Remember when Bill Pullman had a moment as a romantic lead? He's a fine actor, can do comedy and heavy drama. But a lead in rom-coms? Action movies? No.
"While You Were Sleeping" (1995) was a huge hit and helped solidify Sandra Bullock as a rising star. But it didn't seem to do much for poor Bill.
Who else?
by Anonymous | reply 285 | March 12, 2023 4:08 PM |
Bill Pullman was to the 90s what Ralph Bellamy was to the 30s. He always played the good-looking guys in romantic comedies who just weren't good enough for the heroine.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | February 13, 2023 2:43 AM |
I think his demise in rom coms was “Mr Wrong”.
A lot of the 80’s / 90’s guys were ugly. Tom Hanks and Billy Crystal. Yikes.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | February 13, 2023 2:44 AM |
per Reddit post:
Joseph Gordon Levitt
Jai Courtney
Sam Worthington
Taylor Kitsch
Army Hammer
by Anonymous | reply 3 | February 13, 2023 2:44 AM |
R2 Sorry I meant for romantic comedies or movies.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | February 13, 2023 2:44 AM |
[quote]I think his demise in rom coms was “Mr Wrong”.
But he and Ellen had such great chemistry!
by Anonymous | reply 6 | February 13, 2023 2:46 AM |
R3 I think superhero movies hurt those men. Superhero movies replaced big action movies and characters sold the superhero movies, not the actor personas, which was all action movies really are.
I also think superhero movies created conflicts for actors because Heath Ledger showed you could take on dramatic Oscar worthy performances. No one wanted to be Batman, everyone wanted to be The Joker.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | February 13, 2023 2:49 AM |
[quote]Army Hammer
Oh, dear.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | February 13, 2023 2:50 AM |
R7 I think he was too much of a weirdo / pain in the ass for directors to tolerate. He’s a “method actor”.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | February 13, 2023 2:51 AM |
Javier Bardem
by Anonymous | reply 12 | February 13, 2023 2:51 AM |
Hollywood tried to make Greg Kinnear happen.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | February 13, 2023 2:51 AM |
Josh Duhamel.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | February 13, 2023 2:52 AM |
Tom Hardy's had a decent run. But has he peaked? Did he ever peak?
by Anonymous | reply 15 | February 13, 2023 2:54 AM |
I haven’t seen Greg Kinnear in anything recently but he could make a comeback if he was in a hip TV show with a lot of nudity and sex scenes. Like Eric Dane’s character in “Euphoria”.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | February 13, 2023 2:54 AM |
R15 Tom Hardy is a huge disappointment. He pulled a Chris Tucker. As soon as he landed a franchise, it’s like he retired basically retired.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | February 13, 2023 2:55 AM |
Campbell Scott.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | February 13, 2023 2:56 AM |
R7 I think people saw him as a Thomas Jane clone
R8 he was gorgeous in The Rocketeer, but he pretty much disappeared until I saw him getting his ass kicked by Jennifer Lopez in Enough.
Tom Hardy peaked with Mad Max and playing Bane
by Anonymous | reply 19 | February 13, 2023 2:58 AM |
Paul Walker
He certainly had the looks but for some reason he couldn't break out of the Fast and Crispy franchise.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | February 13, 2023 2:59 AM |
Apparently, Ansel Elgort has a series on HBO Max (TOKYO VICE--I've never heard of it). But I thought he'd been cancelled after allegations of harassment.
And WEST SIDE STORY and THE GOLDFINCH were huge disappointments.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | February 13, 2023 3:00 AM |
Josh Hartnett
by Anonymous | reply 22 | February 13, 2023 3:00 AM |
R22 absolutely
He was so promising in the late 90s:
by Anonymous | reply 23 | February 13, 2023 3:02 AM |
Billy Campbell is actually a hilarious comedic actor. I remember him as Tea Leoni's do-gooder doctor boyfriend in the underrated movie "Ghost Town," somewhat reprising a similar role he'd play on an episode of Frasier.
Looking at his IMDB, he's done pretty well for himself over the years. He's definitely stayed busy.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | February 13, 2023 3:07 AM |
Chris O'Donnell
although his nips were glorious in the role of Robin playing the submissive bottom to George Clooney's Batman
by Anonymous | reply 26 | February 13, 2023 3:09 AM |
Gerard Butler is 53 and doing a lot of C/D-list projects and voiceover work.
Always working, but never really going anywhere.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | February 13, 2023 3:10 AM |
Darren Criss
by Anonymous | reply 28 | February 13, 2023 3:13 AM |
Whip Hubley
Perry King
Steve Guttenberg
by Anonymous | reply 29 | February 13, 2023 3:14 AM |
Bill Pullman's problem was that no one could tell him apart from Bill Paxton.
JGL is way too short to be a leading man, even if Tomboy pulled it off.
John Stockwell almost made it, but luckily for him, he could do other things as well, like write.
Here are some others:
by Anonymous | reply 30 | February 13, 2023 3:14 AM |
I don't think Darren Criss will have much of a film career. Maybe TV projects, maybe not. He was quite good as Andrew Cunanan in the VERSACE miniseries.
At any rate, he's done very well in theatre and concerts. He's second only to Lea Michele (speaking of second acts in show biz) for success among the GLEE kids.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | February 13, 2023 3:17 AM |
Alex Pettyfer
by Anonymous | reply 32 | February 13, 2023 3:20 AM |
Eric Bana
by Anonymous | reply 33 | February 13, 2023 3:20 AM |
That guy from “The Truth About Cats & Dogs.”
by Anonymous | reply 34 | February 13, 2023 3:21 AM |
John Stockwell actually directed three of my favorite films
Crazy/Beautiful
Blue Crush
Into The Blue (with Paul Walker, trying to break out of this Fast and Vicious mold)
by Anonymous | reply 36 | February 13, 2023 3:22 AM |
That article at R30 is almost a decade old, but still quite accurate for the most part.
Ryan Reynolds is still a star, for reasons I don't understand.
I'd also make an exception for Colin Farrell, a current Oscar nominee. Never really "box office," but he has put together a long and interesting career for himself in indies and foreign films. He's a talent.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | February 13, 2023 3:22 AM |
Kellen Lutz is married to my niece. They are religious and if he is getting any its from Jesus.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | February 13, 2023 3:23 AM |
R20 It's a shame that Paul Walker died before doing any gay roles.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | February 13, 2023 3:28 AM |
Chris O'Donnell.
Skeet Ulrich.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | February 13, 2023 3:29 AM |
Dermot Mulroney
by Anonymous | reply 41 | February 13, 2023 3:39 AM |
Jarde Leto, fortunately.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | February 13, 2023 3:42 AM |
Maybe he would have done better if his first name WAS "Jarde"
by Anonymous | reply 43 | February 13, 2023 3:44 AM |
i really like this movie.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | February 13, 2023 3:44 AM |
Dylan McDermott
Thomas C. Howell
Andrew McCarthy
by Anonymous | reply 45 | February 13, 2023 3:47 AM |
Billy Eichner owns this thread.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | February 13, 2023 3:48 AM |
[quote]Kellen Lutz is married to my niece. They are religious and if he is getting any its from Jesus.
Interesting! Any good Kellen stories?
by Anonymous | reply 47 | February 13, 2023 3:50 AM |
Brad Johnson
by Anonymous | reply 48 | February 13, 2023 3:52 AM |
Jonathan Rhys Myers
by Anonymous | reply 49 | February 13, 2023 3:54 AM |
Ben Chaplin
by Anonymous | reply 50 | February 13, 2023 3:57 AM |
Channing Tatum. Outside of the Magic Mike movies, 👎👅
by Anonymous | reply 51 | February 13, 2023 3:58 AM |
Robert Pattinson owns this thread several times over.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | February 13, 2023 3:59 AM |
Christopher Atkins
by Anonymous | reply 53 | February 13, 2023 3:59 AM |
Johnathon Schaech
by Anonymous | reply 54 | February 13, 2023 4:01 AM |
I love Bill Pullman. I wish he worked out. He's a better actor than a majority of that era's leading men.
I also love Bill Paxton and wish he got leading man chances. Sexy and talented!
Greg Kinnear I never though much of until I saw Auto Focus. He was GREAT as Bob Crane opposite an equally great Willem Dafoe, who I also believe deserved to be a leading man over some of his peers that actually became one.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | February 13, 2023 4:03 AM |
from the 70s to early 80s: Andrew Stevens.
Guess he went to the other side of the camera, according to his IMDB.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | February 13, 2023 4:05 AM |
Off topic a bit, but While You Were Sleeping is my all time favorite rom com. One of those movies I can watch over and over and over. I know it's not even a good movie. But it's pure comfort.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | February 13, 2023 4:07 AM |
Gary Cole. With Fatal Vision and Midnight Caller in the late 80's, he was poised to be a leading man, possibly on the big screen even. Lots of character actor work for decades. Final when he turned 65 (2021), he took over from Harmon as the NCIS leader anchoring the show now.
Hell of a story. Most people don't start a commercial high or career high at 65.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | February 13, 2023 4:07 AM |
Jesse Bradford
by Anonymous | reply 59 | February 13, 2023 4:10 AM |
David Lyons: ER, The Cape, Revolution plus several failed series. Some executive at NBC had a major hard on for him.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | February 13, 2023 4:20 AM |
^ ditto for James Wolk.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | February 13, 2023 4:21 AM |
Freddie Prinze Jr
by Anonymous | reply 62 | February 13, 2023 4:23 AM |
Zac Efron
Taylor Lautner
by Anonymous | reply 63 | February 13, 2023 4:25 AM |
Another Bill Pullman fan here. His four minutes in A League Of Their Own get me all emotional every time. And he's perfect in Sleepless In Seattle.
He's got a show called The Sinner. Very dark and he's excellent in it.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | February 13, 2023 4:29 AM |
I've seen the Sinner too and like it
by Anonymous | reply 65 | February 13, 2023 4:37 AM |
Actors who are marketed as leading men are some of the most astoundingly pretentious creatures on the planet. Always droning on about their “craft” and what great ARTISTES they are. Bottom line is it’s about fuckability. Or relatability. If you want to be an actual actor, go do Shakespeare in the park. Actual acting has nothing to do with being a Movie Star.
by Anonymous | reply 66 | February 13, 2023 4:49 AM |
Jake Gylenhaal
by Anonymous | reply 67 | February 13, 2023 4:52 AM |
I think Bill Pullman has had a great career. He was hilarious (and a scene-stealer) in Ruthless People, was very funny and a perfect lead in Spaceballs, branched out and was an excellent leading man in The Serpent and the Rainbow, and showed variety throughout his career -- rom-coms like While You Were Sleeping, played the President in Independence Day , kids movies (Casper) and a Lynch classic (Lost Highway).
by Anonymous | reply 68 | February 13, 2023 5:08 AM |
William Eythe
by Anonymous | reply 69 | February 13, 2023 6:14 PM |
Adam Brody
Shane West
by Anonymous | reply 70 | February 13, 2023 7:09 PM |
I feel like their are several Brits who are textbook examples of this, namely: Ben Chaplin, Jeremy Northam, James McAvoy, Clive Owen, Cumberbatch and Hiddleston. Obviously, for the latter four, they still have relatively high profiles but none of them achieved the level of a Hugh Grant or Colin Firth.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | February 13, 2023 9:04 PM |
Liam Hemsworth
by Anonymous | reply 72 | February 13, 2023 9:08 PM |
Klinton Spilsbury. Was cast as the lead in the Lone Ranger revival, was a dick to everyone on the set, ultimately had all his lines dubbed by James Keach, movie bombed big time, and he never worked again. Current whereabouts unknown.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | February 13, 2023 9:12 PM |
R73 = Armie Hammer.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | February 13, 2023 9:29 PM |
I have no idea why Clive Owen didn’t work out. Gorgeous and talented.
by Anonymous | reply 75 | February 13, 2023 9:31 PM |
Thomas Jane
by Anonymous | reply 76 | February 13, 2023 9:39 PM |
R57, Sweet November has the same effect on me. No idea why, but it just gives me the feels every time.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | February 13, 2023 9:53 PM |
Leading Man failures who remain A or B List stars:
1). Jake Gyllenhaal
2) Henry Cavill
3) Matthew Mcconaughey
please continue. there are SO many.
by Anonymous | reply 78 | February 13, 2023 10:03 PM |
Christopher Jones. His slight resemblance to James Dean only went so far.
Oh…and he was crazy
by Anonymous | reply 79 | February 13, 2023 10:23 PM |
Bill looked OLD in that poster. Looks like someone’s dad than a romantic lead in a romcom.
by Anonymous | reply 80 | February 13, 2023 10:23 PM |
Michael Parks
by Anonymous | reply 82 | February 13, 2023 11:14 PM |
R55, I have some bad news about Bill Paxton . . .
by Anonymous | reply 83 | February 14, 2023 12:32 AM |
R83 I know, that's why I wrote it in past tense. What a loss that was! Ironically he and my other guy Dafoe were both in one of my favorite 80s movies together (Streets of Fire) and good friends in real life.
by Anonymous | reply 84 | February 14, 2023 3:01 AM |
Aaron Eckhart was great in The Company of Men. But never hit that mark again; the effort was always too obvious.
I wish Skeet Ulrich had had a better career. To me, there is something arresting about him and his performances. Maybe it's just the big, hungry eyes and wiry quality. James McAvoy holds a similar place, an actor with broader range but destined mostly to quirky roles.
The problem is the definition of leading man. It's more that lead male character, but how so? And to the standards of the 1940s? Shitty 1980s/90s rom-coms?
by Anonymous | reply 85 | February 14, 2023 3:34 AM |
D.W. Moffett and Jeff Fahey come to mind as 1980s-1990s guys who worked steadily, but could have had much bigger careers.
I met D.W. at several social occasions — he was incredibly handsome back then, straight but very gay-friendly, and smart. Here he is at an ACT-UP NY benefit.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | February 14, 2023 3:45 AM |
DW was held back because of a small penis.
by Anonymous | reply 87 | February 14, 2023 3:47 AM |
D.W. was also in "An Early Frost" with Aidan Quinn at a time when it was risky for straight guys to play gay dramatic roles.
by Anonymous | reply 88 | February 14, 2023 3:52 AM |
I loved him in While You Were Sleeping, but I never could figure out that odd family none of whom seemed like they could be related to each other.
I also thought he was the best thing about Sleepless in Seattle, a movie I didn’t find romantic at all, just the opposite. Annie blatantly cheated emotionally on Walter throughout the whole thing, and then when he found out — on Valentine’s Day — he didn’t whine or cry (the way she had over Sam), he just told her to go for it.
By that point I wanted a sequel to this movie, where he meets somebody else.
by Anonymous | reply 89 | February 14, 2023 3:56 AM |
P.S. just realized… Sleeping…. Sleepless… lol.
by Anonymous | reply 90 | February 14, 2023 3:57 AM |
Alex Cord.
I’ll never forget reading Helter Skelter where Vince Bugliosi refers to Sharon Tate’s friend “Joanna Pettet (Mrs Alex Cord).” I knew who Joanna Pettet was (mostly from seeing the execrable 1967 Casino Royale on tv. It seemed to air every other weekend) but I had no idea who Alex Cord was. He was supposed to become a really famous hunky actor but I don’t think he did much beyond some tv guest shots and B movies.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | February 14, 2023 4:14 AM |
McAvoy strenuously resisted the "normal cute guy" roles his pretty face could have easily scored him and went for dark, quirky, indy parts. He probably could have had a bigger career despite only being 5'7 (never stopped Tom Cruise), but he didn't seem to want it. And he said in a recent interview that he prefers stage more and more, as spending 12 hours on a set when you don't give a shit about the part is basically torture. Guess we won't be seeing him as Charles Xavier again. . .
by Anonymous | reply 92 | February 14, 2023 4:42 PM |
Jude Law
by Anonymous | reply 93 | February 14, 2023 4:54 PM |
At a certain point, Law also started leaning more towards character parts. He could have hit the gym and gotten hair transplants, but went the other way.
by Anonymous | reply 94 | February 14, 2023 4:56 PM |
John Wilkes Booth.
by Anonymous | reply 95 | February 14, 2023 5:46 PM |
Okay, r95 wins!
by Anonymous | reply 96 | February 14, 2023 5:49 PM |
D.B. Sweeney
by Anonymous | reply 97 | February 14, 2023 5:56 PM |
R97 “The Cutting Edge” is still one of my favorite guilty pleasures.
by Anonymous | reply 98 | February 14, 2023 6:05 PM |
Aidan Quinn was another handsome man that never really caught on in leading roles.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | February 14, 2023 8:19 PM |
[quote] I feel like their are several Brits who are textbook examples of this, namely: Ben Chaplin, Jeremy Northam, James McAvoy, Clive Owen, Cumberbatch and Hiddleston. Obviously, for the latter four, they still have relatively high profiles but none of them achieved the level of a Hugh Grant or Colin Firth.
The one who most wanted to become a huge American star in this category was probably James Purefoy. I've heard he was very upset when it never happened for him, and he couldn't figure it out, given that he's classically well trained and also extraordinarily handsome and fit. He really thought he was going to be a big Hollywood star.
Cumberbatch, Hiddleston, and McAvoy all got big parts in MCU or X-Men films, so they've done great money wise, even if none of them became quite a big a heartthrob as Grant or Firth. I honestly think none of those three wanted really to be leading men--they all mostly wanted to be character actors. Northam very much wants to be a character actor too from what I know--he hates the fame part of being a movie star and purposefully stepped back from Hollywood after "Emma" and "Gosford Park."
I once saw Ben Chaplin in Hollywood at a party not long after "the Truth about Cats & Dogs" and he looked msierable. He is a very, very small man with a huge head and a handsome face. I haven't heard about his work in years.
by Anonymous | reply 100 | February 14, 2023 8:27 PM |
R93 I think that the "beginning of the end" of Jude's carreer was that Chris Rock monologue at the Acadamy Awards when he said: "You want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law?"And it wasn't much help either the fact Sean Penn tried to defend him with his blah-blah-blah speeches.
by Anonymous | reply 101 | February 14, 2023 8:35 PM |
Fassbender has also almost disappeared.
by Anonymous | reply 102 | February 14, 2023 10:05 PM |
Fassbender has the new David Fincher movie this fall.
by Anonymous | reply 103 | February 14, 2023 10:09 PM |
Fassbender’s “Harry Hole” franchise didn’t pan out.
by Anonymous | reply 104 | February 14, 2023 10:11 PM |
Fassbender is doing okay
by Anonymous | reply 105 | February 14, 2023 10:36 PM |
Another of Ms. Bullock's co-stars: Jason Patric
by Anonymous | reply 106 | February 14, 2023 11:05 PM |
James Purefoy was hot back in the day but had a certain coldness and smugness that probably turned audiences off. Audiences love a handsome man with vulnerability, but Purefoy couldn't project that. Dominic West has a similar problem.
by Anonymous | reply 107 | February 14, 2023 11:09 PM |
Patrick Wilson
James Wolk
Tim Matheson
Evan Handler
Frank Whaley
Keith Coogan
by Anonymous | reply 108 | February 14, 2023 11:19 PM |
Ben Miller, Ben Miles, who are not the same person, and Ben Chaplin, all seemed at first to have big careers in front of them, but either they didn't want to pursue it, or they weren't pursued.
Very few Brits have made it big in America, but that may be because unlike the incredibly ambitious types that come from Iowa or Alabama to Hollywood, the Brits have more of an interest in leading a life outside of the movies.
by Anonymous | reply 109 | February 14, 2023 11:22 PM |
[quote] Fassbender’s “Harry Hole” franchise didn’t pan out.
Had it been a "Hairy Hole" franchise, it would have been more successful.
by Anonymous | reply 110 | February 14, 2023 11:24 PM |
[quote] Fassbender has also almost disappeared.
Michael Fassbender does not belong in this thread. Fassbender is a star and has proven what a great actor he is. Now Theo James does belong here. He was handed a leading romantic/action role in a franchise early in his career and nothing came of that except pretty shitty movies and roles after. Only recently has he been getting some decent roles. He still can't act. But then he's hired for his looks and body.
by Anonymous | reply 111 | February 14, 2023 11:29 PM |
R36 Crazy/Beautiful is underrated.
by Anonymous | reply 112 | February 14, 2023 11:43 PM |
Chris Sarandon was hot as fuck but never really big.
by Anonymous | reply 113 | February 14, 2023 11:53 PM |
Matthew Goode
by Anonymous | reply 114 | February 15, 2023 12:26 AM |
Rege-Jean Page was the Next Big Thing for about a minute, and then he pissed off Shonda Rimes by leaving Bridgerton after a season. Which always seemed arrogant and petty to me--he couldn't at least film a couple of guest appearances?
by Anonymous | reply 115 | February 15, 2023 1:19 AM |
Dan Stevens
by Anonymous | reply 116 | February 15, 2023 1:20 AM |
Henry Cavill outside of Superman
by Anonymous | reply 117 | February 15, 2023 1:26 AM |
Ryan Murphy tried to push David Corenswet, but he's basically Cavill with even less charisma.
by Anonymous | reply 118 | February 15, 2023 1:27 AM |
Lance Bass in On the Line
Liberace in Sincerely Yours
by Anonymous | reply 119 | February 15, 2023 1:28 AM |
Neil Diamond in The Jazz Singer.
by Anonymous | reply 120 | February 15, 2023 3:15 AM |
Thomas Jane was so handsome, thought he would have a bigger career. Yikes just Googled him and he has lost his looks.
by Anonymous | reply 121 | February 15, 2023 3:18 AM |
Bruce Jenner, star of "Can't Stop the Music". Whatever happened to that guy?
by Anonymous | reply 122 | February 15, 2023 7:24 AM |
R121 Someone I know went to high school with him in Maryland and claimed that he's a real creep. Said he assaulted multiple girls in school and his parents pulled him out of school and shipped him off to California to avoid charges.
by Anonymous | reply 123 | February 15, 2023 10:04 AM |
Wasn't Fassbender short-listed to be cancelled during the #MeToo mania?
Seems to me a couple big actors went stealth during those years.
by Anonymous | reply 124 | February 15, 2023 3:34 PM |
Tony Goldwyn was handsome enough for leading roles, but seems like he's always played supporting.
by Anonymous | reply 125 | February 15, 2023 4:09 PM |
I like Tony Goldwyn
by Anonymous | reply 126 | February 15, 2023 6:21 PM |
I like blue.
by Anonymous | reply 127 | February 16, 2023 1:15 AM |
I've seen Tony Goldwyn twice onstage (including THE INHERITANCE on Bway) and he's (still) handsome and capable, but rather unexciting as a performer. He doesn't have "it." Talent is not enough for some leading men.
This was true back in GHOST when he was lost onscreen vs Whoopi, Patrick Swayze, and Demi.
He's had a good career, though. I hope he made a fortune on SCANDAL. That thing ran for 6 years.
by Anonymous | reply 128 | February 16, 2023 1:21 AM |
He was great in The Last Seduction - which in a way could be viewed as an incredibly dark romantic comedy. Though I guess Peter Berg is the male lead even if they both have a lot of screen time.
by Anonymous | reply 129 | February 16, 2023 1:23 AM |
With a last name like Goldwyn, any reasonably handsome actor who could perform at a base-level was going to have a career. He's Sam Goldwyn (of MGM's) grandson.
by Anonymous | reply 130 | February 16, 2023 1:27 AM |
130 posts and no black men have been named?
by Anonymous | reply 131 | February 16, 2023 1:31 AM |
Fuck off, Benay! I mean, fuck off, Jada!
by Anonymous | reply 132 | February 16, 2023 1:33 AM |
You may loathe Will Smith, but he is undeniably a leading man.
I'm not a big fan of Denzel, but he has been a successful leading man for 3 decades. Eddie Murphy for 4 decades.
by Anonymous | reply 133 | February 16, 2023 1:34 AM |
I think Don Cheadle is talented (but hit and miss) and did NOT quite work out as a leading man.
by Anonymous | reply 134 | February 16, 2023 1:35 AM |
Cheadle isn't handsome enough to be a leading man. He isn't even cute like Eddie or Will Smith. He looks like a middle-school principal.
by Anonymous | reply 135 | February 16, 2023 1:38 AM |
Elliot Page, the hottest new actor in town and not a single leading role. Maybe if he butched it up a little.
by Anonymous | reply 136 | February 16, 2023 1:39 AM |
Cheadle is probably better off as a character actor, he'll have a long career
by Anonymous | reply 137 | February 16, 2023 1:39 AM |
Jesse Eisenberg
by Anonymous | reply 138 | February 16, 2023 1:40 AM |
Casey Affleck
by Anonymous | reply 139 | February 16, 2023 1:49 AM |
R92 McAvoy gave a brilliant performance in Split.
by Anonymous | reply 140 | February 16, 2023 2:01 AM |
McAvoy should have had Oscar nominations for The Last King of Scotland, Atonement, and Split. But he's never played the publicity game very well.
by Anonymous | reply 141 | February 16, 2023 2:09 AM |
Cillian Murphy Garett Hedlund Cole Hauser Wes Bentley Martin Henderson Hayden Christensen Orlando Bloom Oliver Hudson Matthew Davis Kip Pardue Matt Keeslar Joseph Fiennes Jonathan Rhys-Meyers Jim Caviezel
by Anonymous | reply 142 | February 16, 2023 2:38 AM |
Eisenberg was good as a leading "man" when he was playing a teenager, young-20 something, but a fully-formed adult leading man, yeah, I don't think it could quite work out. He was perfectly fine in Fleischman is in Trouble and a married adult with children, but that's a TV series and, again, he was fine, not spectacular.
by Anonymous | reply 143 | February 16, 2023 2:40 AM |
Lemme try that again
Cillian Murphy
Garett Hedlund
Cole Hauser
Wes Bentley
Martin Henderson
Hayden Christensen
Orlando Bloom
Oliver Hudson
Matthew Davis
Kip Pardue
Matt Keeslar
Joseph Fiennes
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Jim Caviezel
Stuart Townsend
by Anonymous | reply 144 | February 16, 2023 2:41 AM |
A list of names without any kind of commentary is really boring.
by Anonymous | reply 145 | February 16, 2023 2:42 AM |
Michael Dorsey
by Anonymous | reply 147 | February 16, 2023 2:59 AM |
I first saw Thomas Jane in Deep Blue Sea (underwater Jaws) and he was really really good. It’s like Russell Crowe in Gladiator, totally convincing in what could’ve been a disaster. I thought for sure he’d be big because he was in gorgeous but no and now he’s showing his age. I did watch a recent series he did filmed in Australia and it was pretty good. Definitely worth watching. I just found it by accident.
Martin Henderson I saw in Bride and Prejudice (Bollywood-type film) and he was so terrible that I honestly thought he was an expat or a traveler hired to play “British Guy” or “American Guy”. I’ve known people who live in Asia and India who do get background or minor character roles because they are Westerners.
There are so many streaming channels now, US actors can have series filmed elsewhere like the UK or Europe that you never hear about.
by Anonymous | reply 148 | February 16, 2023 3:21 AM |
Stuart Townsend has practically disappeared. Did Charlize get him blackballed?
by Anonymous | reply 149 | February 16, 2023 3:46 AM |
It takes so much to be a star as a leading man.
You have to have:
1) the facial looks;
2) a good body;
3) incredible onscreen charisma;
4) a distinct personality onscreen;
5) incredible drive;
6) have the luck to have the right personality audiences want right then.
So many of these guys have #1 and #2 on this list (such as most young male soap opera actors), and even #1, #2, and #3, but not the other three characteristics.
Only a very few movie actors have all of these (Tom Cruise is high among them, even though he is neither intelligent nor that gifted an actor).
by Anonymous | reply 150 | February 16, 2023 3:57 AM |
R144, Cillian Murphy will be an Oscar BA contender in 2024 for "Oppenheimer."
YHIHF.
by Anonymous | reply 151 | February 16, 2023 3:58 AM |
I don't understand listing Oscar winners or men who have made careers taking challenging roles in interesting films of artistic value. Are you bafoons?
by Anonymous | reply 153 | February 16, 2023 4:14 AM |
R153, It's "buffoons," and to your point:
How many of those "men who have made careers taking challenging roles in interesting films of artistic value" would sell their souls to be on the level of a Brad Pitt or George Clooney?
That's right---all of them.
by Anonymous | reply 154 | February 16, 2023 8:20 AM |
He has no lips.
by Anonymous | reply 155 | February 16, 2023 9:36 AM |
Dane Cook (thankfully).
by Anonymous | reply 156 | February 17, 2023 4:37 AM |
Taylor Lautner
by Anonymous | reply 157 | February 17, 2023 4:56 AM |
It has to be frustrating for some actors when an ugly douche like Tobey Maguire makes it big. Although thankfully his fame seems to have died down. I blame these stupid superhero movies for making stars out of some of these idiots.
by Anonymous | reply 158 | February 17, 2023 6:01 AM |
On a talk show for one of his projects, Timothy Olyphant told the story of arriving for a reading/rehearsal for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in his nice electric car, only to see Brad Pitt arrive around the same time--in a helicopter. "That's the difference," he told himself. "That's the difference."
by Anonymous | reply 159 | February 17, 2023 1:23 PM |
Olyphant's been married to the same woman since college and his kids still love him, so . . .
by Anonymous | reply 160 | February 17, 2023 1:23 PM |
Timothy Olyphant is okay. But he has exactly the size career he deserves.
by Anonymous | reply 161 | February 17, 2023 1:39 PM |
Christian Slater as a romantic lead. Opposite Mary Stuart Masterson, no less. WHO greenlit that?
And he comes off as so creepy and illegal and stalkerish, even when he's meant to be a harmless tragic lovesick fool. Christian can at most manage a tweener rogueish antihero type of role, but never an out-and-out sympathetic babyface.
by Anonymous | reply 162 | February 17, 2023 1:43 PM |
[quote] It has to be frustrating for some actors when an ugly douche like Tobey Maguire makes it big. Although thankfully his fame seems to have died down.
Tell me about it....
by Anonymous | reply 163 | February 17, 2023 1:45 PM |
The second Darrin from Bewitched..
by Anonymous | reply 164 | February 17, 2023 1:46 PM |
Nobody thought Tobey McGuire would ever be a leading man. Nobody. Not ever.
Maybe his mom.
by Anonymous | reply 165 | February 17, 2023 2:02 PM |
R144 His drinking problem killed Jonathan Rhys-Meyers' chance at being a leading man.
by Anonymous | reply 166 | February 17, 2023 2:05 PM |
R166 well, that and the Catholic programming. And the CSA. And the closet. And the faint aura of menace.
by Anonymous | reply 167 | February 17, 2023 2:11 PM |
Timothy Hutton. He was very hot in the 80s and then it seemed to fizzle out for him.
by Anonymous | reply 168 | February 17, 2023 2:12 PM |
Bruno Campos. He gave up acting and became a lawyer. So did Teddy Dunn from Veronica Mars.
by Anonymous | reply 169 | February 17, 2023 2:12 PM |
I once sat next to Timothy Hutton on a flight from LA to NY and his body odor was overwhelming. Maybe that's why his career fizzled out. He was also very petulant and sullen, treated the attendants as though they were his private staff.
by Anonymous | reply 170 | February 17, 2023 3:38 PM |
Bruce Jenner.
by Anonymous | reply 171 | February 17, 2023 5:01 PM |
[quote] Are you bafoons?
Oh, [italic]dear.[/italic]
by Anonymous | reply 172 | February 17, 2023 5:14 PM |
It's actually "Doe, a deer", dear.
by Anonymous | reply 173 | February 17, 2023 6:41 PM |
Julian Sands
by Anonymous | reply 174 | February 17, 2023 7:04 PM |
Dougray Scott.
by Anonymous | reply 175 | February 17, 2023 8:02 PM |
Ronald Reagan
by Anonymous | reply 176 | February 17, 2023 8:10 PM |
Bonzo
by Anonymous | reply 177 | February 17, 2023 8:50 PM |
Chris Hemsworth. Those Marvel movies have made him a very wealthy man, but besides that and People magazine naming him sexiest man alive, he doesn't really have that much of a career.
by Anonymous | reply 178 | February 17, 2023 9:16 PM |
I feel bad for Dougray Scott. He almost got the part of Wolverine, and that would have reversed the careers arcs of him and of Hugh Jackman (who was sexy as Wolverine but much too tall, and is a dull presence onscreen in any other role)..
by Anonymous | reply 179 | February 17, 2023 9:22 PM |
Alden Ehrenreich and Hayden Christiansen.
Both of them genuinely had talent (although you have to look to "Shattered Glass" to find Christiansen's because the Lucas dialogue he worked with sabotaged his performances as Anakin Skywalker), but neither were able to provide the star power their Star Wars movies needed to make them into the kind of stars the studio wanted.
by Anonymous | reply 180 | February 17, 2023 9:25 PM |
Leading Men Who Didn't Work Out?
Uh, John Belushi?
by Anonymous | reply 181 | February 17, 2023 11:49 PM |
Brad Johnson
by Anonymous | reply 182 | February 18, 2023 12:28 AM |
R167 None of that matters in showbiz as long as you show up on time, are properly groomed and cause no problems on sets. Poor JRM is a mess when he drinks. He's such a mess, that he doesn't even book the sorts of BBC TV projects that failed Irish and English actors get when their movie careers don't pan out.
It's a shame, in his prime, JRM was one of the 5 or 6 most beautiful men that I've ever seen.
by Anonymous | reply 183 | February 18, 2023 2:56 AM |
Billy Crudup has made a nice little comeback recently but still didn't reach anywhere near what was expected of him in the '90s. People thought he could take Brad Pitt's place, particularly when he apparently beat Pitt for the Almost Famous role.
by Anonymous | reply 184 | February 18, 2023 6:51 AM |
That good looking English actor from the 90s.
by Anonymous | reply 185 | February 18, 2023 7:11 AM |
I'm glad to see Crudup's return, R184--he was the only reason to keep watching THE MORNING SHOW, IMHO.
But back in the 90s, Billy Crudup was a bit of a diva, being obnoxious about roles he didn't want to play and especially about doing press. He stated publicly that doing press for projects was not part of his job as an actor. (Honey, it IS.) He also took a beating in the media over abandoning pregnant Mary Louise Parker for younger strumpet, Claire Danes (who he also ultimately abandoned). So maybe he's a bit humbler these days.
He is talented. And quite gorgeous in his prime.
by Anonymous | reply 186 | February 18, 2023 1:57 PM |
Another early Sandra Bullock co-star, Goran Visnjic. He was very hot and very sexy - he easily could have been a Kristen Bjorn international superstar.
by Anonymous | reply 187 | February 18, 2023 10:38 PM |
Wasn't he on ER, the tv show, for years, getting a big salary?
by Anonymous | reply 188 | February 18, 2023 10:55 PM |
Sure, but he failed as a leading man in films
by Anonymous | reply 189 | February 18, 2023 11:03 PM |
Andrew McCarthy
by Anonymous | reply 190 | February 18, 2023 11:04 PM |
Yahoo Serious
by Anonymous | reply 191 | February 18, 2023 11:09 PM |
Michael Sarrazin. He was supposed to be really big, but he just fizzled out. When he was young he looked like the love child of Mick Jagger and Peter Fonda, but he didn’t age well.
I remember laughing hysterically when I watched SNL and Sarrazin starred in a spoof of a teen public service worker, Josh Ramsey: V.D. Caseworker. “Venereal disease is a loaded gun aimed straight at your crotch.”
“Boy, my penis sure hurts when I urinate!”
“Comedy” at that time was Bob Hope’s stale jokes about Raquel Welsh’s boobs and Johnny Carson playing Aunt Blabby. Hearing VD, penis and urinate on TV was shocking.
by Anonymous | reply 192 | February 18, 2023 11:12 PM |
I find Bill Pullman more creepy than appealing, I think he played himself in the Scary Movie scene as an incestuous father. He was tolerable in The Accidental Tourist. The Sandra Bullock movie was charming mostly due to her and the rest of the cast.
by Anonymous | reply 193 | February 18, 2023 11:23 PM |
Rufus Sewell
by Anonymous | reply 194 | February 18, 2023 11:28 PM |
Sarrazin was very good opposite Jane Fond in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and very cute opposite Barbra Streisand in the very funny "For Pete's Sake".
by Anonymous | reply 195 | February 18, 2023 11:29 PM |
Fonda, that is
by Anonymous | reply 196 | February 18, 2023 11:29 PM |
A lot of the guys mentioned in this thread never had the hype in the media proclaiming them to be the next big thing. You know, a cover story in "Details" in the late 90's, or being the "next bright young thing" in Vanity Fair, getting interviewed on "Entertainment Tonight" and such.
by Anonymous | reply 197 | February 18, 2023 11:30 PM |
Stephen Dorff
by Anonymous | reply 198 | February 18, 2023 11:35 PM |
Dane DeHaan
by Anonymous | reply 199 | February 18, 2023 11:40 PM |
Judd Nelson, who for a while acted like he was James Dean, Paul Newman and Laurence Olivier all in one (incredibly unappealing) package. He faded even faster into n obscurity than Andrew McCarthy, who at least became a writer and director.
by Anonymous | reply 200 | February 18, 2023 11:41 PM |
Chris Pine isn’t working out the way Hwood hoped
Star Trek, Wonder Woman and even good reviews for Don’t Worry Darling and still no one is asking for another Chris Pine Movie
by Anonymous | reply 201 | February 18, 2023 11:47 PM |
It doesn't help that there are like 3 or 4 actors names Chris who are getting big roles in movies. Other than the one who was on "Parks and Recreation" (or Chris Tucker) I can't tell them apart frankly after a while. They might as well be Ryan Reynolds, another interchangeable Chris type.
by Anonymous | reply 202 | February 18, 2023 11:53 PM |
[quote]he looked like the love child of Mick Jagger and Peter Fonda
Spot on description.
by Anonymous | reply 203 | February 19, 2023 12:17 AM |
Bill Pullman doesn’t work because he’s an arrogant prick.
by Anonymous | reply 204 | February 19, 2023 12:18 AM |
Steve Guttenberg
by Anonymous | reply 205 | February 19, 2023 12:29 AM |
Jeff Hammond.
by Anonymous | reply 206 | February 19, 2023 12:53 AM |
Harry Styles.
by Anonymous | reply 207 | February 19, 2023 10:26 AM |
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Although he does seem better suited for television.
by Anonymous | reply 208 | February 19, 2023 11:22 AM |
Shawn Mendes
by Anonymous | reply 209 | February 19, 2023 4:40 PM |
[Quote] Eisenberg was good as a leading "man" when he was playing a teenager, young-20 something, but a fully-formed adult leading man, yeah, I don't think it could quite work out. He was perfectly fine in Fleischman is in Trouble and a married adult with children, but that's a TV series and, again, he was fine, not spectacular.
Worst Lex Luthor ever.
[Quote] Stuart Townsend has practically disappeared. Did Charlize get him blackballed?
It was all downhill after Queen Of The Damned. I'm glad he didn't get the role of Aragorn in LOTR.
[Quote] I feel bad for Dougray Scott. He almost got the part of Wolverine, and that would have reversed the careers arcs of him and of Hugh Jackman (who was sexy as Wolverine but much too tall, and is a dull presence onscreen in any other role).
I can't picture Dougray as Wolverine. He did end up joining a comic franchise, unfortunately it was Batwoman on the CW.
by Anonymous | reply 210 | February 20, 2023 1:05 AM |
Russell Brand and Robby Williams own this thread
by Anonymous | reply 211 | February 20, 2023 1:28 AM |
R184 Brad Pitt dropped out of Almost Famous. That's not the same as Crudup winning the role over him.
Crudup did the voiceover for those "priceless" MasterCard ads for about a decade, so he must be swimming in money and might not care about fame.
by Anonymous | reply 212 | February 20, 2023 1:34 AM |
Stuart Townsend's career died when he was let go from TLOTR.
by Anonymous | reply 213 | February 20, 2023 1:35 AM |
Stuart Townsend's career died when he was let go from TLOTR.
by Anonymous | reply 214 | February 20, 2023 1:35 AM |
Orlando Bloom
by Anonymous | reply 215 | February 20, 2023 1:49 AM |
Showing peen in photos doesn't help that much anymore, i guess.
by Anonymous | reply 216 | February 20, 2023 2:14 AM |
Jon Hamm. End of thread.
by Anonymous | reply 217 | February 20, 2023 3:05 AM |
R204 More info, please!
by Anonymous | reply 218 | February 20, 2023 5:29 AM |
The OP.
by Anonymous | reply 219 | February 20, 2023 5:35 AM |
Ian Somerholder.....he was very, very handsome. The problem is he knew it and acted above it all with just a few highly-visible roles, such as guest starring on the original CSI when it was at its zenith.
I think he was also homophobic, right?
by Anonymous | reply 220 | February 20, 2023 5:52 AM |
R220 was he? Ian played a gay character in the Rules Of Attraction.
by Anonymous | reply 221 | February 20, 2023 6:00 AM |
Kirk Cameron, Scott Baio, Antonio Sabato Jr, Dean Cain, Gary Sinise, Kevin Sorbo, Jim Caviezel, Vince Vaugh, Dennis Miller.
by Anonymous | reply 222 | February 20, 2023 6:01 AM |
Dylan McDermott
Dermot Mulroney
by Anonymous | reply 223 | February 20, 2023 6:24 AM |
Ian Somerholder played the gay lead in RULES OF ATTRACTION. He's not bad, in an exceptionally silly and uneven but entertaining movie.
But he lost major points by publicly saying how much he hated the same-sex intimacy (eg, "I'd rather kiss a dog than another man, it's disgusting," etc.) And then ROA was a bomb, which certainly didn't do him or the other leads any favors (including James Van Der Beek).
No big loss, IMHO.
by Anonymous | reply 224 | February 20, 2023 2:15 PM |
Can we discuss Kevin Kline?
What a strange, uneven career he's had. For every SOPHIE'S CHOICE there are twice as many WILD WILD WESTs. Or DELOVELYs. Or worse. He clearly works best in ensembles, like THE ICE STORM and THE BIG CHILL.
I used to think it was because he's too overtly theatrical, too big (and too hammy, perhaps) for film. But his theatre career is as uneven and spotty as his movies.
by Anonymous | reply 225 | February 20, 2023 2:55 PM |
Never cared for Kline's self-impressed acting.
by Anonymous | reply 226 | February 20, 2023 3:12 PM |
Jon Hamm was the leading actor of a hugely successful series. He was a big part of that success. How did he not quite work out?
by Anonymous | reply 227 | February 20, 2023 9:08 PM |
R227, he didn't work out as a leading man in films
by Anonymous | reply 228 | February 20, 2023 9:09 PM |
It’s not too late for Jon Hamm to be a leading man in gay porn!!!
by Anonymous | reply 229 | February 20, 2023 9:11 PM |
John Hamm, like January Jones, was perfectly cast in Mad Men. But being good in a role that is almost tailor-made for you and being good in general are two different things. When he is playing anybody but Don Draper, Hamm is strangely charmless.
And Jones just sucks.
by Anonymous | reply 230 | February 20, 2023 9:43 PM |
Logan Marshall-Green
by Anonymous | reply 231 | February 20, 2023 9:57 PM |
R225, Kevin Kline is a sophisticated, smart example of the post's premise. He really needs to have a thread all his own.
by Anonymous | reply 232 | February 20, 2023 10:08 PM |
Kevin Kline seemed fine on paper for "Sophie's Choice", but the character and his performance of it, was totally overshadowed by Meryl Streep in probably her best performance. He's quite fine in "A Fish Called Wanda", but I always thought he was better in comedy anyway. He was marvelous on stage in "On the 20th Century" and in "Pirates of Penzance" doing lots of zany physical comedy. He should have done more nudity, that might have helped in dramas with love scenes.
by Anonymous | reply 233 | February 20, 2023 10:46 PM |
[Quote] But he lost major points by publicly saying how much he hated the same-sex intimacy (eg, "I'd rather kiss a dog than another man, it's disgusting," etc.)
I expect nothing less from the guy who threw out his wife's pills so she could get pregnant and thought it was a cute story.
by Anonymous | reply 234 | February 20, 2023 11:03 PM |
I thought Kline was great in Sophie’s Choice. And that was also the only film where I thought he was fuckable.
by Anonymous | reply 235 | February 21, 2023 1:20 AM |
Jon Hamm is 51, and looks it. His FLETCH movie came and went.
He needs to stop smirking in cheesy commercials and find a good featured role in a classy TV project, or he's doomed.
He IS talented. He's either incredibly unlucky or as big an asshole as some online gossip sources say. Or both. Cause no one wants to work with an asshole.
by Anonymous | reply 236 | February 21, 2023 1:20 AM |
r238 He's joined season 3 of The Morning Show, y'all!
by Anonymous | reply 237 | February 21, 2023 1:37 AM |
Jon Hamm apparently beat up some frat boys back in his college days. He is most unpleasant.
by Anonymous | reply 238 | February 21, 2023 1:41 AM |
If you've ever met frat boys, they deserve to get beat up.
by Anonymous | reply 239 | February 21, 2023 1:42 AM |
Jon Hamm WAS a frat boy back in college.
People like Kathy Griffin say he never outgrew it, either.
by Anonymous | reply 240 | February 21, 2023 1:48 AM |
I don't care for frat boys. Violence is still abhorrent.
by Anonymous | reply 241 | February 21, 2023 1:54 AM |
He didn't just beat him up: the kid had to have an organ (spleen?) removed or repaired because it was so damaged.
He hit his balls with the claw end of a hammer.
What the fuck kind of sicko does that?
by Anonymous | reply 242 | February 21, 2023 2:37 AM |
Kline acts in French movies as well.
by Anonymous | reply 243 | February 21, 2023 2:37 AM |
Vince Vaughn.
Another contender for the "no big loss" category. I thought he was attractive and appealing in SWINGERS... and then never, ever again. Not even once more.
by Anonymous | reply 244 | February 23, 2023 2:01 PM |
Giving young Affleck vibes here. Did they ever work together? They could have played brothers.
by Anonymous | reply 245 | February 23, 2023 2:02 PM |
Why the fuck is this thread greyed out???
by Anonymous | reply 246 | February 23, 2023 2:14 PM |
Some people here are not getting the point of this thread. It’s not about being a working actor. It’s about being promoted as a leading man in feature films and not being successful at it for whatever reason.
I can’t believe that Josh Lucas has not been mentioned. Serviceable but bland in the Bill Pullman mode. I have no clue what he’s up to nowadays. And wasn’t he outed in some blind item a few years ago? There definitely is no ‘there’ there.
And as much as he is loved here, DL fave Brenton Thwaites has not been able to maintain his status as an A list movie star. Even in his soon to end streaming show, TITANS, he is part of an ensemble. I don’t know what he will do next. If only tree trunk thighs and the face of an angel were enough….
by Anonymous | reply 247 | February 23, 2023 2:44 PM |
Vince Vaughn may have not gone on to be heart throb empty headed romantic leading man but he is a really good actor unlike many of the heart throb leading men. I'm looking at you and your too close-set eyes, Theo James.
by Anonymous | reply 248 | February 23, 2023 3:01 PM |
Yuck, Vince Vaugn is a Trumper and, no, he can't act
by Anonymous | reply 249 | February 23, 2023 4:21 PM |
Josh Lucas is a good one.
I know nothing of his personal life, but onscreen and particularly in interviews, he's always PINGING loudly and clearly to me.
by Anonymous | reply 250 | February 23, 2023 4:25 PM |
Vaughn is an asshat who has gotten into barroom brawls for spouting out his un-PC bullshit.
I feel bad for Thwaites, as I am a fan despite his minimal acting abilities.
by Anonymous | reply 251 | February 23, 2023 4:33 PM |
By "un-pc" you mean "delusional and bigoted"
by Anonymous | reply 252 | February 23, 2023 4:34 PM |
Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black. Horrible movie and performance.
by Anonymous | reply 253 | February 23, 2023 4:53 PM |
Brad Pitt is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
by Anonymous | reply 254 | February 23, 2023 4:54 PM |
r253 This thread is referring to overall careers that didn't pan out, not specific performances.
by Anonymous | reply 255 | February 23, 2023 5:02 PM |
Yes r252 exactly that…fuck Vincent.
by Anonymous | reply 256 | February 23, 2023 5:02 PM |
Sorry R 255, I miss understood.
by Anonymous | reply 257 | February 23, 2023 5:06 PM |
I see Josh is on YELLOWSTONE…figures 🙄🙄🙄
by Anonymous | reply 258 | February 23, 2023 5:12 PM |
Sean Bean was given a leading man role in the movie "Cleanskin."
It bombed.
He's very talented and handsome, but he's not a leading man in Hollywood. Ironically, he was a successful leading man in the TV series 'Sharpe.'
by Anonymous | reply 259 | February 23, 2023 5:28 PM |
Mark Harmon didn't work out as a leading man in films, though obviously he had success on tv
by Anonymous | reply 260 | February 23, 2023 7:00 PM |
[quote]Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black. Horrible movie and performance.
Yea, poor Brad Pitt. It was terrible that he didn't pan out as a leading man.
by Anonymous | reply 261 | February 23, 2023 7:09 PM |
Almost nothing about MEET JOE BLACK works, even Anthony Hopkins. Brad is laughably bad.
The person it really didn't work out for was "leading lady," Claire Forlani. Beautiful, but largely forgotten.
I thought the score was pretty. Thomas Newman is brilliant.
by Anonymous | reply 262 | February 23, 2023 7:44 PM |
I remember that there was a huge push for Jude Law in the 90s and also for Russell Brand in 00s. Neither really resonated at the US box office so back to the old dart they went, where they still have profiles.
by Anonymous | reply 263 | February 23, 2023 7:50 PM |
Jude Law is a genuinely talented actor who was pushed hard by the powers that be. Regrettably. But he's still working, at least. And THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY is a classic for all the actors involved (even you, Gwyneth).
Russell Brand was an obnoxious novelty act who is exactly where he should be now.
by Anonymous | reply 264 | February 23, 2023 7:59 PM |
Jude was in too many movies at one time. After you hit, sometimes it's good to space out your appearances so that they seem like special events.
by Anonymous | reply 265 | February 23, 2023 8:01 PM |
R262 oh God i always forget about the Patois scene. But the car accident is so bad.
by Anonymous | reply 266 | February 24, 2023 7:50 AM |
Vince Vaughn cracks me up. But he whittled his nose down to a toothpick!
by Anonymous | reply 267 | February 27, 2023 7:29 PM |
R5 Joseph Gordon Levitt appeared to pull away from public view around the time of the so-called dust-up between him and boyfriend Michael Pitt. Though he did play leading man a few times, he seems to prefer character actor roles.
by Anonymous | reply 268 | February 27, 2023 7:38 PM |
I think a lot of the people on this thread are very good actors, but maybe not all-purpose leading man types. Hiddleston, Fassbender, & C. Murphy are very talented, but fit into a particular type of role (killer, psychopath, that kind of thing). That "leading man" role currently seems to be held by Adam Driver, but who knows how long that will last. A lot of the people listed on this thread had pretty good careers & the ones that didn't were due to personal issues (JRM), didn't want to play the Hollywood game (Kitsch) or later morphed into character actors (Crudup) - not exactly Brad Pitt type stuff, but not bad either.
by Anonymous | reply 269 | February 27, 2023 9:04 PM |
[Quote] didn't want to play the Hollywood game (Kitsch)
?????
by Anonymous | reply 270 | February 28, 2023 1:13 AM |
Tarpon Egerton is slipping into obscurity, especially after his Elton biopic flopped.
by Anonymous | reply 271 | February 28, 2023 6:53 PM |
Taron, not Tarpon…damned autocorrect 😒
by Anonymous | reply 272 | February 28, 2023 6:54 PM |
[quote]didn't want to play the Hollywood game (Kitsch)
I just meant that he seemed to be a bit of an oddball (aside from being a Canadian) who just wanted to live in Austen, but didn't necessarily aspire to be a big star
by Anonymous | reply 273 | February 28, 2023 7:05 PM |
[quote]Austen
Oh, DEAR…
by Anonymous | reply 274 | February 28, 2023 7:07 PM |
That is one of the craziest "Oh, dears" in a while, r274!
by Anonymous | reply 275 | February 28, 2023 8:56 PM |
Fair enough R273 Dude got multiple chances though back in the late 00s.
by Anonymous | reply 276 | March 1, 2023 1:07 AM |
Cole Hauser and Josh Lucas - they could've been big like McBongo.
Yes, Josh Lucas pings. He was hottest as Reese's ex in Sweet Home Alabama.
He also fucked Jonathan Tucker in The Deep End with Goran Višnjić, another one that never became a lead.
I guess because he's Croatian he typecast as mobsters and shady characters. He was a hot daddy in the Dragon Tattoo remake with Rooney Spectrum. Too bad he was only I it for a couple of minutes.
Logan Marshall-Green - looks too much like Tom Hardy.. without the Myspace attention whoring
by Anonymous | reply 277 | March 6, 2023 5:54 AM |
[Quote] Logan Marshall-Green - looks too much like Tom Hardy.. without the Myspace attention whoring
Logan will always The Invitation and The OC.
by Anonymous | reply 278 | March 6, 2023 8:27 AM |
Goran Višnjić was always very one note - he could play a certain type, but didn't have much range. I remember reading he had a kid with a woman who was not his wife & ultimately had to admit paternity, so maybe he was messy behind the scenes. In contrast, I think that's Matt Damon's appeal - he's this very bland, pasty white guy that can morph into different roles - like putty in human form. I'm guessing that's harder to do when you're very ethnic looking
by Anonymous | reply 279 | March 6, 2023 8:49 AM |
Josh Lucas had been the "voice" of those Walmart commercials for years now. He may not make Top Gun money, but I am sure it is a good paycheck.
by Anonymous | reply 280 | March 7, 2023 11:52 AM |
Doesn’t matter r280. He didn’t make it as a leading man. That’s what the thread is about.
by Anonymous | reply 281 | March 7, 2023 12:55 PM |
[Quote] Vaughn is an asshat who has gotten into barroom brawls for spouting out his un-PC bullshit.
Doesn’t matter [R281]. He didn’t make it as a leading man. That’s what the thread is about.
by Anonymous | reply 282 | March 9, 2023 12:59 AM |
My boyfriend in the Jane Fonda movie. He did a spy show or something?
by Anonymous | reply 283 | March 9, 2023 5:05 AM |
Josh Lucas. So forgotten he didn't even make it before on this list.
by Anonymous | reply 284 | March 9, 2023 5:17 AM |
Sean Bean should have played James Bond.
by Anonymous | reply 285 | March 12, 2023 4:08 PM |