Veteran actors normally get paid so much more for their dependability and proven success rate. Hiring Al Pacino to play a lead role usually means a movie’s success is already in the bag. In the movie “Misconduct”, however, Pacino failed to work his magic.
He received harsh reviews for it, along with Anthony Hopkins, making viewers wonder what happened to this powerful duo, that normally would have been simply infallible. Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter had this to say, “it’s a sort of by-the-numbers, forgettable thriller.” Monotonous and uninspiring, this movie failed to deliver the Al Pacino we have known and loved all these years.
Mark Hamill Following Return of the Jedi
Starting your acting career with a role as huge as Luke Skywalker, a leading man in one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, is a pretty stellar intro to the scene. It’s like being especially favored by the gods, while all other actors can only smile wryly, in secret envy.
But this is all Mark Hamill will ever be known for; sadly, he was a big star that went nowhere, gradually diminishing into minor roles and voice-overs. He’s become typecast to a single character, once again filling in for the same role in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", and in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi".
Elizabeth Berkley’s Showgirls
Elizabeth Berkley captured the imagination of teenagers way back in the 80s and the early 90s when she starred in the highly popular TV series, "Saved By The Bell". Berkley played the role of Jesse Spano.
Her co-stars Mario Lopez, Tiffani Thiessen, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar moved on to enjoy successful careers in the biz. Elizabeth Berkley’s development as an actress, however, took a hard hit after taking on a sensual role in the film "Showgirls". It was a daring performance, intended to highlight her versatility, but it turned bad. Her performance failed to impress to such an extent, that casting agents seemed to roundly avoid her thereafter. After that, she shifted to playing minor roles and never really fully regained her footing.
Brad Pitt in War Machine
The name Brad Pitt has, for years, been associated with a manly, rugged, confident, and deeply appealing image. But Pitt wanted to show that he is more than just a handsome face. He wanted to show us his skills and versatility. He took the role of a general in the movie "War Machine", which got rated a measly 54% by Rotten Tomatoes.
A big part of it may come down to the fact that Brad Pitt’s voice sounded too contrived and annoying. Asked to comment on the film, Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian didn’t mince words, saying, “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.”
Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Career Following Boat Trip
There’s good reason for artists to be picky with their roles. It may seem like they are snobbish at times, but this is absolutely necessary to protect one’s career. Cuba Gooding has been in the industry for many years, and at some point, it seems actors like him fall under the illusion that they are impervious to failure.
This is probably why he took a chance on such an awful role, as the one he played in "Boat Trip", a movie that was routinely hated, by critics and audiences alike. A comeback was hard for Gooding, but he ultimately made it back after 2002’s horror, by appearing in a season of the wildly popular "American Horror Story" in 2016.