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Actors you thought were going to be "a thing" but you were completely wrong about.

posted 3 years ago by samoanjoes (58491)
149 replies | jump to latest

Michelle Ryan. She was in the short lived "Bionic Woman" show. She was a decent actress and was hotter than Satan falling into a volcano while eating a jalapeño pepper. I thought she would be big just on her looks alone but she never did anything big afterwards.

Aidan Turner. He was sort of big in Ireland. I saw him in "Being Human" but he left the show to do "The Hobbit" movies. He even had the movie star look that the ladies would love. I thought he would be a huge star but I was completely wrong.

Dillon Freasier. He was the kid in "There Will be Blood". He held his own opposite Daniel Day-Lewis. How was I supposed to know he was going to be in nothing afterward? Literally not a single thing.

Paul Walter Hauser. He was brilliant in "Richard Jewell". I thought he was going to get an Oscar nomination. He didn't and has been in mediocre movies since.

[–] Sarmoviefan26 (1368) 3 years ago

Leighton Meester hehe.
I thought she was going to be the one from Gossip Girl to have the better career since everyone loved Blair more than Serena.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 3 years ago

Josh Holloway: After Lost, I thought this guy was going to star in 2 movies a year.

[–] samoanjoes (58491) 3 years ago

And what a dreamboat!

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 3 years ago

He is a handsome chap and has super hero physique. I still don't understand how he didn't rise to the top. He played a spy for about 5 minutes at the beginning of Mission Impossible 4 and I though "fuck yeah, dude is going to be an ongoing character in the best spy movies!" but no.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

Alexandra Daddario

[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

She was good in The White Lotus series

[–] chilone (18286) 3 years ago

I love her!

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

Too bad she can't act.

[–] chilone (18286) 3 years ago

I think she's fine as an actress.

[–] Mustang (5568) 3 years ago

Jami Gertz. Was in some popular films but never quite kept it going. Then ended up on TV.

[–] TandyMan (11327) 3 years ago

She kind of want out of style. She was very rooted in the 80s/90s, her look and personality. Sometimes actors get left behind with fashion and music of the time.

[–] Mustang (5568) 3 years ago

I am sometimes surprised James Spader and Downey Jr survived the 80's they were very much rooted in that era.

[–] TandyMan (11327) 3 years ago

Can I pick Chris Rock? lol He's pretty famous, but I thought for sure he'd get a good solid decade of leading man comedies like other successful comedians have.

[–] Mustang (5568) 3 years ago

I don't know a lot about him but in most cases the way these people are on screen is at least a part of who they are in reality. He seems very abrasive and would piss people off after a while. He has probably burned a lot of bridges.

[–] mechajutaro (2788) 3 years ago

Can I pick Chris Rock? lol He's pretty famous, but I thought for sure he'd get a good solid decade of leading man comedies like other successful comedians have.

Yeah. He didn't and still doesn't get anywhere near enough credit for his work in Top Five

[–] Mustang (5568) 3 years ago

Alyson Hannigan - She had the most successful leap from TV to movies of the Buffy cast. But it didn't seem to last very long. I have read she has other interests and probably didn't want to invest much time in acting.

Timothy Olyphant - I know he has done well for himself but I figured he would become a lot bigger than what he is.

Josh Duhamel - Seemed to be everywhere in the 2000's, I thought he was being groomed to be the next "thing".

[–] mechajutaro (2788) 3 years ago

Elisha Cuthbert proved that she was more than just a pretty face with T&A for miles in The Quiet. She really did look like she was poised to skyrocket to the top of the charts during the early-mid 2000s. Granted, in her case she seems to have walked away deliberately, by moving back to Canada, marrying, and having a child

Emilie Hirsch, her co-star in The Girl Next Door: Guy had the chops to be something of an American Gael Garcia Bernard. He's mostly alternated between indie flicks and slumming it in DTV fare

Milli Avital: Proved that she was a lot more than the newest sexy young thang on the scene, when she followed up Stargate with her turn on TV's The Arabian Nights

James DeBello: He excelled in indie fare like Crime And Suburbia during the late 90s, and tore up the screen in Cabin Fever. He's also been slumming in TV and B movies ever since though

[–] samoanjoes (58491) 3 years ago

I hear Emilie Hirsch has some bad on set behaviour. Maybe that's why he was and A-lister.

Elisha Cuthbert was consistently in stuff, but since she had a kid it seems you're right, she decided to step away herself.

[–] mechajutaro (2788) 3 years ago

I hear Emilie Hirsch has some bad on set behaviour. Maybe that's why he was and A-lister.

I once heard that he punched an executive while on the Paramount lot. Whether or not this was just jerkiness on Hirsch's part. or the exec provoked the violence, I'm not sure

Elisha Cuthbert was consistently in stuff, but since she had a kid it seems you're right, she decided to step away herself.

I heard an interview with her not long ago, where she talked about not wanting to be a sex symbol after TGND, and also choosing to step away from Hollywood, on account of the atmosphere being poisonous. Overwhelmingly, I've notice that it's the actors and actresses who do this very thing(leave Hollywood, that is)who seem to be a lot healthier emotionally. EC may have had the right idea

[–] Mustang (5568) 3 years ago

Lili Simmons she was appearing in a lot of shows a few years back. Usually getting naked. I thought she was getting set up for something big but has just floundered.

Helen Hunt I think they tried to make her bigger than she became but she started doing some arty type films instead.

Kaley Cuoco I know this one might sound controversial as she has been successful on TV but I thought they were going to really set her up to be a leading lady type in films etc Her luck might be coming to an end.

[–] samoanjoes (58491) 3 years ago

You would think that after a successful show and winning an Oscar, Helen Hunt would still be consistently in stuff.

[–] Mustang (5568) 3 years ago

Her films start getting more low key from 2006 onwards. Unless you are a very devoted fan you would think she just retired.

2006 Bobby
2007 Then She Found Me
2010 Every Day
2011 Soul Surfer
Jock the Hero Dog
2012 The Sessions
2013 Decoding Annie Parker
2014 Ride Jackie
2017 I Love You, Daddy
2018 The Miracle Season
2018 Candy Jar
2019 I See You
2020 The Night Clerk
2021 How It Ends

[–] samoanjoes (58491) 3 years ago

I've only heard of 2 of them.

[–] Mustang (5568) 3 years ago

Same here, I remember The Sessions as she got naked in it although by then she had lost her looks. Never found out if she had anorexia or something else but she got really skinny and unhealthy looking.

I know of Decoding Annie Parker but never saw it.