-''SNL'' in the moderately-received ''Film/OldSchool''. But his career soon got a ''huge'' push later that year, when he was cast as Buddy in the Christmas comedy film ''Film/{{Elf}}'', which was highly successful critically and commercially and solidified Ferrell's status as an A-list comedy superstar. He followed the film up a year later with ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'', which became a pop-culture touchstone throughout the mid-2000s. Despite a slip-up in 2005 with ''Film/TheProducers'', ''Kicking & Screaming'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/CuriousGeorge2006 Curious George]]'', he soon bounced back with ''Film/StrangerThanFiction'', ''Film/BladesOfGlory'', and ''Film/TheOtherGuys''. His films continued to draw critical praise and large crowds for the next couple of years (particularly ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'', and ''Film/DaddysHome''), and he even reprised his iconic role of Ron Burgundy in ''Film/Anchorman2TheLegendContinues''. Unfortunately, he backpedaled hard in 2018 with the critically-panned BoxOfficeBomb ''Film/HolmesAndWatson'', which drew harsh criticism for its unfunny, dated humor and inept, bungled approach to [[Franchise/SherlockHolmes the source material]] - culminating in the film winning four Razzie awards, including Worst Picture. Since ''Holmes & Watson'', most of his film appearances were as cameos - with the two films where he had a lead role, ''Downhill'' and ''Film/EurovisionSongContestTheStoryOfFireSaga'', receiving tepid responses.
* Creator/LouisCK started out as a struggling hack comedian with a few unsuccessful projects under his belt like ''Film/PootieTang'', which he wrote and directed, and his HBO show ''Series/LuckyLouie'' which only lasted one season. Eventually he revised his comedy act using Creator/GeorgeCarlin's method of writing new material every year and scrapping his old material, since then he has become one of the most popular stand up comedians in the world. He parlayed his success with stand-up into other forms of entertainment, giving well received performances in films like ''Film/AmericanHustle'' and ''Film/BlueJasmine''. He also created and starred in ''Series/{{Louie}}'', a semi-autobiographical TV show that became popular with both audiences and critics. He also had a leading role in hugely successful animated film ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets''.
** And then that wave of success came to a screeching halt in late 2017 when he was accused of sexually harassing various women, and unlike other men being accused of sexual misconduct around that time (most famously Harvey Weinstein), CK immediately admitted that the allegations were true and apologized. Netflix, FX, and various other companies that were in business with him immediately cut ties. There was a small chance that his honesty would save his career, only for that to fail when his attempts at a comeback ran into controversy with jokes about the transgender community and survivors and victims of the Parkland school shooting. He's since managed to bounce back, self-releasing two stand-up specials, ''Sincerely'' and ''Sorry'', both of which were generally well-received and nominated for Grammys (and, in the former's case, won), as well as selling out major venues in the US and internationally, though time will tell how long this comeback will last.
* Creator/JamesFranco had a slower climb to the top than most, with noted roles in the short-lived ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' and the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy''. His push didn't come until ''Film/OneHundredAndTwentySevenHours'' and being named the Sexiest Man Living in 2009. For the next three or so years, he headlined a lot of big films - some did well and others less so. He took a step back from acting to focus on his education, and has leaned more towards becoming a producer and director in addition to acting. Things seemed to be going well for him when he won a UsefulNotes/GoldenGlobe for his role as Creator/TommyWiseau in ''Film/TheDisasterArtist'', but almost immediately afterwards, he started getting sexual assault allegations thrown at him, which probably contributed to him not getting an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for the film. Only time will tell if his career can recover from those allegations.

* Creator/MacaulayCulkin earned his StarMakingRole at just ten years old as Kevin [=McCallister=] in ''Film/HomeAlone1'', and immediately became one of the biggest child actors of TheNineties. Grossing over $400 million at the box office, ''Home Alone'' was the year's second-highest-grossing film, behind ''Film/Ghost1990''. The film’s success spawned an entire franchise, with Culkin reprising his role two years later in its direct sequel ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork''. In between the ''Home Alone'' films, he starred opposite Creator/AnnaChlumsky in 1991’s similarly successful ''Film/MyGirl''. Dissatisfied with the similarly squeaky clean kids’ roles his son was offered as a result of these hits, Culkin’s father and manager Kit pulled countless strings to get his son the role of [[PlayingAgainstType budding sociopath]] Henry Evans in the 1993 thriller ''Film/TheGoodSon''. Amidst the film’s TroubledProduction, Kit’s bullheadedness towards the filmmakers became notorious throughout Hollywood as a tidbit of gossip and soured other filmmakers’ desire to hire Culkin if they had to contend with his StageDad. The film failed to be as profitable as Culkin’s past efforts, and received generally negative reviews from critics. Culkin’s career was then [[StarDerailingRole killed]] in 1994 with three consecutive flops: ''Film/GettingEvenWithDad'', ''Film/ThePagemaster'', and ''Film/RichieRich''. Fed up with his father’s interference and his exhaustive schedule, Culkin temporarily retired from acting at fifteen and is now viewed as one of the codifying examples of a FormerChildStar. He later returned to acting in the mid-2000’s, but usually in independent fare. He generally now seems happy living off money he made as a kid and showing up in projects that interest him, along with devoting time to his marriage to Creator/BrendaSong (with whom he has a son).

* Creator/BruceWillis became prominent during TheEighties with two breakthrough roles: on TV as private investigator David Addison in the popular comedy-drama ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', and on film as ActionHero John [=McClane=] in ''Film/DieHard''. His willingness to do his own stunts in the latter made him an action star overnight, promptly becoming one of the genre’s most enduring leading men for the following decades. ''Die Hard'' kickstarted a [[Franchise/DieHard franchise]] comprising multiple sequels, with other action flicks he’s been in including ''Film/TwelveMonkeys'', ''Film/TheFifthElement'', ''Film/Armageddon1998'', ''Film/Red2010'', ''Film/TheExpendables'' and its sequel ''Film/TheExpendables2''. He evaded typecasting while proving he could be more than a fighter with roles in comedy (''Film/LookWhosTalking'', ''Film/DeathBecomesHer'', and ''Film/TheWholeNineYards'') and drama (''Film/PulpFiction'', ''Film/TheSixthSense'', and ''Film/MoonriseKingdom''). Then his decline began in 2013 when his most recent and final ''Die Hard'' film, ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard'', not only became the worst-reviewed one of the franchise, but failed to reach the financial gross of its predecessors. His other films of that year, ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' and ''Red 2'', barely scraped by in the box office. His descent into low- or no-budget, poorly received DirectToVideo action schlock in TheNewTens, which was mitigated in the decade’s initial years with career-best work in ''Moonrise Kingdom'' and ''Film/{{Looper}}'', sealed its grasp after that year, for that quite aptly described most of his films since then. When he starred in eight such films in 2021, the Golden Raspberry Awards created a special category for that year titled “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie” in jest. On March 30, 2022, however, Willis’s family disclosed that Willis, after being diagnosed with aphasia, which negatively impacted his cognitive abilities to read and speak, had chosen to retire. It then became clear that he'd been struggling with the condition for years, with crew members citing incidents where he outright forgot where he was and what he was doing, much of his output was revealed to have covered medical bills and because the productions didn't strain his mental abilities. Several who mocked the actor’s recent output at once took back their statements in sympathy, with even the Razzies notably rescinding that special “award” after acknowledging it was in very bad taste retrospectively. The publicity after his announcement caused an outpouring of support and goodwill, with fans and critics saying he deserved to be remembered for the classic films he made at his peak rather than those brought on by his later circumstances. Now, Willis is regarded sympathetically and thought of as a very talented actor who made a lot of terrific films before his career was hurt by his condition rather than the washed up, Creator/StevenSeagal type has-been he'd been written off as before.

* Creator/BrendanFraser first got noticed with ''Film/EncinoMan'', and then became a star with ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' and ''Film/TheMummy1999''. However, many of his movie choices ended up flopping, and doing too many action movies took a toll on his body (Fraser also thinks [[https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/brendan-fraser-metoo-story/story?id=53289449 being the target of a sexual assault case]] also blackballed him in some circles) Even if he barely stopped, Fraser's career faded from the spotlight - as put by a [[https://www.gq.com/story/what-ever-happened-to-brendan-fraser profile]], "He was there on the poster, year after year, and then he wasn't, and it took him turning up in a supporting part in the third season of a premium-cable show, ''Series/TheAffair'', for many of us to even realize that he'd been gone." In 2019, however, he received more attention than he got in years through his role as Robotman in ''Series/DoomPatrol''. The DC superhero series was the first of many high-profile projects Fraser signed on to by the following decade's beginning. Among these include a major role in Creator/StevenSoderbergh's crime thriller ''Film/NoSuddenMove'', the lead role in Creator/DarrenAronofsky's upcoming drama ''The Whale'', and a supporting role in Creator/MartinScorsese's ''Killers of the Flower Moon''.