History StarDerailingRole / FilmActresses

* Creator/LeightonMeester's hopes of becoming a bankable star after ''Series/GossipGirl'' ended were torpedoed in 2011-12 by a string of three back-to-back flops: ''Film/TheRoommate'', ''Film/MonteCarlo2011'', and ''Film/ThatsMyBoy'', the last of which got her nominated for two MediaNotes/{{Golden Raspberry Award}}s (Worst Screen Combo with Creator/AdamSandler, and Worst Screen Ensemble). ''Film/TheJudge'' in 2014 was TheLastStraw, causing her to return to television, where she's found success with the sitcom ''Series/SingleParents''.

* ''V.I. Warshawski'' seems to be a dividing line in Creator/KathleenTurner's career. Before, she'd been riding the success of ''Film/BodyHeat'' and ''Film/RomancingTheStone'' to critical and commercial success (and award nominations) in films like ''Film/PrizzisHonor'', ''Film/PeggySueGotMarried'', and ''Film/TheWarOfTheRoses''. Along the way, though, her rheumatoid arthritis worsened and she developed a drinking problem and a reputation for being difficult to work with. After ''Warshawski'' [[StillbornFranchise failed to launch a series of movies]] based on the other books in the series, which she expected to star in, Turner was a lead in three more films (''House of Cards'', ''Film/UndercoverBlues'', ''Moonlight and Valentino''), none of which set the screen on fire, then did ''Film/SerialMom'', ''Film/ASimpleWish'', and ''Film/BabyGeniuses''. Since then, she's accepted mainly supporting roles in smaller films and drifted into TV work.

* Creator/KateCapshaw first became known for playing Willie Scott in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'', although her performance and character are one of the least-liked parts of the film. She kept working for the next several years before starring in and producing ''The Love Letter'', which tanked critically and commercially. After being in a couple of MadeForTV films, she retired from acting in 2001. Nowadays, she mainly supports her husband and ''Temple of Doom'' director Creator/StevenSpielberg.

* Creator/SofiaCoppola isn't an actress by trade to begin with and was a last-minute replacement for ''Film/TheGodfatherPartIII'' after Creator/WinonaRyder fell ill. However, her heavily criticized performance as Michael Corleone's daughter, as well as charges of {{nepotism}} (since [[Creator/FrancisFordCoppola her father]] was the director), effectively ended Sofia's acting career. However, she has enjoyed [[Film/LostInTranslation much greater success]] following in her father's footsteps as a director in her own right – which, given her entry on CreatorKiller, is saying a lot.

* Creator/RebeccaDeMornay, after initially becoming a major star in TheEighties with ''Film/RiskyBusiness'', ''Film/RunawayTrain'', ''Film/TheTripToBountiful'', etc., almost killed her momentum by playing the lead role in ''Film/{{And God Created Woman|1988}}'', a 1988 film by Roger Vadim that shares a title with [[Film/AndGodCreatedWoman one of his old films]] starring Creator/BrigitteBardot, but has almost no similarities beyond that. De Mornay's film wasn't as gainful nor as loved as Bardot's, with De Mornay even getting a [[MediaNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Razzie]] nomination for Worst Actress. She was off the grid for some years before she tried mounting a comeback with ''Film/{{Backdraft}}'' and ''Film/TheHandThatRocksTheCradle'', only for that chance to be snuffed for good following the failure of ''Never Talk To Strangers''. Afterwards, she's mostly done television or obscure features. Taking up an executive producer credit on that film probably didn't help. Her co-star Creator/AntonioBanderas luckily moved past that failure after landing roles in ''Film/{{Evita}}'' and ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'' immediately afterwards.

* Music/HilaryDuff, having gained plenty of hype from the success of her hit Disney Channel series ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' and her flourishing pop music career, attempted to bring her golden touch to film, in the early to mid-2000s. Although she had some financial hits (''Film/AgentCodyBanks'', ''Film/CheaperByTheDozen2003'', ''Film/ACinderellaStory'') which were popular with tweens and early teenagers, they weren't very well-received. Soon, even her target demographic's interest began to wane when duds like ''Film/RaiseYourVoice'', ''Film/ThePerfectMan'', and ''Film/MaterialGirls'' failed as badly at the box office as they did with critics. Disney's growing glut of shows and direct-to-TV films, most notably ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', damaged her career further as attention turned towards them instead and away from her work. Duff promptly retreated to TV, where she would spend the next few years in guest parts. She got renewed attention in 2015 as a main cast member on ''Series/{{Younger}}'', and remained onboard that show for its entire run throughout. Eventually, she tried making a comeback in film while on a break between seasons. However, the project she chose, ''Film/TheHauntingOfSharonTate'', was widely reviled in 2019 and was compared unfavorably to [[Film/OnceUponATimeInHollywood another film about Sharon Tate released that year]]. Duff's performance as the title role earned her a MediaNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward for Worst Actress, seemingly killing her film career for good. She was able to rebound with ''Series/HowIMetYourFather'' and still has an extremely vocal fanbase who are now adults, so time will tell if she can pull off a comeback in films.
* Creator/FayeDunaway with her infamous performance of the above-mentioned Creator/JoanCrawford in ''Film/MommieDearest''. Prior to that, she was in ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'', ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'', and ''Film/{{Network}}''. And after? ''Film/{{Supergirl|1984}}'' and ''Film/DunstonChecksIn''. Dunaway's performance was especially polarizing, earning the acclaim of the notoriously CausticCritic Pauline Kael on one hand but a [[MediaNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Razzie award]] for Worst Actress on the other. Despite having become a CultClassic since, Dunaway has had [[CreatorBacklash nothing but bad things to say]] about the film and her performance, and in her later years refused to even talk about it.

* Creator/AnneHeche got lots of good press in TheNineties for ''Film/WagTheDog'', ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'', and ''Film/SixDaysSevenNights'' - which seemed to spell that her first leading role ''{{Film/Volcano}}'''s BoxOfficeBomb status was just a fluke. However, she was unlucky enough to be chosen as Marion Crane in Gus Van Sant's infamous ShotForShotRemake of ''{{Film/Psycho}}''. While it didn't damage the careers of others involved (Creator/VinceVaughn, Creator/JulianneMoore, Creator/ViggoMortensen), her other starring role ''Return to Paradise'' was an AcclaimedFlop. Her coming out as LGBT apparently cost her roles - she later confessed she was told that directors didn't want to cast her because of it. Not helping matters was her deteriorating mental health resulting from years of childhood abuse. She never had a lead role in a theatrically released film past the '90s and mostly did indie films and television for the rest of her life.

* Creator/KatieHolmes has had several ups and downs throughout her screen career. She, having initially garnered some recognition on television for her role as Joey Potter on ''Series/DawsonsCreek'', tried to lengthen her success onto film with a few critical and/or financial hits, including ''Film/TheIceStorm'' (which was her actual screen debut, having filmed it a year before getting her role on ''Dawson's Creek''), ''Film/WonderBoys'', ''Film/{{The Gift|2000}}'', ''Film/PhoneBooth'', and ''Film/PiecesOfApril''. Unfortunately, her first role after ''Dawson's Creek'' ended in 2003 was in 2004's ''First Daughter''. The romantic comedy-drama became a BoxOfficeBomb (budgeted around $30 million, it made slightly more than $10 million in its theatrical run) and was panned by moviegoers. Although she had success the following year with roles in ''Film/BatmanBegins'' and ''Film/ThankYouForSmoking'', her performances were widely considered one of the weakest parts in both movies (with her role in ''Batman Begins'' even getting her a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress [[note]]which might explain why they recast her character with Creator/MaggieGyllenhaal for ''Film/TheDarkKnight''[[/note]]). None of her films since besides ''Film/LoganLucky'' in 2017 have been able to grab a similar level of high acclaim, with her starring role opposite Creator/AdamSandler (see StarDerailingRole/FilmActors) in ''Film/JackAndJill'' being a particularly low point. Her performance in it got her another Razzie nomination in the same category before she got nominated for Worst Actress with 2020's ''Film/BrahmsTheBoyII'' and ''The Secret: Dare To Dream''.

* Creator/JenniferLawrence, in [[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/movies/jennifer-lawrence-causeway.html an interview]] with Kyle Buchanan for ''The New York Times'', cited 2016's ''Film/{{Passengers|2016}}'' as the film that ended her run as a Hollywood [[HollywoodHypeMachine "it girl"]] and [[CreatorBacklash made her seriously start questioning her career choices]]. Lawrence's career exploded in the early '10s thanks to both hit franchise blockbusters like ''Film/TheHungerGames'' and ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' and acclaimed performances in prestige dramas like ''Film/WintersBone'', ''Film/SilverLiningsPlaybook'' (which won her an Oscar), and ''Film/AmericanHustle'', but by mid-decade, a combination of declining reviews for her films, a nude photo leak scandal, and (as noted in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7aq1bHXuY8 this video]] by ''WebVideo/TheTake'') growing cynicism towards her [[TheLadette lad-ette]] NotLikeOtherGirls public persona took the shine off her career. ''Passengers'' was the tipping point, a role that she said Music/{{Adele}} even warned her not to take, a warning that she felt in hindsight she should've listened to. When the failure of ''Passengers'' was followed up by that of ''Film/Mother2017'', ''Film/RedSparrow'', and ''Film/DarkPhoenix'', Lawrence took a two-year break from acting before returning with ''Film/DontLookUp''. Further roles in ''Causeway'' and ''Film/NoHardFeelings'' followed.

* Creator/BetteMidler was a sensation by the end of TheNineties: via ''Film/RuthlessPeople'', ''Film/DownAndOutInBeverlyHills'', ''Film/{{Beaches}}'', ''Film/HocusPocus'', and ''Film/TheFirstWivesClub''. She also garnered two [[MediaNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nominations for ''Film/TheRose'' and ''For the Boys'', while not even a flop like ''Film/{{Stella}}'' (which got her a [[MediaNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Razzie]] nomination) could bring her down. But after ''Isn't She Great'' (which got her another Razzie nomination) and ''Film/DrowningMona'' bombed in 2000, none of her starring vehicles hit the big time again aside from the Creator/DisneyPlus exclusive ''Film/HocusPocus2''.

* Creator/DaisyRidley [[https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/daisy-ridley-couldnt-get-a-job-after-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-no-one-wants-to-employ-me.html/ suffered a slap in career, following]] the mixed reception and troubled production of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' film, ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''. The UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic kicking in following the release was no help either.

* Creator/DaisyRidley [[https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/daisy-ridley-couldnt-get-a-job-after-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-no-one-wants-to-employ-me.html/ suffered a slap in career, following]] the mixed reception and troubled production of the "Franchise/StarWars" film, "Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker". The UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic kicking in following the release was no help either.

* Creator/HalleBerry was a DoubleSubversion. Her role in ''Film/Catwoman2004'' killed interest in the possible ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' spinoff featuring her character Jinx, and was a factor in [[GenreKiller killing the budding sub-genre]] of female-fronted superhero films for over a decade (although ''Film/{{Elektra}}'' deserves some of the credit, too). At the same time, ''Catwoman'' [[BreakTheHaughty humbled her enough]] to graciously accept the MediaNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for Worst Actress]] [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments in person]], saving her career from a complete meltdown; she almost wasn't in ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'' because she was demanding a higher salary and a bigger part. However, ''Film/PerfectStranger'' was the death knell for Halle as a leading lady. The birth of her daughter and the nasty custody battle that followed couldn't have done anything to help. ''Film/CloudAtlas'' seemed like it could have been a CareerResurrection for her, but despite positive reviews, it ended up [[BoxOfficeBomb bombing at the box office]] instead; it didn't help that several actors, Berry included, performed in {{Yellowface}} during the segment "An Orison of Sonmi~451". Berry's filmography since then has consisted primarily of supporting roles in various franchise flicks like ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', ''Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle'', and ''Film/JohnWickChapter3Parabellum''.

** The failure of ''Jennifer's Body'' also badly damaged the Hollywood career of its writer Creator/DiabloCody. See CreatorKiller for more.
* Creator/PamelaFranklin was a popular child star in TheSixties and her critically acclaimed performance as Sandy in ''Literature/ThePrimeOfMissJeanBrodie'' seemed to be her adult StarMakingRole. Sadly, ''The Legend of Hell House'' typecast her as a [[UsefulNotes/ScreamQueens scream queen]]. Franklin primarily did MadeForTVMovie and TV appearances afterwards, before retiring from acting in 1981.

* Creator/DaisyRidley [[https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/daisy-ridley-couldnt-get-a-job-after-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-no-one-wants-to-employ-me.html/ suffered a slap in career, following]] the mixed reception and troubled production of the "Franchise/StarWars" film, "Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker". The UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic kicking in following the release was no help either.]]

* Creator/DaisyRidley [[https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/daisy-ridley-couldnt-get-a-job-after-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-no-one-wants-to-employ-me.html/ suffered a slap in career, following]] the mixed reception and troubled production of the "Franchise/StarWars" film, "Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker". [[https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/daisy-ridley-couldnt-get-a-job-after-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-no-one-wants-to-employ-me.html/ The UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic kicking in following the release was no help either.]]

* Sarah Miles became one of the British New Wave's biggest stars thanks to ''The Servant'' and ''Film/BlowUp'' and earned an Oscar nomination for ''Film/RyansDaughter''. Set to transition from sex symbol to serious actress, She starred in the VanityProject ''Lady Caroline Lamb'', directed by her husband, screenwriter Robert Bolt. ''Lamb'' was an expensive, critically reviled flop that destroyed Miles' reputation. Her career further dissolved through TheSeventies with revelations of bizarre hobbies (she admitted to drinking urine and being a spiritualist, among other things), the dissolution of her marriage to Bolt (though they later reconciled), and the scandals surrounding ''The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing'', where her publicist/lover committed suicide on-set. Today, Miles remains known more for her eccentricities than her dwindling acting roles.

* The critical and box office failures of ''I Dreamed of Africa'' and ''Film/BlessTheChild'' (and to a lesser extent, her bitter divorce from Creator/AlecBaldwin) derailed Creator/KimBasinger's post-[[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] momentum. It didn't help that Basinger, after her [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]]-winning role in ''Film/LAConfidential'' (which in itself provided a brief CareerResurrection), didn't release another movie for three years. With the exception of 2004's ''Film/{{Cellular}}'', Basinger hasn't had a major, mainstream starring vehicle since, more often appearing in limited released features or supporting roles in things like ''Film/EightMile'', ''Film/TheNiceGuys'', and ''Film/CharlieStCloud''.

** Basinger's participation in the ''[[Film/FiftyShadesOfGrey Fifty Shades]]'' saga appears to have killed off her film career for good. As of this writing, Basinger [[https://www.looper.com/133115/why-hollywood-wont-cast-kim-basinger-anymore/ hasn't booked]] any more acting roles since that time. And to add insult to injury, in 2017, Basinger was awarded the [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Golden Raspberry Award]] for Worst Supporting Actress, for her turn as Elena Lincoln in ''Fifty Shades Darker''.

* Creator/HalleBerry was a DoubleSubversion. Her role in ''Film/Catwoman2004'' killed interest in the possible ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' spinoff featuring her character Jinx, and was a factor in [[GenreKiller killing the budding sub-genre]] of female-fronted superhero films for over a decade (although ''Film/{{Elektra}}'' deserves some of the credit, too). At the same time, ''Catwoman'' [[BreakTheHaughty humbled her enough]] to graciously accept the UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for Worst Actress]] [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments in person]], saving her career from a complete meltdown; she almost wasn't in ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'' because she was demanding a higher salary and a bigger part. However, ''Film/PerfectStranger'' was the death knell for Halle as a leading lady. The birth of her daughter and the nasty custody battle that followed couldn't have done anything to help. ''Film/CloudAtlas'' seemed like it could have been a CareerResurrection for her, but despite positive reviews, it ended up [[BoxOfficeBomb bombing at the box office]] instead; it didn't help that several actors, Berry included, performed in {{Yellowface}} during the segment "An Orison of Sonmi~451". Berry's filmography since then has consisted primarily of supporting roles in various franchise flicks like ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', ''Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle'', and ''Film/JohnWickChapter3Parabellum''.

* In 1992, Creator/LorraineBracco was coasting on the hype from her role in the 1990 Creator/MartinScorsese gangster classic ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', which netted her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress that year. Hollywood immediately considered Bracco for numerous high-profile roles, including Selina Kyle/ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} in ''Film/BatmanReturns''. She instead turned that role and several others down for three of 1992's biggest flops – ''Film/RadioFlyer'', ''Film/TracesOfRed'', and ''Film/MedicineMan''. ''Medicine Man'' devolved into a particularly notorious debacle when Bracco [[WagTheDirector flounced onto the Mexican jungle set incessantly grumbling to director]] Creator/JohnMcTiernan about the filming conditions from the local food to the turbulent weather and problems she perceived with the script, with her behavior being enabled by a retinue of assistants. HostilityOnTheSet fomented between the two and leading man Creator/SeanConnery (who despite having complaints about filming conditions as well, was reportedly more sensible and civil when he voiced them). Naturally, [[TroubledProduction the shoot became torturous for cast and crew alike]]. All three films became critically mauled {{Box Office Bom|b}}bs, while Bracco would receive a joint [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Razzie]] Worst Actress nomination for her performances in ''Medicine Man'' and ''Traces of Red''. She would later recover some esteem with her role in the Creator/{{HBO}} television series ''Series/TheSopranos'', but her film career remains inert.

* Creator/JulieChristie saw her stature as an A-list actress wither away for years after the critical ridicule and financial failure of ''Film/DemonSeed''. She wouldn't recover until TheNineties with an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for ''Afterglow''. She later got another Oscar nomination for ''Away From Her'' and briefly appeared in ''Film/HarryPotter'', two signs of a relatively healthy career.

* Creator/RebeccaDeMornay, after initially becoming a major star in TheEighties with ''Film/RiskyBusiness'', ''Film/RunawayTrain'', ''Film/TheTripToBountiful'', etc., almost killed her momentum by playing the lead role in ''Film/{{And God Created Woman|1988}}'', a 1988 film by Roger Vadim that shares a title with [[Film/AndGodCreatedWoman one of his old films]] starring Creator/BrigitteBardot, but has almost no similarities beyond that. De Mornay's film wasn't as gainful nor as loved as Bardot's, with De Mornay even getting a [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Razzie]] nomination for Worst Actress. She was off the grid for some years before she tried mounting a comeback with ''Film/{{Backdraft}}'' and ''Film/TheHandThatRocksTheCradle'', only for that chance to be snuffed for good following the failure of ''Never Talk To Strangers''. Afterwards, she's mostly done television or obscure features. Taking up an executive producer credit on that film probably didn't help. Her co-star Creator/AntonioBanderas luckily moved past that failure after landing roles in ''Film/{{Evita}}'' and ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'' immediately afterwards.

* Music/HilaryDuff, having gained plenty of hype from the success of her hit Disney Channel series ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' and her flourishing pop music career, attempted to bring her golden touch to film, in the early to mid-2000s. Although she had some financial hits (''Film/AgentCodyBanks'', ''Film/CheaperByTheDozen2003'', ''Film/ACinderellaStory'') which were popular with tweens and early teenagers, they weren't very well-received. Soon, even her target demographic's interest began to wane when duds like ''Film/RaiseYourVoice'', ''Film/ThePerfectMan'', and ''Film/MaterialGirls'' failed as badly at the box office as they did with critics. Disney's growing glut of shows and direct-to-TV films, most notably ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', damaged her career further as attention turned towards them instead and away from her work. Duff promptly retreated to TV, where she would spend the next few years in guest parts. She got renewed attention in 2015 as a main cast member on ''Series/{{Younger}}'', and remained onboard that show for its entire run throughout. Eventually, she tried making a comeback in film while on a break between seasons. However, the project she chose, ''Film/TheHauntingOfSharonTate'', was widely reviled in 2019 and was compared unfavorably to [[Film/OnceUponATimeInHollywood another film about Sharon Tate released that year]]. Duff's performance as the title role earned her a UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward for Worst Actress, seemingly killing her film career for good. She was able to rebound with ''Series/HowIMetYourFather'' and still has an extremely vocal fanbase who are now adults, so time will tell if she can pull off a comeback in films.
* Creator/FayeDunaway with her infamous performance of the above-mentioned Creator/JoanCrawford in ''Film/MommieDearest''. Prior to that, she was in ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'', ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'', and ''Film/{{Network}}''. And after? ''Film/{{Supergirl|1984}}'' and ''Film/DunstonChecksIn''. Dunaway's performance was especially polarizing, earning the acclaim of the notoriously CausticCritic Pauline Kael on one hand but a [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Razzie award]] for Worst Actress on the other. Despite having become a CultClassic since, Dunaway has had [[CreatorBacklash nothing but bad things to say]] about the film and her performance, and in her later years refused to even talk about it.

** ''Boxing Helena'' was also a very near-miss for Creator/KimBasinger, who decided to break her contract to avoid starring in the film. She was sued into bankruptcy but sustained no career damage, and won an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward only a few years later, though such success didn't last for long (see above).

* Creator/LindaFiorentino made her breakthrough in the 1994 neo-noir ''Film/TheLastSeduction'', to the point where critics said that she deserved an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination. (In fact, the only reason she ''didn't'' get one was that the film's producers premiered the film on {{Creator/HBO}} before releasing it in theaters, thus disqualifying it from any Oscar nominations.) Fiorentino received further fame for playing the female leads in ''Film/MenInBlack'' and ''Film/{{Dogma}}'' respectively. Then it all fell apart in 2000 when her films ''What Planet Are You From?'' and ''Where the Money Is'' both flopped critically and commercially. Her next film ''Liberty Stands Still'' went straight to video, and she didn't do another film for seven years after that. It certainly didn't help when Creator/KevinSmith, in the DVDCommentary for ''Dogma'', talked about [[HostilityOnTheSet how difficult she had been to work with]], to the point where he wished he had cast Creator/JaneaneGarofalo (his second choice for the role) instead. Her being difficult to work with was also rumored as to why she's absent from the ''Men in Black'' sequel, which has a throwaway line explaining her absence from it. (She has only said she was "unavailable" for it.)

** Whoopi suffered an earlier career derailment in the late-80s after an attempt to turn her into an action-comedy star led to box-office failures such as ''Fatal Beauty'' and ''Burglar''. An attempt to recreate the success of ''The Color Purple'' with Goldberg in the lead became ''Clara's Heart'', which also did poorly and is mostly best known as the film debut of Creator/NeilPatrickHarris. Her UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-winning performance in ''Ghost'' led to a comeback lasting a couple of years.

* Creator/DianeKeaton was a highly-respected actress with an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward and adequate drawing power before ''Because I Said So'' and ''Mama's Boy'' were released in 2007. But after those two movies got abysmal reviews (with the former getting Keaton nominated for a Worst Actress UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward which she lost to the below-mentioned Creator/LindsayLohan) and the latter became a BoxOfficeBomb, she has mostly starred in flops.
* Creator/NicoleKidman saw her career falter with the failures of ''Film/{{Bewitched}}'', ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'', and ''Film/{{Australia}}''. While she did survive those disasters, her next big project, ''Grace of Monaco'', may have finally ended her reign as an A-lister after it suffered a bad TroubledProduction, ultimately skipping theaters altogether and being dumped straight to Creator/{{Lifetime}}. Luckily, she [[CareerResurrection recovered]] quickly with supporting roles in ''Film/Paddington2014'', ''Film/{{Lion}}'' (which got her an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nomination for Best Supporting Actress), and ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' (which later became her highest-grossing movie). Kidman later won two MediaNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s for acting in and producing ''Series/BigLittleLies'', then got another Oscar nomination for Best Actress playing the aforesaid Creator/LucilleBall in ''Film/BeingTheRicardos''.

* After getting an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nomination for ''Film/{{Chicago}}'', Music/QueenLatifah received many starring and supporting roles through the 2000s. But starting around 2010 with ''Film/ValentinesDay'', her career began to slip as her next films (''Just Wright'', ''Film/TheDilemma'', ''Film/JoyfulNoise'', etc.) were released to far less glowing reception as her prior work. For several years, her only mainstream releases came from reprising her role as Ellie in the ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' movies. Besides that, her only high-profile work was hosting her own short-lived talk show. However, she got acclaim for playing Music/BessieSmith in Creator/{{HBO}}'s ''Bessie''. It then won four MediaNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s including one for her as a producer, and she was also nominated for her performance. Later, she had her first mainstream success in years after ''Film/GirlsTrip'' became a SleeperHit in 2017.

* Creator/HeatherLocklear lost her chance at becoming a major film star when she appeared in 1989's ''Film/TheReturnOfSwampThing'', a sequel which was criticized for its {{Camp}} tone compared to the darker [[Film/SwampThing original]] and became a BoxOfficeBomb. Although none of the cast profited from its failure, Locklear received the shortest end of the stick when she won a UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward for her performance in the film. After that flop, her film career was primarily limited to cameos. Fortunately, her television career, where she first discovered success via her lead role in ''Series/{{Dynasty}}'', remained intact with roles in ''Series/MelrosePlace'' and ''Series/SpinCity''.

* Creator/LeightonMeester's hopes of becoming a bankable star after ''Series/GossipGirl'' ended were torpedoed in 2011-12 by a string of three back-to-back flops: ''Film/TheRoommate'', ''Film/MonteCarlo2011'', and ''Film/ThatsMyBoy'', the last of which got her nominated for two UsefulNotes/{{Golden Raspberry Award}}s (Worst Screen Combo with Creator/AdamSandler, and Worst Screen Ensemble). ''Film/TheJudge'' in 2014 was TheLastStraw, causing her to return to television, where she's found success with the sitcom ''Series/SingleParents''.
* Creator/BetteMidler was a sensation by the end of TheNineties: via ''Film/RuthlessPeople'', ''Film/DownAndOutInBeverlyHills'', ''Film/{{Beaches}}'', ''Film/HocusPocus'', and ''Film/TheFirstWivesClub''. She also garnered two [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nominations for ''Film/TheRose'' and ''For the Boys'', while not even a flop like ''Film/{{Stella}}'' (which got her a [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Razzie]] nomination) could bring her down. But after ''Isn't She Great'' (which got her another Razzie nomination) and ''Film/DrowningMona'' bombed in 2000, none of her starring vehicles hit the big time again aside from the Creator/DisneyPlus exclusive ''Film/HocusPocus2''.

* Creator/DemiMoore was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood in the early '90s, owed mainly to her [[StarMakingRole star-making]] turn opposite Creator/PatrickSwayze in ''Film/Ghost1990''. However, her star power faded around the mid-to-late '90s after a string of flops such as the loose film adaptation of ''[[Film/TheScarletLetter1995 The Scarlet Letter]]'', ''Film/{{Striptease}}'', and ''Film/GIJane'' (the latter two films were "Worst Actress" [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Razzie]] winners for Moore). In the years following those films, Moore's productivity slowed as she took time off to raise her daughters, only appearing in a few major films, the last such big hit being ''Film/MrBrooks''. She has since found some success acting in independent cinema.

* Creator/AlysonReed was set to shift from being a rising star on Broadway to becoming a full-fledged movie star in Hollywood when she nabbed the lead female role in the 1985 film adaptation of the musical ''Film/AChorusLine'' opposite Creator/MichaelDouglas. When it instead became a critical and commercial flop, Reed, unlike Douglas, who was coming off his StarMakingRole in ''Film/RomancingTheStone'' and would find further UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-winning success with ''Film/WallStreet'', didn't appear in another film for four years (in the raunchy sex comedy ''Film/SkinDeep''). She promptly returned to the stage, where she found a measure of success (along with a Tony nomination for her performance as Sally Bowles in the 1987 revival of ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}''). Reed's screen career post-TheEighties mainly comprised of bit parts on television, though she would later become known to a younger audience when she appeared as Ms. Darbus in ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' and [[Film/HighSchoolMusical2 its]] [[Film/HighSchoolMusical3SeniorYear sequels]].
* Creator/ChristinaRicci became a star at age 11 when she played Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film adaptation of ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'', transitioning successfully from a child actress (with ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues'' and ''Film/{{Casper}}'') to an adult one (with ''Film/TheIceStorm'', ''Film/TheOppositeOfSex'' and ''Film/{{Monster}}''). Then Ricci starred in ''Film/Cursed2005'', a werewolf slasher film directed by Creator/WesCraven that sadly endured excessive ExecutiveMeddling courtesy of Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany (with Craven later deprived of all creative control). The final result, subjected to a lot of reshoots and re-edited from the original R-rating to a more box-office friendly PG-13 rating, was called one of the worst films of 2005, also becoming a BoxOfficeBomb that didn't recoup its budget. Ricci's films for the next three years (''Film/Penelope2006'', ''Film/BlackSnakeMoan'') were lower-budget films that underperformed as well before she tried mounting a comeback. ''Film/SpeedRacer'' was meant to be the big blockbuster that would reaffirm her as a star, but its box office failure instead proved to be the final straw in 2008. For the next thirteen years, she starred in projects that were rarely, if ever, successful before finally nabbing another high-profile role and an UsefulNotes/EmmyAward nomination for her performance in the Creator/{{Showtime}} drama ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}''. [[https://deadline.com/2022/03/christina-ricci-wednesday-netflix-addams-family-series-1234982347/ She returned]] to the ''Addams Family'' universe as a different character in the Creator/{{Netflix}} series ''Series/{{Wednesday}}''.

* Music/{{Rihanna}} made her acting debut in 2012's ''Film/{{Battleship}}'', for which she "won" the UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward for Worst Supporting Actress. Aside from a few scant voice roles and cameos, she didn't star in a major film for five years until appearing in ''Film/ValerianAndTheCityOfAThousandPlanets'' and then ''Film/OceansEight''. The former was another infamous bomb while the latter was a slight success, though that probably was because of the bigger actresses in its ensemble cast. She's mostly focused on her music afterwards.

* Creator/ElisabethShue seemingly transitioned successfully from a prolific child/teen actress of TheEighties into a respected adult actress with her [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]]-nominated role in 1995's ''Film/LeavingLasVegas'', only to lose a lot of her hype years later with 1999's ''[[Film/Molly1999 Molly]]''. This film drew controversy and a lot of ire from disability rights groups due primarily to Shue's performance as an institutionalized, autistic woman. The backlash this movie suffered hurt its reception critically and financially; while Shue still remained active as an actress on film and TV, she never regained the leading lady stature she previously had.

* Creator/HaileeSteinfeld was hyped as a potential star of tomorrow after nabbing an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination at 13 for her acting debut in the 2010 remake of ''Film/TrueGrit'', soon receiving a number of offers for major projects. She turned them down and took a few years off of acting instead, choosing to return with a new adaptation of Shakespeare's classic ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' in 2013. Unfortunately, that film tanked with Steinfeld getting singled out in its many bad reviews. Over the next two years, a glut of projects featuring her, including ''Film/EndersGame'' (which was made worse by certain remarks the source material's [[Creator/OrsonScottCard author]] said pre-release) and ''Film/BarelyLethal'', were released to critical and audience indifference, while her potential nearly curdled into a "what if" situation had she not taken a break. Luckily, she soon [[CareerResurrection bounced back]] commercially with ''Film/PitchPerfect 2'' (a film that also marked the start of a successful second career for her as a singer) and critically with ''Film/TheEdgeOfSeventeen''. ''Pitch Perfect 3'' was also a financial hit despite not as good reviews as its predecessor, while ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' was widely considered to be a return to form for the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries film series]]. She also voiced Spider-Gwen in the ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManSpiderVerse'' films and portrays Kate Bishop in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse show ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'', roles she is both set to reprise in future projects. Preceding ''Hawkeye'', she made her television debut playing Creator/EmilyDickinson on the critically acclaimed series ''Series/{{Dickinson}}''.

* Creator/SharonStone suffered from this with ''Film/BasicInstinct2'', which was ironically a reprisal of her StarMakingRole. Its financial and critical failure (amplified by Stone "winning" a Worst Actress UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward for her performance in it) marked the end of her run as an A-list leading lady, following other noteworthy flops in the early 2000s like ''Cold Creek Manor'' and ''Film/Catwoman2004''.
* Creator/MenaSuvari, prior to the ''Film/DayOfTheDead2008'' reboot, was an indie queen who made a name for herself starring in a string of popular and well-regarded teen films, including ''Film/AmericanPie'' and the critically praised, UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-winning ''Film/AmericanBeauty''. She followed this up with many flops like ''Film/{{Loser}}'' or ''Film/SugarAndSpice''. This culminated with ''Day of the Dead'', which tanked abysmally in the United States and was critically mauled. Besides her widely disregarded work in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' as the voice of Aerith, Suvari's only appeared in bit parts on television and DirectToVideo films afterwards.

* Quvenzhané Wallis was a rising star at the beginning of TheNewTens thanks to being the youngest [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nominee for ''Film/BeastsOfTheSouthernWild''. Then she headlined ''Film/Annie2014'', which was a modest box office success but was blasted by critics. She's hardly acted since besides one independent film, a bit part in ''WesternAnimation/{{Trolls}}'', and an appearance in a Music/{{Beyonce}} music video. The highest-profile role that she's had since ''Annie'' has been a guest-starring arc on ''Series/{{Blackish}}''. Since Quvenzhané is still young, there's definitely still a chance that she could come back and become a bigger star in the future. But for the time being...

* Creator/AlexisBledel, fresh off ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' ending its run in 2007 and the success of ''Literature/TheSisterhoodOfTheTravelingPants'' movies, promptly had her film career sunk with the back-to-back failures of ''The Good Guy'' and ''Post Grad'' in 2009. Thankfully, her career in television has remained prosperous with the ''Gilmore Girls'' revival series ''A Year in the Life'' and her UsefulNotes/EmmyAward-winning performance in ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale''.

* Creator/NicoleKidman saw her career falter with the failures of ''Film/{{Bewitched}}'', ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'', and ''Film/{{Australia}}''. While she did survive those disasters, her next big project, ''Grace of Monaco'', may have finally ended her reign as an A-lister after it suffered a bad TroubledProduction, ultimately skipping theaters altogether and being dumped straight to Creator/{{Lifetime}}. Luckily, she [[CareerResurrection recovered]] quickly with supporting roles in ''Film/Paddington2014'', ''Film/{{Lion}}'' (which got her an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nomination for Best Supporting Actress), and ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' (which later became her highest-grossing movie). Kidman later won two UsefulNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s for acting in and producing ''Series/BigLittleLies'', then got another Oscar nomination for Best Actress playing the aforesaid Creator/LucilleBall in ''Film/BeingTheRicardos''.

* After getting an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nomination for ''Film/{{Chicago}}'', Music/QueenLatifah received many starring and supporting roles through the 2000s. But starting around 2010 with ''Film/ValentinesDay'', her career began to slip as her next films (''Just Wright'', ''Film/TheDilemma'', ''Film/JoyfulNoise'', etc.) were released to far less glowing reception as her prior work. For several years, her only mainstream releases came from reprising her role as Ellie in the ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' movies. Besides that, her only high-profile work was hosting her own short-lived talk show. However, she got acclaim for playing Music/BessieSmith in Creator/{{HBO}}'s ''Bessie''. It then won four UsefulNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s including one for her as a producer, and she was also nominated for her performance. Later, she had her first mainstream success in years after ''Film/GirlsTrip'' became a SleeperHit in 2017.

* Creator/KristyMcNichol became famous in the mid-to-late 1970s as a child actress in the Creator/{{ABC}} drama ''Series/{{Family}}'', only for her hype to vanish early in TheEighties. She had some success in 1981 when ''Only When I Laugh'' became a box office hit, while also earning a six-figure salary – unprecedented for a teenager – for starring opposite Creator/DennisQuaid in ''Film/TheNightTheLightsWentOutInGeorgia''. However, her career decline began next year when ''Film/ThePirateMovie'', which co-starred Creator/ChristopherAtkins (see StarDerailingRole/FilmActors), became one of 1982's biggest misfires, with [=McNichol=] receiving a Razzie nomination for her performance. While filming her next film, ''Film/JustTheWayYouAre'', [=McNichol=], who already had a past history of emotional problems, suffered a nervous breakdown that delayed filming for over a year. She continued acting into TheNineties, but her work comprised mostly of television films or shows (notably ''Series/EmptyNest''). Her appearances in theatrical releases were mainly limited to supporting roles before she officially announced her retirement from acting in 2001. She's since claimed her emotional turbulence during her youth were rooted in her closeted homosexuality at the time, also noting that she's been happier and stress-free after coming out.

* Creator/LioTipton (formerly Analeigh), first gaining prominence for placing third on Cycle 11 of ''Series/AmericasNextTopModel'', was tapped by Hollywood studios to headline romantic comedy films such as ''Film/CrazyStupidLove'', arthouse film ''Film/DamselsInDistress'' (which featured their first lead role), and ''Film/WarmBodies''. Then derailment quickly came with their second lead role in the indie film ''Two Night Stand'', which bombed with critics and audiences alike and fizzled their career before they could go anywhere with it. They tried to bounce back with the Creator/{{ABC}} romantic comedy series ''Manhattan Love Story'', but it got canceled after only four episodes.

* Creator/WhoopiGoldberg's career as an A-list star faded into [[Series/TheHollywoodSquares center square]] and moderator on ''Series/TheView'' gradually, but it can be argued that the catalyst was ''Film/TheodoreRex''. Before that, she starred in ''Film/{{The Color Purple|1985'}}', ''Film/{{Ghost|1990}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', and ''Film/SisterAct''. And after it? Not a whole lot. Whoopi only completed the movie [[ContractualObligationProject because New Line Cinema threatened to sue her if she walked off the film]] – and after seeing Creator/KimBasinger get sued into bankruptcy in the fiasco that was ''Film/BoxingHelena'', she decided she could live with the shame if it meant keeping the lights on. ''Theodore Rex'' was initially intended as a theatrical release but went straight to home video instead, making it the most expensive DirectToVideo movie ever made. That's certainly something to keep in mind if you dare to watch it.

* Creator/WhoopiGoldberg's career as an A-list star faded into [[Series/TheHollywoodSquares center square]] and moderator on ''Series/TheView'' gradually, but it can be argued that the catalyst was ''Film/TheodoreRex''. Before that, she starred in ''Film/TheColorPurple'', ''Film/Ghost1990'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', and ''Film/SisterAct''. And after it? Not a whole lot. Whoopi only completed the movie [[ContractualObligationProject because New Line Cinema threatened to sue her if she walked off the film]] – and after seeing Creator/KimBasinger get sued into bankruptcy in the fiasco that was ''Film/BoxingHelena'', she decided she could live with the shame if it meant keeping the lights on. ''Theodore Rex'' was initially intended as a theatrical release but went straight to home video instead, making it the most expensive DirectToVideo movie ever made. That's certainly something to keep in mind if you dare to watch it.

* Creator/MeganFox became the latest in a long line of "it girl" [[MsFanservice sex symbols]] due to her role in the ''Film/{{Transformers|FilmSeries}}'' franchise. Her follow-up was the teen horror-comedy ''Film/JennifersBody'' in which she played a demon-possessed AlphaBitch; while the film itself (written and directed by women) was rooted heavily in feminist satire, Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's marketing campaign for it [[MisaimedMarketing focused almost entirely on Fox's hotness]], alienating its intended audience who wrote it off as a campy sex romp. ''Jennifer's Body'' has since been [[VindicatedByHistory rediscovered]], but at the time, not only did it disappoint at the box office and with the critics, but her performance was singled out as one of the film's bigger problems. After that, she invoked GodwinsLaw in her criticism of ''Transformers'' director Creator/MichaelBay, [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor directly resulting in Mikaela dumping Sam before]] [[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon the third film]], and her follow-ups ''Film/JonahHex'' and ''Passion Play'' were disasters. She was largely relegated to supporting roles afterwards, [[TypeCasting often playing]] the "hot chick". She tried to get her career back on track by reuniting with Bay for ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'', but while that film was a hit (negative reviews notwithstanding), the sequel ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesOutOfTheShadows'' was a BoxOfficeBomb that put both the franchise and Fox's comeback attempt on ice.

* After getting an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nomination for ''Film/{{Chicago}}'', Music/QueenLatifah received many starring and supporting roles through the 2000s. But starting around 2010 with ''Film/ValentinesDay'', her career began to slip as her next films (''Just Wright'', ''Film/TheDilemma'', ''Film/JoyfulNoise'', etc.) were released to far less glowing reception as her prior work. For several years, her only mainstream releases came from reprising her role as Ellie in the ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' movies. Besides that, her only high-profile work was hosting her own short-lived talk show. However, she got acclaim for playing Bessie Smith in Creator/{{HBO}}'s ''Bessie''. It then won four UsefulNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s including one for her as a producer, and she was also nominated for her performance. Later, she had her first mainstream success in years after ''Film/GirlsTrip'' became a SleeperHit in 2017.

* Creator/MeganFox became the latest in a long line of "it girl" [[MsFanservice sex symbols]] due to her role in the ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' franchise. Her follow-up was the teen horror-comedy ''Film/JennifersBody'' in which she played a demon-possessed AlphaBitch; while the film itself (written and directed by women) was rooted heavily in feminist satire, Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's marketing campaign for it [[MisaimedMarketing focused almost entirely on Fox's hotness]], alienating its intended audience who wrote it off as a campy sex romp. ''Jennifer's Body'' has since been [[VindicatedByHistory rediscovered]], but at the time, not only did it disappoint at the box office and with the critics, but her performance was singled out as one of the film's bigger problems. After that, she invoked GodwinsLaw in her criticism of ''Transformers'' director Creator/MichaelBay, [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor directly resulting in Mikaela dumping Sam before]] [[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon the third film]], and her follow-ups ''Film/JonahHex'' and ''Passion Play'' were disasters. She was largely relegated to supporting roles afterwards, [[TypeCasting often playing]] the "hot chick". She tried to get her career back on track by reuniting with Bay for ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'', but while that film was a hit (negative reviews notwithstanding), the sequel ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesOutOfTheShadows'' was a BoxOfficeBomb that put both the franchise and Fox's comeback attempt on ice.

* Creator/LucilleBall sunk her film career playing the title role in the musical ''Film/{{Mame}}'', a role which she was universally agreed to be [[WTHCastingAgency greatly miscast]]. She spent the rest of her career in television, which luckily worked out fine until ''Life with Lucy'' (see Live-Action TV in the main page under Actresses).

* Creator/BryceDallasHoward, hyped as a rising star by being the daughter of Creator/RonHoward, had much expected of her and made an immediate impression starring in Creator/MNightShyamalan's ''Film/TheVillage''. But her stock quickly fell after playing the title role of ''Film/LadyInTheWater'', a critically panned BoxOfficeBomb which came out amid the beginning of the backlash against Shyamalan. She later carved a niche as a character actor with roles in ''Film/TheHelp'' and ''Film/FiftyFifty2011'', but never fully satisfied her hype. However, her role in ''Film/JurassicWorld'' made her more famous than she ever had been before. She's also started to follow in her father's footsteps by carving out a respectable directing career, with an acclaimed documentary (''Dads'') and two well-received episodes of ''Series/TheMandalorian'' under her belt, plus an upcoming remake of ''Film/FlightOfTheNavigator''.

* Creator/RachaelLeighCook in ''Film/JosieAndThePussycats2001''. While the failure of that film was clearly the biggest blow to her career, she was unlucky enough to play supporting roles in two other flops, ''Film/{{Antitrust}}'' and ''Film/TexasRangers'', that same year.[[note]]''Texas Rangers'' had actually been filmed back in 1999, but was [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment only released in 2001]].[[/note]] The only significant roles she's had since then are the voice of Tifa Lockhart in the ''Franchise/CompilationOfFinalFantasyVII'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', playing the female lead in Creator/{{TNT}}'s summer procedural ''Series/Perception2012'', and (since 2016) various Creator/HallmarkChannel movies.

** Whoopi suffered an earlier career derailment in the late-80s after an attempt to turn her into an action-comedy star led to box-office failures such as ''Fatal Beauty'' and ''Burglar''. An attempt to recreate the success of ''The Color Purple'' with Goldberg in the lead became ''Clara's Heart'', which also performed poorly and is probably best known as the film debut of Creator/NeilPatrickHarris. Her Oscar-winning performance in ''Ghost'' led to a CareerResurrection.

* Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt became famous thanks to ''Series/PartyOfFive'' and ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer''. Though the latter film's sequel ''Film/IStillKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'' was torn to shreds by critics, it still did decently at the box office. She continued finding success with ''Film/CantHardlyWait'', ''Film/{{Heartbreakers}}'', and the live-action ''Film/{{Garfield}}'' films, but her film career was practically killed off in 2007 when ''Film/ShortcutToHappiness'' flopped. This intended adaptation of the short story ''Literature/TheDevilAndDanielWebster'' co-starring Creator/AlecBaldwin (who also directed) and Creator/AnthonyHopkins had Hewitt play a GenderFlipped version of Main/{{Satan}}. It actually finished filming back in 2001 but was plagued with financial and legal issues that left it on TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment for six years. The finished project, extensively re-cut against Baldwin's wishes in post-production, received a limited release without any fanfare, and got bad reviews from the minuscule number of people who did see it. While Hewitt's male co-stars were able to move past this flop[[note]]Baldwin was already starring on the wildly popular sitcom ''Series/ThirtyRock'' by the time this film was released, and regained esteem as a supporting actor on film with ''Film/BlueJasmine'', ''Film/StillAlice'', and later ''Film/MissionImpossible'' sequels (''Shortcut to Happiness'' remains [[CreatorKiller the only film he has directed, though]]); Hopkins starred as Odin in ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and [[Film/ThorTheDarkWorld its]] [[Film/ThorRagnarok sequels]] in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, in addition to turning in Oscar-nominated or winning work in ''Film/TheTwoPopes'' and ''Film/TheFather''[[/note]], she hasn't appeared in a major Hollywood film besides making a cameo in ''Film/TropicThunder''. Hewitt retreated to television afterwards, where she's found a tiny measure of success (with starring roles in ''Series/GhostWhisperer'', ''Series/CriminalMinds'', and currently ''Series/NineOneOne'').

* Kelly [=McGillis=] was a rising star in the mid-to-late 1980s following the successes of ''Film/{{Witness}}'', ''Film/TopGun'' and ''Film/TheAccused''. But then 1989 saw the release of ''Film/CatChaser'', which led her to become disaffected with Hollywood amidst the film's TroubledProduction and her [[HostilityOnTheSet problematic working relationship]] with Creator/PeterWeller, and eventually went straight-to-video following poor test screenings. [=McGillis=] then went into semi-retirement in UsefulNotes/{{Florida}}, taking a few parts for the better part of a decade until she resumed acting full-time. She has since focused on made-for-TV films and independent features with a few mainstream works in between.

* Music/MandyMoore had a somewhat successful career as a movie star, even though her movies weren't huge hits critically or financially. In 2007, her career in movies was killed by four flops: ''License to Wed'' [[note]]which also killed the careers of Creator/JohnKrasinski and Creator/RobinWilliams (see StarDerailingRole/FilmActors)[[/note]], ''Because I Said So'' opposite the aforementioned Diane Keaton, ''Dedication'', and ''Film/SouthlandTales'' opposite the also aforementioned Sarah Michelle Gellar. Moore mainly did guest spots on TV for almost a decade afterwards, besides ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''. Fortunately, she [[CareerResurrection rebounded]] impressively with a widely acclaimed role on the Creator/{{NBC}} drama ''Series/ThisIsUs'', where she even impressed the crew enough to also play the older version of her character under makeup rather than a separate actress.

* Creator/DeniseRichards saw her career momentum plummet when her performance in the 1999 ''Film/JamesBond'' film ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' was lambasted as one of its weakest links, while her most prolific role afterwards was in the ill-received slasher flick ''Film/{{Valentine}}'' two years later. Her screen appearances since that film flopped badly have now diminished to reality TV (''Series/DancingWithTheStars'', ''Series/TheRealHousewives of Beverly Hills'', etc.) and the soap opera ''Series/TheBoldAndTheBeautiful''.

* Creator/HaileeSteinfeld was hyped as a potential star of tomorrow after nabbing an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination at 13 for her acting debut in the 2010 remake of ''Film/TrueGrit'', soon receiving a number of offers for major projects. She turned them down and took a few years off of acting instead, choosing to return with a new adaptation of Shakespeare's classic ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' in 2013. Unfortunately, that film tanked with Steinfeld getting singled out in its many bad reviews. Over the next two years, a glut of projects featuring her, including ''Film/EndersGame'' (which was made worse by certain remarks the source material's [[Creator/OrsonScottCard author]] said pre-release) and ''Film/BarelyLethal'', were released to critical and audience indifference, while her potential nearly curdled into a "what if" situation had she not taken a break. Luckily, she soon [[CareerResurrection bounced back]] commercially with ''Film/PitchPerfect 2'' (a film that also marked the start of a successful second career for her as a singer) and critically with ''Film/TheEdgeOfSeventeen''. ''Pitch Perfect 3'' was also a financial hit despite not as good reviews as its predecessor, while ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' was widely considered to be a return to form for the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries film series]]. She has also voiced Spider-Gwen in the ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManSpiderVerse'' films and played Kate Bishop in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse show ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'', roles she is both set to reprise in future projects. Preceding ''Hawkeye'', she made her television debut playing Creator/EmilyDickinson on the critically acclaimed series ''Series/{{Dickinson}}''.

* Creator/NiaVardalos became a huge star when her film ''Film/MyBigFatGreekWedding'', which she starred and wrote, became a sleeper hit at the box office. However, she then did a sitcom spin-off called ''My Big Fat Greek Life'', which was quickly cancelled due to bad reviews and low ratings. She then tried to follow up her success with ''Connie And Carla'', which flopped at the box office. She then ended up attempting a comeback in 2009 when she starred in ''My Life In Ruins''. However, that ended up flopping at the box office as well. Since then, she's stuck to independent films and TV work. It seems that she wrote ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2'' to make it a CareerResurrection for her. It was successful but panned by critics.

* Creator/PiaZadora lost her stardom after the terrible response to ''Film/TheLonelyLady''. The massive controversy over her Golden Globe win for New Star of the Year, widely assumed to have been the result of her husband {{bribing|YourWayToVictory}} the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (especially after she also won the UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward for Worst New Actress), only soured people that much further on the idea of her as a major star. She has had only a handful of small roles and cameos after this film, though her musical career proved to be more successful.

* Creator/NicoleKidman saw her career falter with the failures of ''Film/{{Bewitched}}'', ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'', and ''Film/{{Australia}}''. While she did survive those disasters, her next big project, ''Grace of Monaco'', may have finally ended her reign as an A-lister after it suffered a bad TroubledProduction, ultimately skipping theaters altogether and being dumped straight to Creator/{{Lifetime}}. Luckily, she [[CareerResurrection recovered]] quickly with supporting roles in ''Film/Paddington2014'', ''Film/{{Lion}}'' (which got her an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nomination for Best Supporting Actress), and ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' (which later became her highest-grossing movie). Kidman later won two UsefulNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s for acting in and producing ''Series/BigLittleLies'', then got another Oscar nomination for Best Actress playing the aforesaid Creator/LucilleBall in ''Film/BeingTheRicardos''.

* Creator/HaileeSteinfeld was hyped as a potential star of tomorrow after nabbing an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination at 13 for her acting debut in the 2010 remake of ''Film/TrueGrit'', soon receiving a number of offers for major projects. She turned them down and took a few years off of acting instead, choosing to return with a new adaptation of Shakespeare's classic ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' in 2013. Unfortunately, that film tanked with Steinfeld getting singled out in its many bad reviews. Over the next two years, a glut of projects featuring her, including ''Film/EndersGame'' (which was made worse by certain remarks the source material's [[Creator/OrsonScottCard author]] said pre-release) and ''Film/BarelyLethal'', were released to critical and audience indifference, while her potential nearly curdled into a "what if" situation had she not taken a break. Luckily, she soon [[CareerResurrection bounced back]] commercially with ''Film/PitchPerfect 2'' (a film that also marked the start of a successful second career for her as a singer) and critically with ''Film/TheEdgeOfSeventeen''. ''Pitch Perfect 3'' was also a financial hit despite not as good reviews as its predecessor, while ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' was widely considered to be a return to form for the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries film series]]. She has also voiced Spider-Gwen in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManSpiderVerse'' and played Kate Bishop in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse show ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'', roles she is both set to reprise in future projects. Preceding ''Hawkeye'', she made her television debut playing Creator/EmilyDickinson on the critically acclaimed series ''Series/{{Dickinson}}''.

* Creator/HaileeSteinfeld was hyped as a potential star of tomorrow after nabbing an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination at 13 for her acting debut in the 2010 remake of ''Film/TrueGrit'', soon receiving a number of offers for major projects. She turned them down and took a few years off of acting instead, choosing to return with a new adaptation of Shakespeare's classic ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' in 2013. Unfortunately, that film tanked with Steinfeld getting singled out in its many bad reviews. Over the next two years, a glut of projects featuring her, including ''Film/EndersGame'' (which was made worse by certain remarks the source material's [[Creator/OrsonScottCard author]] said pre-release) and ''Film/BarelyLethal'', were released to critical and audience indifference, while her potential nearly curdled into a "what if" situation had she not taken a break. Luckily, she soon [[CareerResurrection bounced back]] commercially with ''Film/PitchPerfect 2'' (a film that also marked the start of a successful second career for her as a singer) and critically with ''Film/TheEdgeOfSeventeen''. ''Pitch Perfect 3'' was also a financial hit despite not as good reviews as its predecessor, while ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' was widely considered to be a return to form for the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries film series]]. She has also voiced Spider-Gwen in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' and played Kate Bishop in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse show ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'', roles she is both set to reprise in future projects. Preceding ''Hawkeye'', she made her television debut playing Creator/EmilyDickinson on the critically acclaimed series ''Series/{{Dickinson}}''.

* Sherilyn Fenn in ''Film/BoxingHelena''. She was riding high after ''Series/TwinPeaks'' and a well-received film adaptation of ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen'', but after ''Boxing Helena'' bombed, she went back to television for good.

* Though ''Film/WelcomeTo18'' stars Creator/CourtneyThorneSmith and Creator/MariskaHargitay managed to survive its abysmal box office performance, [=JoAnn=] Willette was limited to TV work afterwards. Her use of an ethnic slur and later pirating the film made things worse, which was soon handled by the film's production company Green Griffin. Many of Willette's scenes were edited out of current home media prints as a result of her racist remark.
* Creator/MaeWest took a hit to her popularity when her film ''Film/BelleOfTheNineties'' was hastily censored by Creator/{{Paramount}} to appease the enforcers of the Production Code. She was soon overtaken as screen queen by Creator/ShirleyTemple, and subsequent efforts to rehabilitate her image failed, culminating in a RoleEndingMisdemeanor in which she was fired by Paramount for causing a scandal at Creator/{{NBC}} by appearing alongside Creator/EdgarBergen and Charlie [=McCarthy=]. Her biggest screen success since then was ''My Little Chickadee'', in which Creator/{{Universal}} paired her with fellow washup Creator/WCFields.

* Creator/ReeseWitherspoon lost a lot of career momentum she gained with her Oscar-winning performance as June Carter Cash in ''Film/WalkTheLine'' when she starred in two flops: the 2007 political thriller ''Rendition'', and the 2008 holiday romantic comedy ''Film/FourChristmases''. ''Film/{{Rendition}}'' [[BoxOfficeBomb made $27 million on a $27 million budget]] and sharply divided critics, while ''Four Christmases'' was critically panned despite being comparatively more successful at the box office.[[note]]The latter film also presaged the career decline of Creator/VinceVaughn, who would later see his star derailed with ''Film/TheDilemma'' (see StarDerailingRole/FilmActors).[[/note]] Witherspoon wouldn't [[CareerResurrection regain]] the stature she previously had until she starred in 2014's ''Film/{{Wild}}'', which netted her another Oscar nomination (though she didn't win this time). Although her film career was battered again by ''Film/HotPursuit'' (which also damaged the career of the aforementioned Creator/SofiaVergara), she would sustain her career through her work on television (such as ''Series/BigLittleLies'', ''Series/TheMorningShow'', and ''Literature/LittleFiresEverywhere'').
* Creator/PiaZadora in ''Film/TheLonelyLady''. The massive controversy over her Golden Globe win for New Star of the Year, widely assumed to have been the result of her husband {{bribing|YourWayToVictory}} the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (especially after she also won the UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward for Worst New Actress), only soured people that much further on the idea of her as a major star. She has had only a handful of small roles and cameos after this film, though her musical career proved to be more successful.

* Creator/CatherineZetaJones got hit by this in 2012. She broke out in TheNineties as one of its premier ingénues, establishing herself in her native Britain on television before scoring big in Hollywood with ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro''. Further successes with ''Film/{{Entrapment}}'', ''Film/HighFidelity'', and ''Film/{{Traffic|2000}}'' came next, before she won an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for her performance in ''Film/{{Chicago}}''. The nudge her victory provided boosted her career when ''Film/IntolerableCruelty'', ''Film/TheTerminal'', ''Film/OceansTwelve'', ''Film/TheLegendOfZorro'' and ''Film/{{No Reservations|2007}}'' became hits too. She took a hiatus from acting after that last one, not appearing in a mainstream Hollywood movie for five years after its release. Upon returning to the screen in 2012, she had the rotten luck of starring in three of the year's worst disasters: ''Film/RockOfAges'', ''Lay the Favorite'', and ''Playing For Keeps''. ''Film/SideEffects'' and ''Film/{{Red 2}}'' bombing at the box office the next year didn't aid her either, though ''Side Effects'' was an AcclaimedFlop. She hasn't starred in a theatrically released film since ''Dad's Army'' in 2016, but has found some success on television playing Creator/OliviaDeHavilland on the Creator/RyanMurphy-created series ''Series/{{Feud}}''. She then played [[Franchise/TheAddamsFamily Morticia Addams]] on the Creator/{{Netflix}} show ''Series/{{Wednesday}}'', created by Creator/TimBurton.

* Creator/RaquelWelch suffered this with ''Film/MyraBreckinridge''. A major sex symbol of TheSixties, she accepted the title role in an adaptation of the critically acclaimed book of the same name with the intention of proving her skill. The film, contrary to expectations, instead became a notorious BoxOfficeBomb and was universally panned, with even the book's author Creator/GoreVidal [[DisownedAdaptation calling it "an awful joke."]] She struggled to regain approval in TheSeventies and nearly pulled off a comeback with the success of ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', which vanished after the critical and financial failure of ''Film/MotherJugsAndSpeed''. Welch didn't star in a major studio film for twenty years, with her next one being the also unsuccessful ''Film/ChairmanOfTheBoard'' (which additionally snuffed Carrot Top's film career as well; see StarDerailingRole/FilmActors). Aside from minor parts in ''Film/LegallyBlonde'' and ''How to Be a Latin Lover'' (which in 2017, was her final film), she never acted in any big projects again before her death in 2023.
* Though ''Welcome To 18'' stars Creator/CourtneyThorneSmith and Creator/MariskaHargitay managed to survive its abysmal box office performance, [=JoAnn=] Willette was limited to TV work afterwards. Her use of an ethnic slur and later pirating the film made things worse, which was soon handled by the film's production company Green Griffin. Many of Willette's scenes were edited out of current home media prints as a result of her racist remark.
* Creator/MaeWest took a hit to her popularity when her film ''Belle Of The Nineties'' was hastily censored by Creator/{{Paramount}} to appease the enforcers of the Production Code. She was soon overtaken as screen queen by Creator/ShirleyTemple, and subsequent efforts to rehabilitate her image failed, culminating in a RoleEndingMisdemeanor in which she was fired by Paramount for causing a scandal at Creator/{{NBC}} by appearing alongside Creator/EdgarBergen and Charlie [=McCarthy=]. Her biggest screen success since then was ''My Little Chickadee'', in which Creator/{{Universal}} paired her with fellow washup Creator/WCFields.

* Creator/ReeseWitherspoon lost a lot of career momentum she gained with her Oscar-winning performance as June Carter Cash in ''Film/WalkTheLine'' when she starred in two flops: the 2007 political thriller ''Rendition'', and the 2008 holiday romantic comedy ''Film/FourChristmases''. ''Rendition'' [[BoxOfficeBomb made $27 million on a $27 million budget]] and sharply divided critics, while ''Four Christmases'' was critically panned despite being comparatively more successful at the box office.[[note]]The latter film also presaged the career decline of Creator/VinceVaughn, who would later see his star derailed with ''Film/TheDilemma'' (see StarDerailingRole/FilmActors).[[/note]] Witherspoon wouldn't [[CareerResurrection regain]] the stature she previously had until she starred in 2014's ''Film/{{Wild}}'', which netted her another Oscar nomination (though she didn't win this time). Although her film career was battered again by ''Film/HotPursuit'' (which also damaged the career of the aforementioned Creator/SofiaVergara), she would sustain her career through her work on television (such as ''Series/BigLittleLies'', ''Series/TheMorningShow'', and ''Literature/LittleFiresEverywhere'').

* Creator/AlexisBledel, fresh off ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' ending its run in 2007 and the success of ''Literature/TheSisterhoodOfTheTravelingPants'' movies, promptly had her film career sunk with the back-to-back failures of ''The Good Guy'' and ''Post Grad'' in 2009. Thankfully, her career in television has remained prosperous with the ''Gilmore Girls'' revival series ''A Year in the Life'' and her Emmy-winning performance in ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale''.

* Creator/JenniferGarner's career took a hit with ''Film/{{Elektra}}'', not helping matters was ''Series/{{Alias}}'' ending around the same time. She found herself in supporting roles and very few leading parts, and those that she did headline were not big enough hits to change her momentum. While she's had some well-received roles, she has yet to regain the former prominence she had.

* Creator/MelanieGriffith in ''Film/CecilBDemented''. In TheEighties, she was on the rise with films like ''Film/BodyDouble'', ''Film/SomethingWild'', and ''Film/WorkingGirl''. Once TheNineties reached, Griffith's career began faltering when she starred in poorly-received {{Box Office Bomb}}s like ''Literature/TheBonfireOfTheVanities'', ''Film/ShiningThrough'', ''A Stranger Among Us'', ''Film/MilkMoney'', and ''Film/MulhollandFalls''. 2000's ''Cecil B. Demented'' marked the end of her run as a leading lady.
* Creator/AlysonHannigan hasn't recovered her film career from the Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg movie ''Date Movie'' in 2006, after which she wouldn't appear in a film (besides a voice role in ''Film/FarceOfThePenguins'') for nearly five years. She, however, was already one of the stars of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' by then, ensuring her television career (with which she discovered success with ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'') would continue unscathed.

* Creator/JulianneHough was hyped as a star in the making after initially emerging as one of the pro dancers on ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'' then starring in the successful ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' remake, but the failure of ''Film/RockOfAges'' battered her career badly. Her next blockbusters ''Literature/SafeHaven'' and ''Film/DirtyGrandpa'' were reviled far more while her only major screen work since has been returning to ''DWTS'', this time as a judge. She attempted an acting comeback as part of Fox's ''Grease Live!'' in 2016, which came and went with minimal fanfare.

* Creator/JenniferLawrence, in [[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/movies/jennifer-lawrence-causeway.html an interview]] with Kyle Buchanan for ''The New York Times'', cited 2016's ''Film/{{Passengers|2016}}'' as the film that ended her run as a Hollywood [[HollywoodHypeMachine "it girl"]] and [[CreatorBacklash made her seriously start questioning her career choices]]. Lawrence's career exploded in the early '10s thanks to both hit franchise blockbusters like ''Film/TheHungerGames'' and ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' and acclaimed performances in prestige dramas like ''Film/WintersBone'', ''Film/SilverLiningsPlaybook'' (which won her an Oscar), and ''Film/AmericanHustle'', but by mid-decade, a combination of declining reviews for her films, a nude photo leak scandal, and (as noted in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7aq1bHXuY8 this video]] by ''WebVideo/TheTake'') growing cynicism towards her [[TheLadette lad-ette]] NotLikeOtherGirls public persona took the shine off her career. ''Passengers'' was the tipping point, a role that she said Music/{{Adele}} even warned her not to take, a warning that she felt in hindsight she should've listened to. When the failure of ''Passengers'' was followed up by that of ''Film/Mother2017'', ''Film/RedSparrow'', and ''Film/DarkPhoenix'', Lawrence took a two-year break from acting before returning with ''Film/DontLookUp'' and ''Causeway''.

* Gaia Weiss began her career as a model in her native France, with her acting work mainly being small parts in French-language movies; she tried to make it in Hollywood with her role as Hebe in ''Film/TheLegendOfHercules'' alongside Kellan Lutz, but the film [[BoxOfficeBomb flopped]] at the box-office and was critically eviscerated; since then, her film work has been limited, but she does seem to be making a comeback in the BBC-Canal+ historical drama ''Series/MarieAntoinette2022''.