Top 10 Actors Who NEVER Do Franchises
Don't expect to ever see these actors in franchises. For this list, we’ll be looking at those rare A-list celebs who have managed to stay away from every superhero universe, wizard world, international intelligence agency, and illegal street racing gang out there.
Transcript
00:00 Oh no.
00:01 Oh no.
00:02 Oh no.
00:03 Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top ten actors who
00:09 never do franchises.
00:10 Whoa, whoa, here I come.
00:14 Oh, here I come.
00:15 For this list, we'll be looking at those rare A-list celebs who have managed to stay
00:19 away from every superhero universe, wizard world, international intelligence agency,
00:25 and illegal street racing gang out there.
00:27 What actor would you love to see leading their own franchise?
00:31 Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
00:34 Number 10.
00:35 Jane Fonda One of the greatest Hollywood bombshells of
00:39 all time, it seems like Fonda was always destined to be a star of the silver screen.
00:43 The daughter of actor Henry Fonda, Jane was born with performing in her blood.
00:48 She appeared in nearly 30 films throughout the 1960s and 70s, including one of her most
00:54 recognizable roles as the super sexy sci-fi adventurer, Barbarella.
00:58 I'm so grateful for what you've done, I hardly know how to begin to thank you.
01:03 I'm positive I could get you some sort of recompense for my government.
01:06 I mean, if there's anything you need or that I can do, please tell me.
01:10 But fans who grew up in the 1980s might remember Fonda from a different genre, her series of
01:15 VHS exercise videos that became massive bestsellers.
01:19 Five, six, seven, eight, and down.
01:22 This is where the pectorals, five, six, seven, eight, and up.
01:28 And Fonda's career is still going strong.
01:31 Since turning 80, she's starred in the hit Netflix series, Grace and Frankie, as well
01:35 as multiple movies, and she shows no signs of slowing down.
01:40 Are you working on anything new?
01:41 Actually yeah.
01:42 Number 9.
01:43 Richard Gere After making a name for himself as a high-class
01:47 male escort in American Gigolo, Gere quickly gained a reputation as a Hollywood sex symbol.
01:52 Baby, baby, this is a two-hour gig.
01:55 Plus the drive.
01:56 Plus the drive.
01:57 Five seats, straight in and out drive, nothing fancy.
02:00 Come on, do me a favor.
02:01 I don't know, maybe.
02:03 But it was his role as the resolute and loyal Navy officer-in-training, Zach Mayo, that
02:08 vaulted him to superstardom.
02:10 Gere continued to play the leading man in romances into his 50s.
02:14 May I help you?
02:16 The sign said, "Feel free to watch."
02:20 Are you here for lessons?
02:23 Yes.
02:24 Although many other actors of his generation have appeared in major franchises, Gere somehow
02:30 never has.
02:31 At least, not yet.
02:32 But if Michael Keaton can play Batman in his 70s, then we'd say there's still time for
02:37 Gere to put on a cape, if he ever wants to.
02:40 There's one thing that they can never resist, and that is a reformed sinner.
02:45 8.
02:46 Matthew McConaughey
02:48 After meeting dazed and confused casting director Don Phillips in a hotel bar, McConaughey landed
02:53 his breakout role as David Wooderson in his early 20s.
02:56 You know Wooderson?
02:57 How's it going, man?
02:58 Hey.
02:59 Pretty good.
03:00 How's it going with you?
03:03 Since then, his good looks and southern charm have kept him in the spotlight.
03:07 In the 2000s, he became the rom-com king, earning him the title of People Magazine's
03:12 Sexiest Man Alive in 2005.
03:15 And his ability to bring the ladies to their feet in Magic Mike proves that he hasn't lost
03:19 a step.
03:20 The law says that you cannot touch.
03:21 But I think I see a lot of lawbreakers up in this house tonight.
03:27 And I don't see a cop inside.
03:32 And yet, he's one of the few leading men in Hollywood who hasn't been snatched up for
03:37 a cinematic universe or spy franchise.
03:39 Although, if anyone could pull off a skin-tight superhero uniform, it's Matthew McConaughey.
03:44 Revolutions.
03:45 You follow?
03:46 Revolutions.
03:47 Keep the clients on the Ferris wheel.
03:49 And it goes.
03:50 The park is open 24/7, 365.
03:53 Every decade, every goddamn century.
03:56 That's it.
03:57 It's the name of the game.
04:00 Number 7.
04:01 Jennifer Aniston
04:02 Everyone knows Aniston from her role as Rachel Green on Friends, one of the most beloved
04:06 sitcoms of all time.
04:08 Oh, wish me luck.
04:09 What for?
04:10 I'm gonna go get one of those job things.
04:13 In fact, Aniston has probably had the most successful post-Friends career of any of the
04:19 main cast, extending her comedy chops to the big screen, too.
04:22 I'm gonna have to wait until I fall asleep.
04:25 Jesus, I'm coming.
04:26 Then we sneak another doodle.
04:27 Cut to that scene.
04:28 I'll be home for Christmas.
04:29 What?
04:30 What?
04:31 No.
04:32 Jesus.
04:34 She's also proven her talent at dramatic acting, as in her moving performance as accident
04:40 survivor and person with substance use disorder Claire in Cake.
04:44 I'm gonna eat this in a few minutes, okay?
04:45 I just want some quiet time.
04:46 Promise?
04:47 Promise.
04:48 On my mother's grave.
04:49 But your mother lives.
04:52 And although we could totally picture her hunting down international terrorists alongside
04:56 Ethan Hunt, so far, she's managed to stay out of the franchise game.
05:01 Number 6.
05:02 Regina King
05:03 One of the most versatile women in Hollywood, King has done it all.
05:07 Comedy, drama, action, commercials, even guest judging on RuPaul's Drag Race.
05:12 This looked like the most professional magazine of the whole bunch.
05:16 It did, but as we're going through all of these, I'm wondering, did it look like the
05:21 most professional because everything else was so bad?
05:25 And technically, she's also played a superhero, just not in the Marvel or DC universes.
05:30 Instead, she played Angela A. Barr, aka Sister Knight, in the streaming miniseries Watchmen.
05:37 You knew?
05:38 Yes.
05:39 How do you know he's 7K?
05:45 I got a nose for white supremacy and he smells like bleach.
05:48 Lately though, King has been spending as much of her time behind the camera as in front
05:53 of it.
05:54 She's directed episodes of hit TV shows like Shameless and The Good Doctor, not to mention
05:58 a feature film.
05:59 What did the investors say when they gave me my money?
06:03 That it was yours to do.
06:05 To do with?
06:06 As I please.
06:07 Perhaps it's only a matter of time before she ends up in a major franchise, but she's
06:11 just as likely to be directing it as starring in it.
06:15 Number 5.
06:16 John Cusack It seems like John Cusack was in every teen
06:19 comedy that came out in the 1980s.
06:28 In fact, from the 80s to the 2000s, it seemed like he was in every movie, period.
06:34 And no wonder, over those three decades he appeared in over 50 films, from rom-coms to
06:39 thrillers to a somewhat questionable turn as Edgar Allan Poe.
06:50 So how is it that he never ended up in a franchise?
06:53 As it turns out, he almost did.
06:55 In 1985, a John Hughes-inspired Spider-Man script was produced for Canon Films with Cusack
07:01 in mind.
07:02 Of course, at the time, Marvel was popping out such gems as Howard the Duck.
07:07 So maybe it's for the best that Cusack's Spider-Man never came to be.
07:13 Although there is now a multiverse.
07:15 Number 4.
07:16 Jodie Foster Although her breakout role technically came
07:20 in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, when most people think of Jodie Foster, they think of
07:25 Clarice Starling.
07:40 Holding her own opposite the legendary Sir Anthony Hopkins, Foster's powerful and understated
07:45 performance in The Silence of the Lambs earned plenty of critical attention and awards.
07:51 Since then, she's continued to focus her career primarily on dramas.
08:03 And like Regina King, she's no stranger to the director's chair, with credits for both
08:08 feature films and major TV shows.
08:10 Although the lurid tales of Hannibal Lecter border on franchise status, we don't expect
08:16 to see Foster putting on a cape or wizard robes anytime soon.
08:28 Number 3.
08:29 Daniel Day-Lewis He sings, he dances, he goes to extremes in
08:33 his method acting choices.
08:35 But he doesn't do franchises.
08:43 Although the now-retired Sir Daniel has had an incredibly illustrious career, surprisingly,
08:49 he's only appeared in about 20 films.
08:51 And each of those films was a completely standalone entity.
08:55 He's never even been in a sequel.
09:09 Yet somehow, despite never going near the MCU or MI6, he's embodied some truly iconic
09:16 characters.
09:17 From the eminently quotable Daniel Plainview to the great Emancipator himself.
09:33 But we also have to admit, he would have made a brilliant 007.
09:37 Number 2.
09:38 Meryl Streep If anyone deserves to be called the Queen
09:41 of the Silver Screen, it's Meryl Streep.
09:44 Having been a household name for over four decades, it seems there's no part she can't
09:49 play.
09:50 British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher?
09:52 Check.
09:53 Acclaimed chef and cooking show host Julia Child?
10:09 No problem.
10:10 Frosty Anna Wintour-inspired magazine editor?
10:23 Obviously.
10:25 With so many incredible characters on her resume, it's kind of hard to believe that
10:30 no major franchise has gotten its hooks into Streep.
10:37 But if any actor can hold her own in Hollywood without a cinematic universe to fall back
10:42 on, it's Queen Meryl.
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10:59 Number 1.
11:01 Leonardo DiCaprio Technically, Leo's first film role was in
11:05 the third installment of a horror franchise.
11:09 But let's be honest, Critters 3 is no Captain America Civil War.
11:20 Whether you know him as the star-crossed Romeo, the ill-fated Jack Dawson, or the dream-hopping
11:26 Dom Cobb, Leo has been stealing hearts in every genre for almost thirty years.
11:34 Yet, it wasn't until the 2010s that he finally earned the highest honor of all, getting turned
11:45 into a meme.
11:47 And although by this point Leo could probably have his pick of franchise leading roles,
11:51 we're happy to continue watching him give it his all in one amazing standalone movie
11:56 after another.
12:16 [music]