{"id":304702,"date":"2025-12-08T08:39:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T08:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/304702\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T08:39:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T08:39:06","slug":"19-movies-that-rescued-actors-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/304702\/","title":{"rendered":"19 movies that rescued actors\u2019 careers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IndependentCulture\"<\/p>\n

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter <\/p>\n

\"IndependentCulture\"<\/p>\n

In Hollywood, stardom is a fickle thing.<\/p>\n

Even the very best actors go through fallow periods \u2013 too often, today\u2019s buzzy ing\u00e9nue is tomorrow\u2019s out-of-work has-been.<\/p>\n

But sometimes, if they\u2019re lucky, a project comes along<\/a> that can turn it all around<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Robert Downey Jr is one of the most famous actors to have pushed his acting career to the brink of extinction, only to claw his way back to the very top. But there are countless others \u2013 names such as Keanu Reeves, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brendan Fraser.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, actors disappear from the screen entirely during their downturn, with Indiana Jonesstar Ke Huy Quan an example of a person whom the industry turned its back on for decades.<\/p>\n

Other times, performers simply carry on working through it, pumping their energies into inferior projects that fail to make use of their considerable talents.<\/p>\n

Here are 19 actors whose careers went into freefall \u2013 and the movies that saved them.<\/p>\n

Lauren Bacall \u2013 Murder on the Orient Express<\/p>\n

A legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Bacall found her career hampered in middle age by a number of factors \u2013 including a reputation for being difficult to work with \u2013 and disappeared from the big screen entirely for an eight-year period between 1966 and 1974. It was Sidney Lumet\u2019s Poirot adaptation Murder on the Orient Express that gave Bacall a second wind, and she went on to renewed success, starring in acclaimed films such as Misery and Birth late into her life.<\/p>\n

Jamie Lee Curtis \u2013 Halloween<\/p>\n

Curtis was one of the industry\u2019s foremost \u201cscream queens\u201d throughout the Seventies and Eighties, thanks to her roles in films such as Halloween and The Fog. As the years went by, however, the roles dried up, and Curtis even briefly retired from acting in the Noughties. The 2018 legacy sequel Halloween, however, saw the actor thrust back into the limelight, and put her on a mainstream trajectory that ended in her Academy Award win for Everything Everywhere All at Once.<\/p>\n

\"Scream,<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Scream, queens: Jamie Lee Curtis and Andi Matichak in 2018\u2019s \u2018Halloween\u2019 (Universal)<\/p>\n

Robert De Niro \u2013 Silver Linings Playbook<\/p>\n

Widely heralded as one of the all-time great actors, De Niro lapsed into a rut in the 2000s, with his name becoming almost synonymous with low-quality, low-effort box office fare. A supporting turn opposite Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in David O Russell\u2019s Silver Linings Playbook saw him draw the best reviews he\u2019d received in decades, and earnt him his first Oscar nomination since 1992\u2019s Cape Fear. Despite the odd clunker since, De Niro has gone on to even greater heights, with his work in Martin Scorsese\u2019s The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon ranking alongside his very best performances.<\/p>\n

\"Video<\/p>\n

Robert Downey Jr \u2013 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang<\/p>\n

Downey Jr\u2019s struggles with addiction and erratic on-set behaviour were so notorious that, at the start of the 2000s, he was practically uninsurable. Thanks largely to his role in Shane Black\u2019s inventive 2005 comedy, though, the newly sober star was able to rebuild his reputation \u2013 and, with his role in the Iron Man franchise, go on to become one of Hollywood\u2019s biggest and most bankable performers.<\/p>\n

\"Kiss<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Kiss of death: Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr in \u2018Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (Warner Bros)<\/p>\n

Colin Farrell \u2013 In Bruges<\/p>\n

Colin Farrell enjoyed success early in his career, but struggled to convince as a heavyweight actor, instead building a reputation as a scandal-hit Hollywood heartthrob. This changed with the release of Martin McDonagh\u2019s raucous crime comedy In Bruges, which saw Farrell hit the sort of creative heights he would make a habit of in the years since. \u201cIn Bruges \u2013 personally, creatively, and all that jazz \u2013 was a big turning point for me,\u201d Farrell would later say.<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/p>\n

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day<\/p>\n

New subscribers only. \u00a39.99\/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.<\/p>\n

Try for free<\/a><\/p>\n

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/p>\n

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day<\/p>\n

New subscribers only. \u00a39.99\/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.<\/p>\n

Try for free<\/a><\/p>\n

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.<\/p>\n

Brendan Fraser \u2013 The Whale<\/p>\n

Once a bona fide leading man, Fraser saw his acting career decimated by depressing forces beyond his control, and was barely seen on screen for the past decade. But in the last couple of years, he\u2019s launched a roundly celebrated comeback \u2013 with his bodily transformational and Oscar-winning role in Darren Aronofsky\u2019s The Whale re-establishing him as a major force on the scene.<\/p>\n

\"Call<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Call me Ishmael: Brendan Fraser in \u2018The Whale\u2019 (A24)<\/p>\n

Hugh Grant \u2013 Paddington 2<\/p>\n

In the 1990s, Grant\u2019s glittering career survived a high-profile sex scandal and the ignominy of Mickey Blue Eyes. But as the years went by, he wandered down a cul-de-sac of mediocrity, phoning in performances for by-the-numbers films such as The Rewrite, before he began to rebuild his reputation as an erudite older star. The first whisperings came in the 2016 feelgood opera drama Florence Foster Jenkins, but it was his villainous role in the acclaimed children\u2019s charmer Paddington 2 that truly relaunched his career, and secured him a surprise Bafta nomination in 2018.<\/p>\n

Michael Keaton \u2013 Birdman<\/p>\n

This audacious \u201cone-take\u201d film cast Keaton as a spiraling actor with some uncanny parallels to himself \u2013 who takes on an ambitious stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver story. The Best Picture-winning film kickstarted a renaissance in Keaton\u2019s career, with the former Beetlejuice maverick going on to star in everything from big-money blockbusters (Spider-Man: Homecoming) to Emmy-winning shows (Dopesick).<\/p>\n

\"Still<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Still got the (beetle)juice: Michael Keaton in \u2018Birdman’ (Fox Searchlight)<\/p>\n

Matthew McConaughey \u2013 The Lincoln Lawyer<\/p>\n

Few actors have undergone so drastic a reinvention as Matthew McConaughey, the widely disparaged romcom star who pivoted to \u201crespectable\u201d acting in a period dubbed the \u201cMcConnaissance\u201d. Before projects such as Dallas Buyers Club and Interstellar, though, there was The Lincoln Lawyer, a decent legal thriller that affirmed McConaughey\u2019s chops as a credible dramatic lead.<\/p>\n

Leslie Nielsen \u2013 Airplane!<\/p>\n

The Zucker brothers\u2019 anarchic 1980 comedy Airplane! didn\u2019t so much save Nielsen\u2019s career as completely reinvent it: up until then, the actor had been a veteran of dramas, even starring in the po-faced disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure. What Airplane! did was recognise his preternatural flair for deadpan, and a career as a comedy maven was born.<\/p>\n

\"Don\u2019t<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t call me Shirley: Leslie Nielsen alongside Julie Hagerty and Peter Graves in \u2018Airplane!’ (Paramount)<\/p>\n

Ke Huy Quan \u2013 Everything Everywhere All at Once<\/p>\n

One of Hollywood\u2019s real \u201cforgotten men\u201d, Quan saw his career dissolve after finding fame as a child star in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, pivoting to stunt choreography after struggling to maintain his on-camera profile. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert\u2019s genre-bending awards darling catapulted him back into the frame in 2022, and bagged Quan an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. In the short time since that film\u2019s release, he\u2019s landed several big projects, including a main role on the series American Born Chinese and a supporting turn in Marvel\u2019s Loki.<\/p>\n

Keanu Reeves \u2013 John Wick<\/p>\n

Despite starring in some of the most enduring films of the 1990s \u2013 The Matrix, Speed and Point Break \u2013 Reeves saw his stock plummet in the 2000s thanks to a string of commercial failures. The actor, whose line delivery was often the subject of unfair derision, clawed his way back to the top with a role in the slick 2014 thriller John Wick. Three sequels later, Reeves is now one of the industry\u2019s biggest and most respected onscreen talents.<\/p>\n

\"Neo<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Neo beginnings: Keanu Reeves in \u2018John Wick’ (Warner Bros)<\/p>\n

Ryan Reynolds \u2013 Deadpool<\/p>\n

For years, Hollywood seemed intent on trying to make Ryan Reynolds happen, to no avail. In blockbuster squibs such as Green Lantern and RIPD, the Canadian actor failed to impress. His luck turned around when he was cast as the foul-mouthed, puerile Deadpool in Marvel\u2019s R-rated 2016 adaptation; it was a role that immediately transformed the actor into one of mainstream cinema\u2019s go-to leading men for quippy popular films.<\/p>\n

Edward G Robinson \u2013 A Hole in the Head<\/p>\n

The McCarthyist blacklisting of the 1950s torpedoed the careers of many great actors, including Old Hollywood legend Edward G Robinson. After a period in the wilderness, taking on minor roles in eclectic projects, Robinson eventually made his way back into the fray, with the 1959 comedy A Hole in the Head kickstarting a new era for the diminutive actor.<\/p>\n

Mickey Rourke \u2013 Sin City<\/p>\n

Once a roughish leading man, Rourke saw his stardom wane in the 1990s and early 2000s, before a role in the stylised comic adaptation Sin City resuscitated it. Within two years, his career was flying high again, with a layered, Oscar-winning turn in The Wrestler. Even though his profile has receded again since, his career revival was something to behold.<\/p>\n

\"Sin<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Sin you been gone: Rourke starred in 2005\u2019s \u2018Sin City’ (Rico Torres\/Paramount)<\/p>\n

Winona Ryder \u2013 Black Swan<\/p>\n

A captivating screen presence, Ryder saw the shine of her 1990s hits \u2013 Edward Scissorhands, Reality Bites, The Age of Innocence and more \u2013 fizzle in the early 21st-century, thanks in part to negative tabloid coverage. A blistering supporting turn in the dark ballet drama Black Swan helped turn things around, however, with a subsequent role in Netflix\u2019s Stranger Things putting Ryder firmly back on the map.<\/p>\n

John Travolta \u2013 Pulp Fiction<\/p>\n

The singing, dancing star of Grease had watched his career flatline throughout the Eighties \u2013 that is until Quentin Tarantino told him \u201cyou\u2019re the one that I want\u201d and cast him in his sophomore feature Pulp Fiction. Travolta\u2019s turn, as the shambling gangster Vincent Vega, reinvigorated his career, and saw him receive a surprise Oscar nomination.<\/p>\n

\"Mea<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Mea pulpa: Travolta and Samuel L Jackson in \u2018Pulp Fiction’ (Miramax)<\/p>\n

Reese Witherspoon \u2013 Wild<\/p>\n

To some extent, Witherspoon was bound to dip at some point: the Legally Blonde star got big while still young, and had won an Academy Award while still in her twenties (for 2005\u2019s Walk the Line). After her Oscar win, though, things just weren\u2019t happening, and the actor experienced a string of flops. That is until the 2014 Oscar contender Wild, a moving return-to-nature drama that saw Witherspoon draw some of the best reviews of her career. Since then, it\u2019s been a different story, and Witherspoon sits atop her own media empire with a net worth of over $400m.<\/p>\n

Ren\u00e9e Zellweger \u2013 Bridget Jones\u2019 Baby<\/p>\n

In the early Noughties, Zellweger was on top of the world: Bridget Jones\u2019s Diary and Chicago helped make her a household name, while Cold Mountain bagged her her first Oscar. But a downturn in prospects led to a complete hiatus starting in 2010. It was the third Bridget Jones film that brought her career out of hibernation; the welcome return to her best-known role got the ball rolling for a number of other strong projects, including 2019\u2019s Judy, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-304702","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}