Chasing the ghosts of forgotten legends

Richard Wilson4 said:Look, don't drag guys like Dolph or Dudikof into this discussion, because let’s be real—they were never top-tier A-list talent...

It's pretty simple: if you had their posters tacked up on your bedroom wall when you were just some 14-year-old kid, it just means they were B-list actors... 😂😂😂

What does that even have to do with anything? LOL

Like I said before... Dolph was always a way bigger star than someone like Chris O'Donnell or Alicia Silverstone... and even Dudikoff used to mean more to audiences back in the day than those two combined...

Anthony Smith3 said:What does that even have to do with anything? LOL

Like I said before... Dolph was always a way bigger star than someone like Chris O'Donnell or Alicia Silverstone... and even Dudikoff used to mean more to audiences back in the day than those two combined...

O'Donnell was in two Batman movies, Thelma & Louise, and that one John Grisham adaptation...

And Alicia has starred in way more A-list flicks than the guys mentioned here, who were always just B-list actors...

Richard Wilson4 said:O'Donnell was in two Batman movies, Thelma & Louise, and that one John Grisham adaptation...

And Alicia has starred in way more A-list flicks than the guys mentioned here, who were always just B-list actors...

LOL...like I said before...he popped up as a total nobody in Batman Forever, then showed up in Batman & Robin (not exactly a flex), wandered around Hollywood for a bit...and then vanished after Vertical Limit. Sorry...but he was never an A-lister...just another pretty face from the 90s (unlike Brad Pitt, who actually put in the work to become a legend). Same goes for Alicia Silverstone...she blew up with Clueless, showed up in Batman & Robin (which doesn't help her case), did her one good thing in Blast from the Past, and then basically faded into B-movies and TV stuff...honestly, I haven't watched anything of hers since. Those are actual A-listers...come on...

The only names here actually worth mentioning as real A-listers who either disappeared or weren't big until recently are Mickey Rourke, Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Keaton, Bill Paxton, Val Kilmer, and a few others...those were real stars, top-tier talent...

Anthony Smith3 said:LOL...like I said before...he popped up as a total nobody in Batman Forever, then showed up in Batman & Robin (not exactly a flex), wandered around Hollywood for a bit...and then vanished after Vertical Limit. Sorry...but he was never an A-lister...just another pretty face from the 90s (unlike Brad Pitt, who actually put in the work to become a legend). Same goes for Alicia Silverstone...she blew up with Clueless, showed up in Batman & Robin (which doesn't help her case), did her one good thing in Blast from the Past, and then basically faded into B-movies and TV stuff...honestly, I haven't watched anything of hers since. Those are actual A-listers...come on...

The only names here actually worth mentioning as real A-listers who either disappeared or weren't big until recently are Mickey Rourke, Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Keaton, Bill Paxton, Val Kilmer, and a few others...those were real stars, top-tier talent...

I honestly think Spacey basically walked away from Hollywood on his own terms to go do theater, though he still pops up in a movie here and there if the script looks decent enough. And honestly? I’m not even sure I’d go as far as saying Cuba Gooding Jr. ever truly hit the A-list. Sure, he blew up with "Jerry Maguire"—and yeah, he snagged an Oscar for it—but after that, he did maybe two movies worth noticing, like "Instinct" and "Men of Honor," where he was acting alongside heavyweights like Anthony Hopkins and Robert De Niro. Even in those, he was totally overshadowed. After that, it was just a straight slide into goofy comedies and low-budget B-movie thrillers. In my book, he never really reached his full potential. He’s missing that one massive, career-defining blockbuster where he’s actually the lead, you know? Not just some guy playing second fiddle to a real star...

After winning her Oscar for that standout supporting role in "The Fisher King," Mercedes Ruehl basically vanished from the spotlight.
Kim Basinger followed a similar path; once she snagged her Oscar for "L.A. Confidential," she seemed to get swallowed up by a wave of low-budget thrillers and B-movie dramas.
Then there’s Mira Sorvino—after her win for "The Mighty Aphrodite," she pivoted toward action hero roles and, well, it didn't quite pan out.
Even Emma Thompson had a period after her brilliant run in the 90s where it felt like she had just stepped off the map entirely.

F. Murray Abraham snagged an Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Amadeus —but honestly, he kind of slipped off the A-list after that.

Same goes for Jeff Goldblum—haven't seen him in theaters for ages.

Anthony Smith3 said:He’s been stuck in heavy B-movie territory lately...but honestly, his performance in "Felon" was top-tier. Mad respect for that one.🙏🙏

He ended up in the minor leagues solely because of his toxic personality. Is anyone actually surprised?
Producers and directors might think twice about calling you once you've collectively stormed their DMs.

restlessfox5 said:F. Murray Abraham snagged an Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Amadeus —but honestly, he kind of slipped off the A-list after that.

Same goes for Jeff Goldblum—haven't seen him in theaters for ages.

The same goes for Tom Hulce.

Then you look at someone like Thora Birch. Total washout. She had that one standout moment in American Beauty and then... nothing. Just vanished into a void of straight-to-DVD B-movies. Honestly, I can't help but wonder—wasn't she capable of something much bigger than that?

Does anyone know where Winona Ryder went?

PS
Richard Gere definitely lost his edge after that last indie flick. He’s probably sliding down to the B-list, or maybe just fighting to stay in the A-league at this point...

Winona, there’s some serious clearance going on at the department stores!

Nicholas Walker3 said:Winona, there’s some serious clearance going on at the department stores!

And she plays Spock’s mom over in "Star Trek"...

Do you honestly think it’s easy being Spock’s mother?

Jumping into this thread just to vent a little... I don't have anything against Catherine Zeta-Jones personally, but honestly—I haven't seen a single film of hers worth mentioning since she picked up that Oscar. Then you have Haley Joel Osment, who was hyped up to be the next big thing—and yet, nothing. Even Macaulay Culkin—back in the early 90s, he was basically the most famous kid in America—and now? He’s just doing some tiny indie projects here and there, if that. Or Keisha Castle-Hughes—she had an Oscar nod a few years back after everyone raved about her in *Whale Rider*—but she’s completely vanished. And Orlando Bloom—he was huge right after *Lord of the Rings*, but these days all I read about is him and his model in the tabloids—which, frankly, I think they deserve...

Let’s be real, child stars rarely make it past 18.

Caught L.A. Confidential last night—absolute classic. Kim Basinger’s basically retired by now, and you’ve got De Vito and Spacey playing the seasoned vets. Russell Crowe is obviously a massive star, but man, where the hell was Guy Pearce?

What’s your take... I mean, he went on to film such incredible stuff like Memento and The Pledge—and looking at IMDb, it looks like he's even in Sergeant James and The Road too!

Richard Wilson4 said:Caught L.A. Confidential last night—absolute classic. Kim Basinger’s basically retired by now, and you’ve got De Vito and Spacey playing the seasoned vets. Russell Crowe is obviously a massive star, but man, where the hell was Guy Pearce?

From what I can gather, the guy’s been busy filming everything under the sun lately... last time I caught him was in *The Hurt Locker* or maybe *The Road*. They weren't exactly massive blockbuster roles, but enough to know who he is... also, you gotta admit, he was never really one of those big-time, A-list Hollywood superstars—more like someone who picks smaller, actually decent projects, and honestly, he seems to be sticking to that vibe...

Pearce actually did a pretty solid job playing Andy Warhol in the hit movie *Factory Girl* [2006], and I don't see any major gaps in his filmography🤷 the guy stays pretty busy with his work, I guess

Nicholas Walker3 said:What’s your take... I mean, he went on to film such incredible stuff like Memento and The Pledge—and looking at IMDb, it looks like he's even in Sergeant James and The Road too!

Man, I don't know. Last time I saw him was in Memento. Sure, he hasn't exactly hit the big leagues lately, but after that movie, everyone thought he was headed straight for the A-list...