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Actors who you think should have been (bigger) stars?


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Since Werewolf is TMNT themed, I looked up the 1990 movie to see what else Casey Jones and April actors were ever in... it looks like they have both been busy working actors doing lots of TV parts and supporting parts in movies I haven't seen... For Casey Jones / Elias Koteas, that's really all I know him from, aside from the Thin Red Line and a small part as the killer in Fallen with Denzel.

I was just thinking about other actors who you think had the charisma to be bigger stars, but for various reasons have never reached that A list status:

Michael Biehn: after his performances in Terminator and Aliens... I could have definitely seen this guy go on to be a more major action star

Bruce Campbell: He had the looks, physical presences, charm, and comedic chops to be a Harrison Ford type... especially around 1993 Army of Darkness / Brisco County Jr era... I kept waiting for him to get a major Hollywood movie starring role, but he never made it beyond supporting/bit parts in the big budget stuff...

Frank Whaley: his performance in Career Opportunities (not a very good movie, but a very likeable on screen presence)... I could have definitely seen him going on to be another John Cusack / Matthew Broderick level guy... instead he's just "look at the big brains on Brad!" guy...

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50 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Kyle McLachlan. Twin Peaks The Return just proves how insanely versatile he is.

If you have never seen it this is an interesting little gem that he was in:

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Fred Ward never has gotten any really big roles - which is a shame because he does really well with dry comedic roles.  His most well known were probably the first two Tremors movies.

This is a somewhat obscure HBO production where he plays HP Lovecraft as a detective in an alternate 1948 world where magic exists. If you can wrap your head around it is pretty good. (It was remade as Witchcraft with Dennis Hopper - I like this version a lot more.

 

 

Edited by Tabonga
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It's not too late for him, because he's been doing a bit of a comeback recently, but man Michael Keaton has been amazing in some of his later roles, with Birdman and The Trial of The Chicago 7 being obvious examples. Much better than back when he was actually a popular actor, doing Batman, Beetlejuice and such.

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3 minutes ago, Sumez said:

It's not too late for him, because he's been doing a bit of a comeback recently, but man Michael Keaton has been amazing in some of his later roles, with Birdman and The Trial of The Chicago 7 being obvious examples. Much better than back when he was actually a popular actor, doing Batman, Beetlejuice and such.

I was too young at the time so I have been educated by YT videos, but people were flipping out about Keaton playing Batman in 1989 cuz he was the funny guy from Beetlejuice and Mr Mom and they didnt think he could be Batman in a dark version of it.  Boy were they wrong...

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1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Mark Hamill.

Hell, as a character actor if nothing else.  He certainly had the chops and mug to do more than voiceover.

You can say this for almost anyone who had their brake out in Star Wars.  Almost.  Star Wars is kind of a "curse" for having any strong future career. I'm not saying that the actors and actresses in all of the films didn't get more work, but for most of the main characters in all 3 trilogies, once those films were over, they didn't get much more work.

Actors for me:

Josh Holloway: My wife and I loved LOST.  Matthew Fox already had a career with Party of Five so it didn't surprise me that he faded away.  Evangaline Lily isn't a big blockbuster star, but hey, she became Wasp and that ain't bad, while many of the other actors got more work in TV. Josh, however, I don't know what happened to him?  Maybe he just didn't want to do anything big but I thought he had the chops to move on to better work.  He would have made a great murderer in a psycho-thriller, or a cowboy in some "feel good" movie set in the modern west.  All of the above, and everything in between would have worked.

Viggo Mortensen: I mean, he was the lead in Hidalgo, but nothing else he's made really stands out. He was such a strong front warrior/hero in LOTR, it just felt like he could have become a major player for another 10 years.  Nope.

Orlando Bloom: Ok, I'm not saying I'm a fan but he also had that pretty-boy look that seemed like it could have sold more than a few movies.  What has he done since LOTR?  Married Katy Perry and beat up Justin Beiber?  I mean, we remember that but that's not film.  Again, I'm not really a fan but he seemed like an obvious choice as an actor that would have spring-boarded his career into major stardom after LOTR.

Rick Moranis:  Before their was Ben Folds, the king of nerds was Rick.  He had a super-successful career and then, boom, he disappeared. From what I've read from interviews, he was never around his kids and just decided to cash out while he was on top and simply become a family man.  I respect that.  Still, I miss the guy and wish he had a fuller carrier and maybe even tried his hand at a few serious roles and made a transition like Tom Hanks.  I think he could have had the chops for it.

 

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Editorials Team · Posted
7 minutes ago, RH said:

You can say this for almost anyone who had their brake out in Star Wars.  Almost.  Star Wars is kind of a "curse" for having any strong future career. I'm not saying that the actors and actresses in all of the films didn't get more work, but for most of the main characters in all 3 trilogies, once those films were over, they didn't get much more work.

Well, you had three big stars.

Harrison Ford, who became a AAA leading man.

Carrie Fisher, Postcards from the Edge chronicles pretty good how that train went off the tracks.

Mark Hamill - ...?  Did the reconstructive surgery ruin his chance to be a leading man?  Was he not interested in doing character roles?  Did he semi retire?  In the years after RotJ he did literally nothing.

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47 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Burton's Batman movies might be dark, but they were still comedies. And to be honest? I don't think he was great as Batman. Though the bigger issue was probably the suit being unable to turn its head, which ended up looking quite goofy.

I never realized that he couldnt turn his head properly.  Thats funny!  Keaton was the best Batman tho, followed by Val Kilmer.  The new Batmans are trash.  I cant stand Batman trying to make his voice as deep as possible when he talks.

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30 minutes ago, RH said:

You can say this for almost anyone who had their brake out in Star Wars.  Almost.  Star Wars is kind of a "curse" for having any strong future career. I'm not saying that the actors and actresses in all of the films didn't get more work, but for most of the main characters in all 3 trilogies, once those films were over, they didn't get much more work.

 

 

 

I can't find the specific clip, but Family Guy's Blue Harvest makes fun of this very thing when Han Solo is introduced.

"I'm Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon and the only actor whose career isn't destroyed by this movie"

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Tom Welling always struck me as someone who would have a decent career since he was a well enough actor and had the pretty boy look. Besides Lucifer and that cheesy Cheaper By the Dozen remake, I can't name a single thing he's done besides Smallville.

Edited by KokiriChild
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34 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Well, you had three big stars.

Harrison Ford, who became a AAA leading man.

Carrie Fisher, Postcards from the Edge chronicles pretty good how that train went off the tracks.

Mark Hamill - ...?  Did the reconstructive surgery ruin his chance to be a leading man?  Was he not interested in doing character roles?  Did he semi retire?  In the years after RotJ he did literally nothing.

I meant of all of the trilogies.  Note, I'm not counting actors like Samuel L. Jackson.  He already had an established career.  Harrison Ford is practically the only example of someone who went on to near-comparable works, and I'm just saying  that because Star Wars is epic and considering the early-80s, was near impossible.  He was lucky Lucas liked him enough to cast him for Indiana Jones.  He was a major staring actor in two blockbuster franchises.  If Indiana Jones had just done "ok", he would have faded away or only done lesser work, probably.  Carrie Fisher... she too had work but I think her problems were, sadly, of her own making.  Regardless, all 9 mainline films are littered with actors and actresses who could have had stellar careers after Star Wars but simply didn't for various reason.  Haden Christenson and poor old Ahmed Best are to big examples.

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