# Actors you were sure would make it big, and they didn't **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194 "2013-12-26T03:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/61 "2013-12-27T05:25:19Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Susan Anton. She certainly seemed to be getting every opportunity at one time but for some reason the bottom fell out of her career. It’s called hitting 30. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/62 "2013-12-27T05:41:10Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > Thought of another one: Craig Bierko. In the late 90s he appeared in a few big movies, but A Long Kiss Goodnight (where he plays the villain) and Thirteenth Floor (the protagonist) didn’t do well, and that seems to have ended his burgeoning leading man career. He’s also very good-looking, but has a bit of villainous charisma to him, which probably worked against him if he went for romantic leading man or “everyguy” roles. He’s done TV and Broadway since. From IMdB Was originally cast as Chandler in Friends (1994) but turned down the role and was replaced by Matthew Perry. A serious career mistake I guess ☹ Colin Firth got his breakout role as Darcy on Pride & Prejudice, but what of the velvet voiced Adrian Lukis? (Wickham) Another one who has worked steadily but isn’t a star. Crispin Bonham-Carter (Bingley) is now a teacher. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/63 "2013-12-27T08:05:06Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > Dwayne Johnson/The Rock is arguably the biggest action star working right now. It’s not his fault that action movies aren’t what they were in the 80s and 90s, in the heyday of Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Terminator, etc. He works steadily, headlines major movies, main-events Wrestlemania on the side, and does very, very well for himself. The only way for him to get bigger is to sign on for a superhero franchise. Like I said, he’s successful, but I wouldn’t say he’s the biggest action star right now for several reasons: I seriously doubt he’s getting $20m/picture plus points of the gross like the top guys do/did that indicates you’re bankable, he doesn’t have a franchise role like _Rambo_ or _The Terminator_, and I don’t think he’s even near the point where he can pick up a script, say “I want to do this” and everyone makes it happen, regardless of any misgivings. And before you say “No one gets that anymore” I’ll point out Johnson’s co-stars for F&F7 meet most of those requirements: Vin Diesel (F&F, Riddick) and Jason Statham (Transporter). I think they _might_ be shy of the $20m up front but should be close. Diesel makes $15m/movie plus points, and Statham makes close to that, oo over $20m flat fee. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/64 "2013-12-27T08:44:23Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Like I said, he’s successful, but I wouldn’t say he’s the biggest action star right now for several reasons: I seriously doubt he’s getting $20m/picture plus points of the gross like the top guys do/did that indicates you’re bankable, he doesn’t have a franchise role like _Rambo_ or _The Terminator_, and I don’t think he’s even near the point where he can pick up a script, say “I want to do this” and everyone makes it happen, regardless of any misgivings. > > And before you say “No one gets that anymore” I’ll point out Johnson’s co-stars for F&F7 meet most of those requirements: Vin Diesel (F&F, Riddick) and Jason Statham (Transporter). I think they _might_ be shy of the $20m up front but should be close. Diesel makes $15m/movie plus points, and Statham makes close to that, oo over $20m flat fee. He’s currently the highest grossing in Hollywood, made 15 million for walking tall and is working on his third Fast and Furious movie. > **[Dwayne Johnson named the highest earning movie star](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2525501/Dwayne-Johnson-named-highest-grossing-movie-star-Hollywood.html)** > > The 41-year-old beat out Robert Downey Jr whose blockbuster Iron Man 3 pulled in $1.2billion. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/65 "2013-12-27T09:00:00Z")
All a matter of perspective. A lot of people would think Vin Diesel should qualify since he hasn’t done much after his initial F&F buzz, outside of that franchise. He had a lot of other opportunities 10 years ago. He was definitely more visible during the FF/XXX/A Man Apart/Riddick era. Then he did The Pacifer before The Rock was The Tooth Fairy, did “Find Me Guilty” as a departure, and I haven’t really seen him since- I stopped watching the F&F franchise after the 2nd one. He wasn’t in the 2nd one- seemed like he was too big a star at that point and was going to lead 2 other franchises that went nowhere (XXX/Riddick). I think the fact that he got back on board as of the 4th or 5th F&F was an indication that he didn’t really take off outside of that franchise. Sure, Diesel makes big money in the F&F franchise, but for about a decade Chris Tucker made huge money doing Rush Hour movies but completely disappeared otherwise. The Rock does action, comedy, kids movies, headlines, ensembles, cameos, tv , sequels, and is all over the place without any noticeable dip in his career. Yeah, I don’t think he has the A-list greenlight power and he’s probably settled down into a slightly lower tier. But guys like Diesel and Statham are not A-list power guys, either. They are either attached to franchises almost exclusively or/and doing lower budget niche stuff like a modern day Steven Seagal doing his best Nic Cage. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/66 "2013-12-27T16:14:33Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > [Paul Le Mat](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0494432/). Two lovely bits in _American Graffiti_ (for which he won a Golden Globe) and \*Melvin and Howard \* (for which he was nominated) and then endless crap …s. I thought\*\* Strange Invaders\*\* was a good movie. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/67 "2013-12-27T16:21:59Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > The Rock does action, comedy, kids movies, headlines, ensembles, cameos, tv , sequels, and is all over the place without any noticeable dip in his career. Yeah, I don’t think he has the A-list greenlight power and he’s probably settled down into a slightly lower tier. Googling around a bit, it looks like he’s getting a $10 million paycheck to play Hercules next year. So, yeah, not top-tier, but pretty solid. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/68 "2013-12-27T16:30:00Z")
I heard that Dwayne Johnson has a Hercules movie in the works. Done right, like, say, the Spartacus series on Starz, it could be a franchise. Done Disney … not so much. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/69 "2013-12-27T17:25:32Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > It’s called hitting 30. No, it’s called making a shit ton of money doing steady gigs in Las Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/70 "2013-12-27T18:23:35Z")
Harry Hamlin was big in “LA Law”. he hasn’t been big since then. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/71 "2013-12-27T22:34:22Z")
A lot of good call-outs here. Macaulay Culkin. My kids just finished watching the Home Alone series and I thought Macaulay Culkin could be added to the list. Since that series (the first two of three), I cannot recall if he has done anything in showbiz of note. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/72 "2013-12-28T00:14:38Z")
I think Orlando Bloom is INCREDIBLY lucky to have been in two huge movie franchises, plus other movies, but it’s just dumb luck, IMO. No one says, “I have to drop everything and go see the new Orlando Bloom movie.” Elijah Wood has worked pretty consistently and has also been the star of some TV show, but even so, no one considers him a ‘big star’. I just read an interview with Viggo Mortenson who spelled out clearly that a life as a ‘celebrity’ is not something he wants to live. (I admire that. Of course he has other irons in the fire, poetry, photography, and other creative stuff he likes to do, no doubt financed by his occasional movie roles. I think he is the best actor to come out of the LotR. But still, he’s not a ‘star’ a la Harrison Ford.) ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/73 "2013-12-28T01:07:39Z")
The entire cast of _Fame_, the original. I was especially impressed with Maureen Teefy. Curiously, the biggest names to come out of that movie had some of the smallest roles, like Richard Belzer, Debbie Allen (who I believe had a one word line) and Meg Tilly who I’ve never seen in with the dancers. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/74 "2013-12-28T01:42:48Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > A lot of good call-outs here. > > Macaulay Culkin. My kids just finished watching the Home Alone series and I thought Macaulay Culkin could be added to the list. Since that series (the first two of three), I cannot recall if he has done anything in showbiz of note. Apparently, you have never heard of the Pizza Underground. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/75 "2013-12-28T02:34:59Z")
[Charmian Carr](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139642/?ref_=nv_sr_1), who played Liesl in The Sound of Music. Now an interior designer. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/76 "2013-12-28T02:36:33Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > The Rock does action, comedy, kids movies, headlines, ensembles, cameos, tv , sequels, and is all over the place without any noticeable dip in his career. Yeah, I don’t think he has the A-list greenlight power and he’s probably settled down into a slightly lower tier. But guys like Diesel and Statham are not A-list power guys, either. They are either attached to franchises almost exclusively or/and doing lower budget niche stuff like a modern day Steven Seagal doing his best Nic Cage. Dwayne Johnson no longer goes by “The Rock” when acting. WWE owns “The Rock” and the price of using that name professionally is that Vince McMahon gets an Executive Producer credit and a bucket of money. Hence Dwayne only used it the first few times to get established and then walked away from it. He only uses it now when he makes WWE appearances. And if you didn’t hear, he was the highest grossing star of 2013, beating out Robert Downey Jr. Of course, he did it with four movies and RDJ had only the monster Iron Man III. So yeah, he’s pretty ‘A’ list now, although yeah, his niche is powering franchises. Pretty good work if you can get it. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/77 "2013-12-28T02:44:39Z")
With all of the talk about Jake Lloyd, I’m suprised no one’s mentioned Hayden Christiensen yet. Going back to the 80s, about Steve Guttenberg? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/78 "2013-12-28T04:22:55Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I think Orlando Bloom is INCREDIBLY lucky to have been in two huge movie franchises, plus other movies, but it’s just dumb luck, IMO. No one says, “I have to drop everything and go see the new Orlando Bloom movie.” You know how I know you’re not a teenage girl? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/79 "2013-12-28T07:41:06Z")
Stacy Haiduk from _Seaquest_. Of all the actors on that show, she seemed the one that would get noticed, by the somewhat sexist virtue of being hot, which is usually how it seems to work. Though I also thought that of Terry Farrell, who is apparently difficult to work with, and Michelle Forbes. So I guess there’s more to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194/80 "2013-12-28T09:54:37Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > _American Graffiti_ would be a good case study too. Most of the main characters went on to bigger things, except maybe Candy Clark, and the aforementioned Paul LeMat. How about The Outsiders. Of the seven “Outsiders” the star of the movie, C. Thomas Howell, had the least impressive career, while the guy with the smallest role in the movie, atom Cruise, went on to be one of the biggest movie stars of all time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-were-sure-would-make-it-big-and-they-didnt/677194.md?page=5)