Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
#52
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Are "hits" the only measure of success though? Bringing Out The Dead, Adaptation, Bad Lieutenant, Joe and Mandy are all pretty fantastic movies. He does a lot of crap straight to dvd stuff. But since his Oscar win he's had PLENTY of films that were either a critical or box office success and sometimes they were both. Making bad unsuccessful movies doesn't erase all the good successful ones. Just ask Dennis Hopper or Christopher Walken.
#54
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Louise Fletcher and Adrien Brody were the first two I thought of. They have both worked steadily, but they seem to have peaked early in their careers.
#55
#56
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Not to pile on, but Cage was an A-list box office draw for about a decade AFTER his Oscar win. Sure he went a little broke and and a little crazy, but to say that he "never amounted to much" (your words, not mine) is lunacy worthy of Nic himself.
#57
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
How has no one mentioned Casey Affleck?
#58
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
#59
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Brody was an A-list lead actor for a little while. More than can be said for many of the random nobodies that win Oscars and then have no career at all.
#60
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Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Well I didn’t really want to bring it up, but there is evidence now that Brody’s career was derailed by Harvey Weinstein.
#61
DVD Talk Legend
#62
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Those are the ones who are the most noticeable, though, without having to pull wikipedia up to search through names. I mean, I couldn't even remember the name of the Killing Fields actor (still can't), but I remember Brody and Cuba Gooding Jr. right away.
#64
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Seriously I love One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest, but Louise Fletcher was as one note a performance as has ever been nominated. The obvious comp is Kathy Bates in Misery. Bates has far more to do, much more range, just a lot more interesting . Fletcher barely does anything beyond scolding the inmates in monotone. I have never been impressed with that performance
#65
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Mo’Nique
#66
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Some actors are picked solely for a role with no hope of ever becoming a big star. Granted he was only nominated but did anyone expect that “I’m the Captain now” guy from Captain Phillips to headline rom-coms afterward?
#67
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
I can't imagine a two-time Lead Actor winner having a less successful post-Oscar career than Hillary Swank. I couldn't name three movies or even TV shows that she has done since Million Dollar Baby.
#70
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
Good call. It looks like she was in a couple other Oscar bait movies that didn’t catch on and she is in that Hunt movie that got shitcanned a month or two ago.
#71
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Oscar winners who never amounted to much?
That is why many Oscar winners see their career disappear. Hollywood will try once or twice with you as an Oscar winner, but if the movie fails at the box office, your career can be all but over in a blink.