Sometimes, when an actor wins an Oscar, it seems like their career will know no limits. And for others, their careers seem to fade. Patricia Arquette won an Oscar in 2014 for Boyhood but she has since worked on very small and little-seen projects. In 2018, the word was received that she would star in the Hulu series “The Act.”
She also played Tilly Mitchell in the Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora, in which she had to gain weight, wear prosthetic teeth, and brown contact lenses. She also recently starred in 2022’s award-winning series “Severance,” which was a completely mind-bending series that deserves a watch if you haven’t seen it!
No More Magic for Mike
Alex Pettyfer was the blonde boy at the heart of "Magic Mike," who emitted the kind of tough charisma that hinted he'd become a star or at least a successful character actor. But one wrong move and he single-handedly ruined his own career. The actor had a feud with Channing Tatum and angered the crew with his dramatic behavior.
However, his recent role in the psychological thriller "The Strange Ones" may have earned his career a comeback, and if anything, garnered him some praise. Since this 2017 role, he has had a trail of other small roles like in “The Last Witness,” “Echo Boomers,” and most recently “The Infernal Machine” in 2022.
Back from a Break
Jesse Eisenberg has his breakthrough role in the comedy-drama film "Adventureland" and the horror-comedy "Zombieland." In 2005 he also starred in the Oscar-nominated flick “The Squid and the Whale,” alongside Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney. He earned nominations for several awards, including an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actor for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" in 2010.
Following this role, Eisenberg took a break from acting for some time. He was busy again, working on some projects, one of which included portraying the legendary mime Marcel Marceau in "Resistance." Most recently, he portrayed Ralphe in “Manodrome” in 2023.
Cult Classic
Now, this is a rather unique one compared to the other ones on this list. Allison Mack's first big television role was on an episode of the WB series 7th Heaven. In October 2001, she began playing Chloe Sullivan in the WB/CW hit tv show, Smallville. She won several accolades and nominations for her performance.
Things went horribly wrong when The actress destroyed her career after she joined the cult NXIVM in 2011. Recently, she was put under house arrest for the crimes she committed for the cult. She was arrested in Brooklyn by the FBI in April 2018, Not the typical thing that usually end an actor's career.
Retired for the Right Reasons
For a number of years, it seemed like Rick Moranis was in everything. He appeared in several iconic films like "Ghostbusters," "Spaceballs," "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and "The Flinstones." It seemed like his career was going to skyrocket and that he would do more than what he's done since... which is nothing.
He also had such a talent for writing that the director of “Ghostbusters” gave the star the steering wheel for some of the scenes from this flick, and he is even mentioned as one of the movie’s writers. After he lost his wife to breast cancer in the early '90s and became a single father, he decided to retire from the industry so he could be there for his two children, rightfully so.