Chasing the ghosts of forgotten legends

Mickey Rourke was basically a washed-up relic from the 80s just a few years back...

But man, after Sin City and then hitting it big again in The Wrestler, he’s totally back in the game.

Now the real question is, does he blow this second chance like John Travolta did, or can he actually stay on that Hollywood A-list? Not that he ever really hit it, but you know what I mean.

I'd throw Uma Thurman into that comeback club too.


The list of actors who peaked way too early is massive. I'll just drop a few names here.:

Personally, I'm wondering whatever happened to these guys:

Renée Russo? Lethal Weapon 2, The Thomas Crown Affair.

Chris O'Donnell? Batman Forever, Indecent Proposal.

Alicia Silverstone? Clueless.

Edward Furlong? American History X, Terminator 2.

PS
In this thread, I don't want to includeB-list nobodies, but I'm also not looking forolder legends or people who just walked away from fame on their own terms.

I don't think it’s really fair to say Travolta blew his big comeback chance—he actually knocked out some seriously solid flicks after that "rebound" period. I mean, look at *Get Shorty* with Rene Russo, *Face/Off*, *General's Daughter*... he even did some great dramas like *Primary Colors* and *A Love Song for Bobby Long*. Plus, he’s got that action flick *Taking of Pelham 123* coming up soon, so... the guy is still around. Sure, he fluctuates a bit, but he's definitely not forgotten...

I’m not gonna start a whole thread just about Travolta...

We’ve already covered him enough...

I’m looking at some other names instead...

PS
Where’d Meg Ryan disappear to?

As for Julia Roberts, word is she dealt with some health stuff, and from what I hear, Demi Moore has pretty much just stepped away from the spotlight for good...

Richard Wilson4 said:I’m not gonna start a whole thread just about Travolta...

We’ve already covered him enough...

I’m looking at some other names instead...

PS
Where’d Meg Ryan disappear to?

As for Julia Roberts, word is she dealt with some health stuff, and from what I hear, Demi Moore has pretty much just stepped away from the spotlight for good...

There are tons of them out there...

Kim Basinger, Michael Keaton... honestly, Norton feels a bit off lately, and Bale is totally overrated in my book....
Danny Glover, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Costner...

Jeffrey Martinez2 said:There are tons of them out there...

Kim Basinger, Michael Keaton... honestly, Norton feels a bit off lately, and Bale is totally overrated in my book....
Danny Glover, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Costner...

Yeah, Danny Glover is definitely getting up there in age...

He's taking a breather, plus word is he's gearing up to direct his first flick...

Honestly, I don't think we should be casting these older actors in action roles anymore.

My head’s been spinning lately... honestly... Cuba Gooding Jr.. ...

Even if he never quite hit that A-list superstar level—despite having an Oscar on his mantle—you can't deny people saw him as the next big thing. He definitely had that vibe... like he was being groomed to step into the shoes of someone like Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman...

If you ask me, his first real breakout was in that totally underrated Wolfgang Petersen flick *Outbreak* back in '95. He was sharing the screen with heavy hitters like Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, and Donald Sutherland... absolute legends...

I honestly think he peaked with his role in Jerry Maguire... that Oscar was supposed to be his big launchpad, but instead, he just went downhill fast. It took him nearly four years to even land something halfway decent with Anthony Hopkins in Instinct. After that, if you can even call it that, his last real standout was Men of Honor with Robert De Niro. Then there’s that Michael Bay flick, Pearl Harbor... which was basically just a massive waste of money on production value and nothing else. Since then? It's been eight or nine years of absolutely nothing. I haven't watched a single thing he's done. Honestly, if it weren't for the internet, I'd probably assume he'd passed away or just decided to walk away from Hollywood entirely...

👎

EDIT: maybe just one more "stellar" acting role for him in this flick... Honestly, it’s about as good as it gets... just hitting that sweet spot where everything finally clicks. No drama, no fuss, just vibes. I mean, I know Jack Nicholson... but I haven't actually seen that specific movie yet, so I can't really weigh in on it...
At the end of the day... it just isn't enough for a heavy hitter of this caliber.

Nick Nolte's last true masterpiece was Affliction, the role that actually earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Since then, he’s mostly drifted toward alcohol struggles and starring in some pretty questionable, low-budget flicks. Honestly, the last time he felt truly solid on screen was in Tropic Thunder.

As for Kevin Spacey—after snagging his second Oscar, he delivered some great performances in films like The Shipping News and The Life of David Gale. After that, though, he seemed to settle into playing heavy supporting roles in much weaker productions.
Right now, he’s working on a project in post-production called The Men Who Stare at Goats, which should see him sharing the screen with big names like Clooney, Bridges, and McGregor.

It’s hard to call either of them "washed up" just yet, but let's face it: Nolte hasn't hit a home run in 12 years, and Spacey hasn't had a standout in 6. 🤷

Jesse Torres4 said:Nick Nolte's last true masterpiece was Affliction, the role that actually earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Since then, he’s mostly drifted toward alcohol struggles and starring in some pretty questionable, low-budget flicks. Honestly, the last time he felt truly solid on screen was in Tropic Thunder.

As for Kevin Spacey—after snagging his second Oscar, he delivered some great performances in films like The Shipping News and The Life of David Gale. After that, though, he seemed to settle into playing heavy supporting roles in much weaker productions.
Right now, he’s working on a project in post-production called The Men Who Stare at Goats, which should see him sharing the screen with big names like Clooney, Bridges, and McGregor.

It’s hard to call either of them "washed up" just yet, but let's face it: Nolte hasn't hit a home run in 12 years, and Spacey hasn't had a standout in 6. 🤷

He also had a role in The Hulk...

Anna Paquin—she basically hit that Oscar peak and then just... vanished into a sea of mediocre movies. I mean, she was in X-Men, sure, but it felt like her character was constantly being pushed to the sidelines—just kind of an afterthought, really—and now she’s mostly just doing TV gigs.

Helen Hunt—think about it: she crushed it in *Twister*, which was a massive blockbuster, then followed that up with *As Good as It Gets* and an Oscar... then she did that silly comedy *What Women Want*, which felt like a total vanity project just to show off Mel Gibson's comedic timing outside of *Lethal Weapon*. Now? She's pretty much nowhere to be found. She isn't even that old, and man, she really showed what she was capable of once...

For those who seem to think these individuals have fallen on hard times, please allow me to offer some perspective: they are still very much active and quite prosperous. If you take a moment to consult IMDb, you will see that many have simply pivoted to entirely different industries. Show business is, by its very nature, a fickle business; there are moments when you are no longer considered a viable commercial product, and one must naturally seek out other avenues. For instance, isn't it true that Chris O'Donnell reportedly returned to Boston to finish his degree and has since established himself in an entirely different field? Believe me when I say, he certainly isn't struggling to make ends meet.
The same logic applies to directors as well. Take Marco Brambilla, for example; he directed two Hollywood productions, both of which were rather lackluster commercial ventures—one being Demolition Man and another featuring Alicia Silverstone. However, if one looks closer, it becomes clear that he has transitioned into the realm of new media and conceptual art, where he earns a substantial living creating cutting-edge installations for high-profile clients.

briskhound2 said:Anna Paquin—she basically hit that Oscar peak and then just... vanished into a sea of mediocre movies. I mean, she was in X-Men, sure, but it felt like her character was constantly being pushed to the sidelines—just kind of an afterthought, really—and now she’s mostly just doing TV gigs.

Helen Hunt—think about it: she crushed it in *Twister*, which was a massive blockbuster, then followed that up with *As Good as It Gets* and an Oscar... then she did that silly comedy *What Women Want*, which felt like a total vanity project just to show off Mel Gibson's comedic timing outside of *Lethal Weapon*. Now? She's pretty much nowhere to be found. She isn't even that old, and man, she really showed what she was capable of once...

A good number of actors are now starring in top-tier TV series. I honestly believe they’re earning much better pay there than they ever did for those big movie roles.

Michelle Gonzalez said:For those who seem to think these individuals have fallen on hard times, please allow me to offer some perspective: they are still very much active and quite prosperous. If you take a moment to consult IMDb, you will see that many have simply pivoted to entirely different industries. Show business is, by its very nature, a fickle business; there are moments when you are no longer considered a viable commercial product, and one must naturally seek out other avenues. For instance, isn't it true that Chris O'Donnell reportedly returned to Boston to finish his degree and has since established himself in an entirely different field? Believe me when I say, he certainly isn't struggling to make ends meet.
The same logic applies to directors as well. Take Marco Brambilla, for example; he directed two Hollywood productions, both of which were rather lackluster commercial ventures—one being Demolition Man and another featuring Alicia Silverstone. However, if one looks closer, it becomes clear that he has transitioned into the realm of new media and conceptual art, where he earns a substantial living creating cutting-edge installations for high-profile clients.

None of them are hungry...

Some might get wiped out by drugs or booze eventually, but you don't see any of them ending up on the streets...

But that's not even really what I was getting at...

PS
Anyone know what's going on with Jamie Lee Curtis lately?

Richard Wilson4 said:None of them are hungry...

Some might get wiped out by drugs or booze eventually, but you don't see any of them ending up on the streets...

But that's not even really what I was getting at...

PS
Anyone know what's going on with Jamie Lee Curtis lately?

She mentioned in an interview with an American magazine that she plans to retire from the film industry, noting that *Christmas with the Kranks* would be her final acting role. (November 2004)

So, I was just scrolling through this article claiming women don't live nearly as long as men do...

Well, unless you're counting those "character" actresses who look a little rough around the edges...

Christian Slater was the lead in one of my absolute favorite movies of all time'True Romance'.

Then there's his work in 'Interview With A Vampire', that solid action flick 'Hard Rain', and those two collaborations with John Woo 'Broken Arrow' and 'Windtalkers'.

He really hit rock bottom when he decided to star in that Uwe Boll movie 'Alone In the Dark'.

He had a chance for a major comeback with the series 'My Own Worst Enemy', but the suits over at NBC wouldn't let it happen.

Is anyone even talking about Wesley Snipes? Look, I know he was never exactly a heavy-hitting character actor, but man, he had some seriously solid runs in high-quality action flicks. We’re talking "New Jack City," "Passenger 57," "Rising Sun," "Demolition Man," "Money Train," "The Fan," "White Men Can't Jump," and even that Spike Lee classic "Mo' Better Blues." He did "King of New York," "Murder at 1600," "U.S. Marshals," "The Art of War," and, obviously, the whole Blade trilogy. But then? For the last few years, it's just been one low-budget B-movie after another, mostly these cheap productions filmed out in Eastern Europe... I've caught a few of them lately and honestly, they look terrible. If "Blade 4" doesn't suddenly materialize—and I really doubt it'll happen after that total train wreck known as "Blade: Trinity"—I think his career might just be circling the drain. Though, hey, you never know, I guess...

I’m pretty sure Snipes actually pulled time in the joint... 🤷

Linda Fiorentino?

Richard Wilson4 said:Yeah, Danny Glover is definitely getting up there in age...

He's taking a breather, plus word is he's gearing up to direct his first flick...

Honestly, I don't think we should be casting these older actors in action roles anymore.

We should see Glover popping up this fall in that big Roland Emmerich blockbuster from 2012, where he plays the President of the United States. As for his more recent work, you really can't miss his role in Night Train or that guest spot on My Name Is Earl, playing Crabman's uncle 😁.

Richard Wilson4 said:Mickey Rourke was basically a washed-up relic from the 80s just a few years back...

But man, after Sin City and then hitting it big again in The Wrestler, he’s totally back in the game.

Now the real question is, does he blow this second chance like John Travolta did, or can he actually stay on that Hollywood A-list? Not that he ever really hit it, but you know what I mean.

I'd throw Uma Thurman into that comeback club too.


The list of actors who peaked way too early is massive. I'll just drop a few names here.:

Personally, I'm wondering whatever happened to these guys:

Renée Russo? Lethal Weapon 2, The Thomas Crown Affair.

Chris O'Donnell? Batman Forever, Indecent Proposal.

Alicia Silverstone? Clueless.

Edward Furlong? American History X, Terminator 2.

PS
In this thread, I don't want to includeB-list nobodies, but I'm also not looking forolder legends or people who just walked away from fame on their own terms.

Honestly... I think Ludgren fits this thread better than Chris O'Donnell ever could. That guy was never really a household name; he showed up in Batman III and IV, drifted through Hollywood for a bit, and then vanished. He was just another pretty face from the 90s—kind of like how Brad Pitt started out, except Pitt actually put in the work to become a legend. Same goes for Alicia Silverstone.🤷