Five Acting Comebacks That Didn’t Last
Everyone loves a comeback, but they don’t always go well.
Everyone loves a good comeback, especially in Hollywood. Every year there are numerous Hollywood personalities that attempt a return to the spotlight. We love to see them triumph over their many years of obscurity. We even recently talked about a few actors who we think need a good career comeback.
There are many different plots that make up a comeback story. A talented actor can make a string of bad and unpopular films before hitting a great streak of films. We recently lived through the McConaissance, where Matthew McConaughey came back from romantic comedy jail to go on a career tear that culminated in him winning an Oscar for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club. Sometimes an actor can be constantly working, but they aren’t reaching the mainstream heights they once were in their careers until that one breakout role brings them back. Someone like Michael Keaton fits into this model. Then you have someone like Reese Witherspoon, who was not happy with the roles she and her fellow actresses were getting, so she created a production company that released acclaimed projects like Gone Girl, Wild, and Big Little Lies. Then there is the popular journey of an actor who goes through a troubling personal life and career setbacks before finally regaining the popularity they had earlier in their careers. Robert Downey, Jr. is probably the biggest comeback story in this vein.
But what about the comeback stories that don’t go as plan? What about the ones who follow these maps perfectly but just can’t get over that hump? Sometimes their movies just don’t stick with audiences, sometimes their personal lives are just too tumultuous for someone to take a risk on them, and sometimes the comeback doesn’t pan out because of bad choices. Here are just a few comeback stories that did not go as planned.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is someone everyone has to mention when talking about failed comebacks. Lohan was one of the most popular and lovable child actors of her generation when she came on the scene with The Parent Trap. She then became even more popular amongst teens with Herbie: Fully Loaded, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and Freaky Friday. But, it was the cultural phenomenon of Mean Girls that launched Lohan back into the mainstream. To follow-up her breakout role into adulthood acting, Lohan started taking more ensemble prestige films like Robert Altman’s last film, A Prairie Home Companion, and the underrated Emilio Estevez film, Bobby. But then she made I Know Who Killed Me in 2007, and all hell broke loose.
Today, I Know Who Killed Me is considered by many to be one of the worst films ever made (a few of my fellow contributors talked about it on a podcast episode once). During this time, Lohan’s personal life was starting to get more press than the movies she was making did. She received multiple DUIs and had numerous stints in rehab for both drugs and alcohol. Her career would then take a nosedive, and her roles became few and far between. When she did work, there were numerous reports of her being difficult to work with and sometimes not even showing up to set. The last film she was was in was The Canyons, and it was released in 2013. It was supposed to be her comeback film, but it was panned by critics and was a box office failure. Lohan, however, was given praise for her performance.
Every year since then, there have been reports that Lohan is trying to mount a comeback (2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017). However, nothing has ever truly come to fruition. But, maybe there is hope on the horizon for Lohan. She recently signed on to appear in the second season of the BBC comedy show Sick Note, which also stars Rupert Grint, Nick Frost, and Don Johnson. Maybe this is finally the comeback Lohan has been wanting for years.
Nicolas Cage
For the past few years, Nicolas Cage has fallen into obscurity with the countless direct-to-DVD movies he releases. But some people forget that this man gave us incredible performances for years. From his dual performance in Adaptation to his Oscar-winning role in Leaving Las Vegas, Cage was able to steal every scene he was in.
But something went wrong. Cage started suffering major financial woes in 2009. The IRS filed documents against Cage for failing to pay his income tax. Cage then became involved in more lawsuits regarding unpaid multi-million dollar loans. Due to the multiple lawsuits and massive amounts of debt, Cage sued his business manager for negligence and fraud. His business manager would later countersue saying that Cage was told on numerous occasions to spend less, but instead he spent millions and millions of dollars on multiple houses, an island, fancy cars, expensive jewelry, artwork, and even a dinosaur skull. If any of this sounds a little familiar to you, it’s because Johnny Depp is currently going through a similar experience (and sidenote: Cage was the one who got Depp into acting).
Due to his financial woes, Cage began taking less than superb roles to help pay his debts. In 2011, Cage starred in four movies that were B-movies at best. Three of them were box office failures and all of them were critically panned. 2012 was not much better for him, even though he was only the lead role in the successful animated film, The Croods. Finally, toward the end of 2013, David Gordon Green’s southern drama was shown at Venice Film Festival and Cage received rave reviews. Most critics were saying it was a “satisfying return to form” for Cage. It was his comeback role that no one knew they truly wanted. Sadly, when Joe was released in 2014, it was a box office failure and barely made over $2 million.
Many people were expecting Cage to continue the great dramatic work he did in Joe, but it has yet to happen. The biggest films he has starred in since then have been Left Behind (2% on RottenTomatoes) and a small supporting role in Oliver Stone’s critically mixed Snowden. Besides those films, he has released countless direct-to-DVD type films that barely reach over 10% on RottenTomatoes. As of May of this year, it was reported that Cage is currently worth $25 million and is “taking roles left and right to help pay off his debts”. Hopefully one of those roles could be the role that brings Cage back into the mainstream. I guess we can only wait and see.
Eddie Murphy
In the 1980s and 1990s, Eddie Murphy was the king of comedy. He essentially saved Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s before going off and conquering the film world. When Murphy appeared in 48 Hours, it was not just seen as the beginning of his film career, but his appearance completely changed film for black actors and actresses. The famous scene where Murphy goes into the redneck bar and tells them all that there is a new sheriff in town is not just a great moment for a comedy. It is a scene where a black man walks into a white establishment, and they bow down to him when he showcases his power. This had never happened before in a comedy that starred a black man.
Murphy would continue to light up the screen with hits like Beverly Hills Cop, The Golden Child, Trading Places, and Coming to America. He would then later transition to less edgier, but still entertaining films, in the 1990s with The Nutty Professor, Doctor Dolittle, Bowfinger, and Life. Murphy would also go on to give two great voice acting performances as Mushu in Mulan and Donkey in the Shrek franchise. But once Murphy got into the early 2000s, his career began to go downhill. He began releasing misfire after misfire. In 2002, Murphy released three movies that were both critical and financial failures: Showtime where he co-starred with Robert De Niro, I-Spy where he co-starred with Owen Wilson, and The Adventures of Pluto Nash, which is still his biggest box office bomb. The film only made $7.1 million off its reported $100 million budget. In 2003, Murphy would go on to star in two family-oriented films, Daddy Day Care and The Haunted Mansion. The two films were both financial successes, but they were critically panned during their release.
After 2003, Murphy did not appear in a live-action film until 2006. The film that would become his comeback role was his scene-stealing performance as Jimmy “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls. Murphy would go to win both a Golden Globe and a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for his performance in the film. He would also go on to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and in my opinion, should have won the Oscar (even though I do love Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine). But, something happened in the midst of Murphy’s possible Oscar run. In one of the most famous examples of bad timing, Murphy’s Norbit was released at the tail end of the Oscar voting period. The film was critically-panned and some would even argue that it was one of Murphy’s worst films of all time. To this day, many critics say that Murphy lost the Oscar because of the poorly timed release of Norbit.
And just like that, Murphy’s comeback was over. Murphy received a total of nine Golden Raspberry Awards for his next three live-action films after Dreamgirls. He was still making big bucks off of the Shrek franchise, but his live-action films were not doing well critically and/or financially. However, there was a glimmer of hope in 2011 when he starred in Tower Heist alongside Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, and Téa Leoni. Murphy’s performance was constantly singled out for his great comedic delivery, and it seemed like a Murphy comeback on the horizon. There was even that unimaginable possibility that he would host the Oscars. But then, Murphy released another critically-panned and box office failure in 2012 called A Thousand Words. The film currently has a 0% on RottenTomatoes. He would also drop out as the host of the Oscars when Brett Ratner, the producer of the show and director of Tower Heist, dropped out of producing the Oscars after the backlash he received from some controversial statements.
Eddie Murphy would not do another film until 2016. Murphy’s dramatic turn in Mr. Church was praised, but the film was both a critical and financial failure. Murphy supposedly has numerous projects on the horizon, including another sequel to the popular Shrek franchise and the ever-gestating Beverly Hills Cop IV. But the question remains, will we ever one day see the Eddie Murphy comeback we have all been dying to see for years?
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s. His breakthrough role as Conan the Barbarian in 1982 would introduce him to audiences, but his role as The Terminator in 1984 would make him a household name. He would end up finishing up the decade by starring in such films as Commando, The Running Man, Twins, and Predator. Schwarzenegger was incredibly versatile as an actor because he was an action star who had incredible comedic timing. This began to show more in the 1990s with films like True Lies, Kindergarten Cop, and Junior, which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or a Musical. He would reach his peak as a movie star when he reprised his role as The Terminator in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which ended up being the highest-grossing film of 1991.
By the end of the 1990s, however, Schwarzenegger’s stardom was in decline. If you had to pinpoint when it began to happen, it’s probably Batman and Robin in 1997 when he portrayed Mr. Freeze. Schwarzenegger’s performance was full of cheesy dialogue, puns, and over-the-top action set pieces. He would end his initial movie star run by reprising his role of The Terminator in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in 2003. Aside from a few cameo roles, Schwarzenegger would then retire from acting to pursue a career in politics, and as we all know, he would become the Governor of California in 2003.
After leaving office in 2011, Schwarzenegger planned a massive comeback in hopes of continuing the movie stardom he once had. He announced plans for sequels to The Terminator, Predator, and even The Running Man. He was even developing an animated show with Stan Lee called The Governator, which Schwarzenegger would have voiced the lead role. Almost as quickly as his comeback was announced, it was halted when Schwarzenegger became involved in a scandal regarding an affair he had with one of his housekeepers. It was also revealed that he was the father of the housekeeper’s fourteen-year-old son, which, along with the boy’s mother, he had been financially supporting for a number of years.
After the dust settled, Schwarzenegger returned to mounting his comeback. His role in The Expendables franchise became even larger and he began starring in a number of action vehicles. However, his next three films were not as big as you would expect for the action star’s comeback. In 2015, Schwarzenegger returned to the Terminator series with Terminator: Genisys. The film had a lot of buzz around it, since it was Arnold’s return to the series. James Cameron even gave the film praise. Even though Arnold did receive some praise for his performance, the film ended up being a critical and financial bomb in the U.S. (the overseas box office saved it). Terminator: Genisys was not just supposed to be the franchise’s return to the mainstream, but it was supposed to Arnold’s as well.
Since Arnold’s return to acting, none of his films have truly reached the heights of what an Arnold’s former stardom. Arnold has slowly fallen into making small dramatic indie films like Maggie and Aftermath. And let’s not forget The New Celebrity Apprentice, which lasted only a month (or should we forget it?) But, the man won’t quit at trying to return to movie stardom. There are continuing rumbles about a possible sequel to Twins called Triplets, which would star Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, and Eddie Murphy (yes, this is a thing). There are even plans to do another Terminator film when the franchise rights revert back to James Cameron. But I’m left wondering, maybe Arnold should continue to revamp his career by taking smaller films or supporting roles. By doing that, he could end up increasing the length of his career and possibly find the true comeback he has been seeking for over half a decade.
Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke’s comeback is to me the most heartbreaking of all of these. When Rourke first auditioned for the Actor’s Studio in New York, legendary director Elia Kazan said Rourke’s audition was the best he had ever seen. With films like Body Heat, Diner, and Rumble Fish, critics and audiences alike began to take notice of Rourke. Rourke would gain even more attention for his performances in The Pope of Greenwich Village, Barfly, and 9 1/2 Weeks.
By the beginning of the 1990s, however, Rourke’s reputation began to dwindle. He began starring in films that were both critical and box office failures and he gained the reputation of being difficult to work with. Rourke would also turn down numerous movies that could have helped his career tremendously. He reportedly turn down lead roles in 48 Hrs., The Big Chill, Dead Poets Society, Platoon, The Silence of the Lambs, Rain Man, Tombstone, The Untouchables, and Top Gun. The biggest role he reportedly turned down was Butch Coolidge in Pulp Fiction, the role that would eventually go to Bruce Wills and help him make a Hollywood comeback.
During his acting slump, Rourke decided to become a professional boxer. Rourke would end up going undefeated through his eight boxing bouts, but he would suffer numerous injuries that resulted in facial reconstructive surgery. Rourke would go from having handsome leading man looks to a man with a “disfigured” face. Once he return to acting, a majority of the roles he took were direct-to-video films. Rourke, however, would slowly start picking up supporting roles in popular films like The Rainmaker, Buffalo ’66, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Domino, and Sin City.
Then in 2008, Rourke came storming back into the mainstream with his tour-de-force performance as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronosfky’s The Wrestler. Rourke received unanimous praise for the film and it was the beginning of the Rourke comeback. He would go on to receive a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and Independent Spirit Award for his performance. He would also land his first Oscar nomination for his performance, but he would lose to Sean Penn for his performance as Harvey Milk in Milk (I think he should have won too).
Rourke would then continue his comeback by landing the role of Ivan Vanko, the lead villain of Marvel’s highly-anticipated Iron Man 2. Rourke would also gain praise for his small but impressive performance in the action ensemble film, The Expendables. However, Iron Man 2 would end up becoming one of the least popular films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and many people forgot Rourke was even a part of the MCU. The Expendables would end up becoming a successful franchise, but Rourke would never return to it after the first.
For some reason, Rourke could not continue the success he gained from The Wrestler and he quickly faded from the spotlight by the end of 2010. Since then, Rourke has mainly starred in direct-to-video films with the occasional supporting role in a small indie film or B-movie. And from the way it looks, there is nothing on the horizon for Rourke besides a few more direct-to-video type films. Rourke has been such an influence to so many actors, so it is so heartbreaking to see an actor who has had so much talent and ability to fall from grace not just once but twice.
