These Actors Just Barely Recovered From Awful Movie Roles

John Travolta In Battlefield Earth

John Travolta was a megastar in the 1970s. His career hit a bit of a slump as he transitioned from teenage heartthrob to serious actor. It was Tarantino's Pulp Fiction that really turned his career around. Then, in 2000, he decided to star in Battlefield Earth, The film was based on the first half of L. Ron Hubbard's 1982 novel of the same name.

Travolta thought he was doing his part for his Scientology brothers, but unfortunately, this film did just as well as critics expected (which is not very well at all).

Halle Berry In Catwoman

Halle Berry was a superstar in 2001, which is why she as offered the role of Catwoman. She had just won her first Oscar for her work in Monster's Ball and she had already entered the superhero game in X-Men and Die Another Day. When Catwoman came out in 2004, it was a complete flop.

She was awarded a Razzie for Worst Actress for her performance, which is a long way to fall from her Best Actress Oscar.

Topher Grace In Spider-Man 3

Topher Grace rose to fame as Eric on That '70s Show. After his sitcom ended, Grace tried to transition into movies, and he thought he was making a great decision when he signed on to be a part of the Spider-Man franchise. The franchise had been doing well up to that point. In the third Spider-Man movie starring Tobey McGuire, Topher Grace played a young photographer who was overtaken by some dark goop. He then became Venom, a signature Spider-Man villain.

For whatever reason, this Spider-Man movie didn't do as well as the others. Probably because it featured a depressed Tobey McGuire flashing finger guns during a laughable dance montage. Luckily, Topher was eventually able to recover from this flop. He has since appeared in BlaKkKlansman for which he earned himself a SAG Award nomination.

Vin Diesel In The Pacifier

Vin Diesel was able to make a career out of staring in fast-paced action movies. This man was a true action star when he decided to make a foray into family comedy and star as an undercover Navy SEAL turned babysitter in The Pacifier.

The film received an average rating of 3 on Rotten Tomatoes. One reviewer said, "I did not laugh once. Vin Diesel just can't do kid movies." We completely agree. This guy should just stick to driving fast cars and dodging bullets.

Mark Hamill In Return Of The Jedi

Return of the Jedi was not a flop by any means. In fact, it's still considered to be one of the most successful genre films of all time. So how did it hurt Mark Hamill's career? Perhaps he was typecast after his performance as Luke Skywalker, or maybe he just wasn't a very good actor to begin with.

Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher were able to find work after Star Wars. Hamil managed to get some voice acting work, but he never appeared in another movie until reprising his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Jamie Kennedy In Son Of The Mask

Jamie Kennedy was a relatively successful actor in the '90s and early 2000s, appearing in a string of films including three Scream films, Malibu's Most Wanted and Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. Then he decided to step into Jim Carrey's shoes as the son of The Mask.

Nobody should ever try to follow Jim Carrey ever. Kennedy should have known that he was setting himself up for disaster. The project pretty much ruined his career. However, he was able to land a reoccurring role in the show Ghost Whisperer and later voiced a role on The Cleveland Show.

Will Smith In After Earth

Will Smith is still doing just fine. Yeah, he's made some bad movie choices, but he's still Will Smith so we'll always check in with him from time to time. One of the worst movie decisions he ever made was the decision to star alongside his son Jaden Smith in After Earth. The movie was so bad that both Will and Jaden took a step back from making movies for a while after it came out.

The next time we saw Will in a movie was two years later in Concussion.

Elizabeth Berkely In Showgirls

Elizabeth Berkley charmed tweens in the late '80s and early '90s as Jesse Spano on the much-loved TV series Saved By The Bell. Her co-stars Mario Lopez, Tiffani Thiessen and Mark-Paul Gosselaar went on to have somewhat successful careers, but Berkley's career was cut short following a risky role.

She made a big mistake when she took the role of an exotic dancer in director Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls in 1995. She spent quite a bit of screen time in the buff and gave a horrible, much-maligned performance that kept casting agents far, far away from her. She resorted to small roles in subsequent years but never fully regained her footing.

Hayden Christensen In Star Wars

Everybody knows that the Star Wars prequels aren't as good as the original trilogy. We wanted to see Darth Vader's backstory, but we didn't want to see it quite like this. Audiences really didn't like Hayden Christensen's whiny portrayal of Anakin Skywalker. This actor was doing well before Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. He'd even received a Golden Globe nomination for Life as a House.

After playing Anakin, he couldn't get a job playing anybody else. What is he even up to these days?

Jake Lloyd In The Phantom Menace

Jake Lloyd was still a small boy when he was cast in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 1999. Yet, he had appeared in a few other projects beforehand, including Jingle All the Way opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Lloyd had to live up to huge fan expectations and ultimately disappointed moviegoers. His portrayal of a young Darth Vader was panned by fans and critics alike. After the film's release, Lloyd did some voice work but quit acting completely. He was bullied at school and was the target of fan backlash. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2015 and arrested for reckless driving.

Ben Affleck In Gigli

Ben Affleck had a pretty varied career by the time he appeared in Gigli. He had a few missteps (Pearl Harbor and Daredevil) but also some big hits (Good Will Hunting and Armageddon — the first of which landed him an Oscar before the age of 25). Then he decided to star in a film with his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez.

People hated the project. And while it seemed like the movie should have been a career ender, Affleck managed to rebound. In 2012, he directed and starred in Argo, which won three Oscars. Gone Girl was also great, but his stint as Batman has received mixed reactions.

Tom Green In Freddy Got Fingered

Tom Green was a magnet for the absurd when he starred on the MTV series The Tom Green Show in 1999. He followed it up with small roles in films such as Superstar, Road Trip, and Charlie's Angels, but everything went downhill after he made the astonishingly horrible 2001 film Freddy Got Fingered.

Green co-wrote and starred in the film, which featured a variety of tasteless gags. No one went to see it, and the critics who were forced to lambasted it. His struggled to find his place following the flop. He currently hosts the show Tom Green Live.

Chris O'Donnell In Batman & Robin

Chris O'Donnell's career was on the upswing when he landed the role of Dick Grayson in Batman Forever. A few years earlier, he'd received a Golden Globe nomination for Scent of a Woman. The superhero film performed well at the box office, yet its sequel, 1997's Batman & Robin, was panned by critics.

While George Clooney managed to rebound without too much trouble, O'Donnell didn't have quite as much luck. He struggled for years to get back on track and appeared in various TV shows. In 2009, 12 long years later, he finally found his groove on NCIS: Los Angeles.

Brandon Routh In Superman Returns

Brandon Routh had a strong resume before he was cast as Clark Kent in 2006's Superman Returns. He had appeared in several TV shows and was a good looking guy. He had nowhere to go but up. Yet, comic book fans were less than impressed with the movie.

While it did rather well at the box office, and Routh won a Saturn Award for his role, his wooden acting was criticized by many. The star had trouble finding work following its release. He appeared in a few short-lived TV series before settling as Ray Palmer/The Atom in Arrow and Legends Of Tomorrow.

Terrence Howard In Iron Man

While Iron Man catapulted Robert Downey Jr.'s career, it nearly tanked Terrence Howard's prospects. He previously shined in films such as Hustle And Flow and Crash, but when Howard was offered a severe pay cut for the Iron Man sequel, he chose not to return and was replaced by Don Cheadle.

For years, Howard struggled in the industry, only appearing in minor films. Eventually, he dug his way back in and slowly started building up his resume once again. But it wasn't until 2015 that he finally got his groove back in the highly successful and critically acclaimed TV drama Empire.

Scarlett Johansson In Ghost in the Shell

An ongoing problem in Hollywood seems to be casting white actors for the roles of people of a different race. That's exactly what happened when Scarlett Johansson was cast as Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell. Many critics pointed out the poor casting choice when the film was released.

Media Action Network for Asian Americans was furious when Johansson said in a Good Morning America interview that she didn't think she was playing a Japanese role, and she "would never attempt to play a person of a different race, obviously." Clearly, Johansson's interviews after the film didn't help her career either.

Cuba Gooding Jr. In Boat Trip

Cuba Gooding Jr. is most-known for his Academy-Award winning role in 1996's box office hit Jerry Maguire (his signature line being, "Show me the money!"). But even though he's appeared in over 30 films, his status in Hollywood dropped tremendously after appearing in 2002's Boat Trip.

The film was awful and definitely one an Oscar winner should have never agreed to do. Only desperate up-and-coming actors appear in films like that. Gooding struggled for years to make a comeback and was marginally successful only recently. He appeared on the TV shows American Horror Story in 2016 and as O.J. Simpson in American Crime Story.

Sean Connery In The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman

Sean Connery will always come to mind when you think of James Bond. But whatever happened to one of the most iconic 007s on the big screen? He also won an Academy Award in 1987 for his role in crime drama The Untouchables.

Yet, his career seemed to disappear without a trace. In 2003, he starred in the film The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman, which took place in a fantastical Victorian-era world. It was lambasted by critics, including Roger Ebert, who called it "a mess." It was Connery's final film (and not a good one to end on). It was also Stephen Norrington's last directing gig.

Lori Petty In Tank Girl

Lori Petty gained popularity in films such as Point Break, A League of Their Own and Free Willy, but her decision to star in 1995's post-apocalyptic comedy Tank Girl was her undoing. It was the first time she led a film, which centered on Tank Girl, who battled a huge corporation that controlled the planet's water supply. The film failed to impress and cost $21 million to make.

Petty struggled to make a mark in the industry in the years following, appearing in films and TV shows here in there. In 2014, she had a memorable role in Netflix's Orange Is The New Black.

Chris Kattan In Corky Romano

Many Saturday Night Live alum have transitioned from the show to successful careers. The most popular ones are often given the opportunities to become big stars (or at least talk show hosts, such as Jimmy Fallon). Chris Kattan was still featured on SNL when he landed the lead role in 2001's Corky Romano.

Yet, he was not the next Adam Sandler by a long shot. Audiences hated the film, which essentially prevented Kattan from launching a successful movie career. He appeared in a few forgetful films and also concentrated on some voice acting after leaving SNL, but he's largely disappeared from the public's eye.

Eddie Murphy In Imagine That

Eddie Murphy started out his career as a raunchy stand-up comedian. Eventually, he made it onto SNL and then he transitioned into movies. Somehow, the idea of this guy working on family comedies seemed to work for a while. We loved him in Doctor Doolittle, Shrek, and Daddy Daycare.

Unfortunately, he couldn't make that winning formula work in the movie Imagine That. This film pretty much ended Murphy's movie career. He hasn't been able to land a starring role in a quality film since.

Roberto Benigni In Pinocchio

Audiences fell in love with Italian actor/director Roberto Benigni after he won an Academy Award for his Holocaust drama Life is Beautiful in 1997. Fans waited five years for Benigni to return with a project; unfortunately, they were sorely disappointed.

The 2002 live-action adaptation of Pinnochio didn't deliver. It's always bad news when screenings aren't released to the press in advance. The film received a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. He's directed only one film since, The Tiger and the Snow, which he also starred in. He also appeared in Woody Allen's To Rome With Love" — but that's it.

Chris Klein In Rollerball

Chris Klein charmed moviegoers in Election, co-starring Reese Witherspoon, and the American Pie franchise. His mistake was taking a lead role in 2002's Rollerball. He probably should have saved his first starring role for a film that had a bit more to it instead of wasting it on such a bad film (it only received 3 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).

Klein's career stalled following the film. He managed to land bit parts in several movies, but he never seemed to hit his stride. In 2011 he appeared in the TV series Wilfred, and he reprised the role of Oz in 2012's American Reunion.

Brad Pitt In War Machine

In 2017 War Machine hit Netflix, starring Brad Pitt and directed by David Michod. This is when viewers determined that Pitt is better suited as a handsome bad boy than a four-star general. You couldn't help but be distracted by the voice Pitt chose to use for the role, which sounded very, very odd. The film received a mere 54% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said, "Not funny enough to be satire, not realistic enough to count as political commentary, not exciting enough to work as a war movie, David Michôd’s supposedly Helleresque romp, released on Netflix is an imperfect non-storm of unsuccess."

Geena Davis In Cutthroat Island

Geena Davis made an impact in the late '80s and early '90s with films such as The Fly, Beetlejuice,and Thelma and Louise. Yet, she made a bad decision by appearing in pirate action-adventure film Cutthroat Island in 1995. The movie is widely considered one of the biggest flops in film history.

It was produced by Carolco Pictures, which later declared bankruptcy. It led to her divorce from the film's director, Renny Harlin, and kept casting agents away for years. She appeared in a couple of TV shows, including Commander in Chief, and a few films here and there but has generally remained under the radar.

Al Pacino In Misconduct

Al Pacino is a phenomenal actor, of course. But, you wouldn't know it from his performance as Charles Abrams in Misconduct. Released in 2016, the film received terrible reviews.

Many critics point to Pacino's performance as dull and monotone and accuse him and actor Anthony Hopkins of picking up big paychecks that don't match their efforts. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter said, "it's the sort of by-the-numbers, forgettable thriller." Sorry, Pacino, but you can do better!

Bruce Willis In Precious Cargo

Bruce Willis is another actor that we know has the chops but maybe doesn't want to throw himself into a role anymore. His portrayal of Eddie in Precious Cargo didn't pass muster, as the entire audience was bored with his flat performance.

Film critic Roger Ebert's website gave the film just one star, describing the film "forgettable" and accusing the production team of probably accepting the first take in all of Willis' scenes. Ouch. Hopefully, Willis will up his game in his upcoming films and not let his career end on a sour note.

The Rock In Tooth Fairy

Yeah, we know that The Rock is pretty much in every blockbuster movie that comes out in the summer. But before he was doing all these roles with Kevin Hart and Vin Desiel, he was doing roles that weren't really helping his case. He was trying to get away from wrestling and into the world of acting but he messed up with Tooth Fairy.

The plot was horrible and there were zero laughing moments for this family-friendly movie. It was a long while before he got another role.

Up next, an actor who you wouldn't have thought would have a hard time finding roles.

Charlie Hunnam In King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

We don't want to jump too far ahead of ourselves but King Arthur: Legend of the Sword could very well be the undoing of Charlie Hunnam. Following his hugely successful run as the star on Sons Of Anarchy, Hunnam signed on to place the role of King Arthur in a retelling of the popular story.

Despite some special effects, the storyline never really resonated with audiences and Hunnam wasn't able to prove he could hold up a blockbuster movie on his own. His remake of the 1973 classic Papillon also failed to score with critics, landing a 63% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Demi Moore In Striptease

Demi Moore became the highest paid female actress of all-time when she agreed to star in the movie Striptease for a whopping $12.5 million. Moore's huge paycheck drew a lot of attention but the movie, based on a clever book, failed to resonate with audiences.

The movie was supposed to be funny and entertaining but failed on both fronts. Critics couldn't stand the movie and Demi Moore never managed to reclaim the type of A-list stardom she had previously gained by appearing in hits like Ghost and The Juror.

Alicia Silverstone In Excess Baggage

Alicia Silverstone was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet following the surprise hit Clueless. She decided to follow up that leading lady role with the action-thriller Excess Baggage. The movie, which also starred Benicio Del Toro, was a complete disaster.

From a boring plotline to cliche writing, audiences weren't willing to rely on Silverstone's looks to carry the film. The movie and Silverstone were nominated for Razzie awards, leading to the end of her quickly failed A-list status.

Fran Drescher In The Beautician And The Beast

Fran Drescher was hot off the heels of the hit TV show, The Nanny when she decided to make the leap over to the big screen. Her first leading lady role would quickly be her last. Drescher chose to star in The Beautician And The Beast.

The move was pretty much universally panned by critics and it failed to draw a large audience at the box office. Maybe her voice just didn't carry over to loud movie speakers or perhaps it was the horribly written movie script and the lousy acting that led to her undoing.

Madonna In Swept Away

In 1996, Madonna proved she could hold her own in a musical when she appeared in the hit movie Evita. In 2002, she wanted to prove she was big screen material for the second time and she chose the Guy Ritchie directed film Swept Away.

Critics despised the film and it completely flopped at the box office. Madonna quickly threw in the towel on her movie career and stuck to constant touring. She is still one of the highest paid musicians in the world so really everyone from audiences to music lovers won with her choice.

Lindsay Lohan In I Know Who Killed Me

Lindsay Lohan seemed to do no wrong at the start of her career. With blockbuster hits like Parent Trap and Mean Girls, Lohan was on top of the world. Then she started partying too hard, dating the wrong people, and choosing the wrong movie roles.

After she appeared in the horrible I Know Who Killed Me, her roles started to thin out. We can't blame only the movie on her downward spiral, her crappy attitude and constant run-ins with the law didn't help her move forward as an A-list actress.

Pauly Shore In Bio-Dome

Pauly Shore proved he could carry a movie after starring in the surprisingly successful movies, Encino Man, Son-in-Law, and In The Army Now. He was a regular guest appearance on MTV's Spring Break specials and his standup routinely sold out theaters all over the United States.

In the mid-1990s he starred in Bio-Dome, the type of movie that proves even the biggest stars on the planet can end up as B-list actors because of a single misstep. Pauly Shore is still around but no longer starring in blockbuster movies.

Kevin Costner In The Postman

Kevin Costner should have been knocked off the A-list after Waterworld proved to be a massive waste of time and money. He attempted to step up his game with The Postman but audiences were no longer interested in his leading man status.

He continued to take on roles that served a smaller market while earning the actor some much better reviews but his days of leading blockbuster action flicks are now far behind him. He did fare better than many of the actors and actresses on our flicks who have found it hard to find work in the years after their biggest box office flops.

Christopher Reeves In Superman IV: The Quest For Peace

Long before Brandon Routh slowed down his career with the Superman curse, it was Christopher Reeve who overstayed his welcome with the franchise. Superman proved to be a big win for the actor through three movies and he only agreed to Superman IV: The Quest For Peace after being given more creative freedom with the franchise.

Reeves turned down leading roles in Body Heat, American Giglio, Fatal Attraction, Lethal Weapon, and other films in exchange for another Superman movie. Critics hated the movie and it bombed at the box office.

Jada Pinkett Smith In Woo

Jada Pinkett Smith was finding incredible success in the 1990s but suddenly hit a brick wall with a leading role in the critically panned movie Woo. The movie's script was atrocious, her character was unlikeable and the entire plotline was unbelievable.

After her leading role in Woo she continued to work but A-list leading lady roles on the big screen seemed completely out of reach. She eventually earned some long overdue respect for her turn in Hawthorne. She's also married to Will Smith so she wins regardless of which movie roles she takes.

Charlie Chaplin In The Great Dictator

In Charlie Chaplin's final major motion picture in America, he parodied Adolf Hitler in the movie, The Great Dictator. At the end of the film, he broke from his character to deliver a 5-minute dialogue that broke down the fourth wall by talking directly to the audience.

Chaplin pleaded for everyone to stand up against war and fascism. His career soon turned political and a series of accusations from the FBI mixed with personal scandals and a movie that was not well received led to Chaplin's ultimate undoing. When Monsieur Verdoux debuted it was met with a chorus of boos. Chaplin left the United States in 1952 and only returned in 1972 to receive an honorary Academy Award.