Sometimes the big screen just doesn't have room for nonsense! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at major actors whose declining success on the big screen seemingly drove them to television.
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00:00 You think people out there are getting exactly what they deserve?
00:02 No, they're getting paid over or under.
00:05 But someone in the chain always gets bamboozled.
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at major actors
00:11 whose declining success on the big screen seemingly drove them to television,
00:15 whether or not they had a resurgence.
00:17 It's not your fault.
00:19 It's just the way things worked out.
00:22 Number 10, Katherine Heigl.
00:26 TV was the ideal stepping stone for versatile Grey's Anatomy star
00:29 Katherine Heigl, and after her breakout lead role in Knocked Up,
00:32 she also became one of the most promising rom-com headliners of the 2000s.
00:35 We're just doing what we can.
00:37 We're making the best of it, and I don't want us to put any more pressure on ourselves.
00:41 Unfortunately, critical and commercial success declined in the 2010s.
00:44 Worse, Heigl gained a reputation of being difficult to work with.
00:47 She ultimately tried to regain credibility with a comeback to TV drama,
00:51 but State of Affairs was canceled after just one season.
00:54 Are you familiar with a corporate entity by the name of the Windsong Group?
00:58 Yes. Who's the sole shareholder?
01:00 I am.
01:01 The leading lady subsequently stuck to other relatively short-lived TV gigs,
01:05 including CBS's One and Done Doubt and the last two seasons of Suits.
01:08 And if the carrot doesn't work, you use the goddamn stick.
01:11 And threaten him with what?
01:12 We took half the firm from him.
01:14 There is nothing left to take.
01:15 However, as the industry examines its own misogyny,
01:17 public opinion toward Heigl seems to have shifted,
01:20 and her work on Firefly Lane has been praised.
01:22 You deserve to be happy.
01:24 Maybe.
01:27 Number nine, Chris O'Donnell.
01:28 In 1992, Chris O'Donnell scored a Golden Globe nomination for Scent of a Woman.
01:33 So why are we going to New York?
01:34 All information will be given on a need-to-know basis.
01:38 Hoo-rah!
01:41 The following year, he got a Razzie nod for The Three Musketeers.
01:44 He spent the rest of the 90s building a hit-or-miss resume,
01:47 before his popular appeal was dashed by the era-definingly-awful Batman and Robin.
01:51 Your head wasn't even on the job. All you could think about was Poison Ivy.
01:54 You just can't stand that maybe she wanted me instead of you.
01:56 It looked like O'Donnell was doomed to fade into obscurity.
01:59 You said I'm through. You're right. I am through.
02:01 We're both through. It's all over.
02:03 But after he landed NCIS Los Angeles in 2009,
02:06 G. Callen became one of primetime's leading law enforcement officers.
02:10 I'm Sam Hanna. This is my partner, Callen.
02:12 We'd like to answer some questions about your husband and his teammates.
02:15 O'Donnell did not appear in a feature film between 2010 and 2023,
02:20 but his steady TV work may have saved his legacy.
02:22 Well, the house where the shooting occurred is just a couple miles down the road.
02:26 Just a short drive.
02:28 A little short swim.
02:30 With the end of NCIS LA after 14 years, it's time for another reinvention.
02:34 By the 2010s, Reese Witherspoon seemed to be relinquishing her role of America's sweetheart.
02:41 With her work in more serious movies not resonating,
02:43 it was reportedly not the easiest period in her life,
02:46 and many will remember her confrontation with a cop in 2013.
02:49 You must be starving.
02:50 I brought all these dehydrated meals, and I brought a stove, but I brought the wrong fuel.
02:55 She made waves with 2014's Wild, earning an Oscar nomination,
02:58 but overall her big-screen work wasn't what it had been in her legally blonde peak.
03:02 Eventually, she took a chance on the bold frontier of television with Big Little Lies.
03:06 Everybody moves here for the education.
03:08 Basically, it's private school at a public school price.
03:12 Anyway, you're gonna love it.
03:13 It was a hit, and Witherspoon's sharp performance proved she was still a star.
03:17 You have to take the good with the bad.
03:18 Can't all be interviewing Janet Reno.
03:20 She earned further acclaim for Little Fires Everywhere and The Morning Show.
03:24 With high-profile producing credits and challenging roles,
03:26 she's made the most of this pivot.
03:28 Now I don't have to eat coal mush anymore. I can eat hot mush.
03:30 Number seven, Christian Slater.
03:34 Christian Slater was one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors in the '80s and '90s.
03:38 I'm basically a pretty resourceful guy. If I didn't really need it, I wouldn't ask.
03:41 But, I mean, if you want to say no, I'm fine.
03:46 But after the failures of several ambitious films in the 2000s,
03:49 he wound up in many poorly-received projects.
03:52 We lead a slightly different life out there, and it costs a little more money.
03:55 He mostly stood out with guest and voice work on TV during this period.
03:58 Finally, in 2015, Slater staged a big comeback as the titular hacker on USA Network's Mr. Robot.
04:04 I'm getting off here.
04:05 I think you should come with me.
04:08 But only if you didn't delete it.
04:11 The show garnered a dedicated following, and its massive acclaim
04:14 all but revitalized the veteran actor's credibility.
04:17 That mostly meant more credible TV roles, though he is in the film game, too.
04:20 Until he can fully reboot his movie superstardom,
04:23 Slater's distinct voice can always be heard on the small screen.
04:26 Slater, it's okay. We just want to talk.
04:29 Yeah, the gun's just a conversation piece.
04:31 Ziegfeld girl Barbara Stanwyck entered the film industry just in time for the talkies.
04:38 I wouldn't think of imposing upon you at this hour.
04:40 Listen, I figured I'm working all night.
04:43 She became one of the leading starlets of Hollywood's sound era,
04:46 best known for her groundbreaking femme fatale persona.
04:49 She even made a splash on television with The Barbara Stanwyck Show and The Big Valley.
04:53 Still, this was her most high-profile work at the time.
04:55 Stanwyck left film in the '60s but stayed prolific on TV.
04:58 A few years after winning a Golden Globe for the star-studded miniseries The Thorn Birds,
05:03 she effectively retired altogether in 1986.
05:05 You don't love me.
05:06 I have always loved you.
05:09 So much so I would have killed you for not wanting me.
05:13 Stanwyck's film career may have fallen victim to Tinseltown ageism.
05:16 Rarely playing the victim, though, she maintained her stardom and legacy as a leader in entertainment.
05:21 I'm crazy about you, baby.
05:23 I'm crazy about you, Walter.
05:25 'Sup, Chris? Heard you like Mr. GQ's move, man.
05:30 The '90s saw a meteoric rise for Cuba Gooding Jr.
05:33 His Oscar-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell and Jerry Maguire gave him endless momentum.
05:37 Show me the money!
05:38 Show me the money!
05:39 Louder!
05:41 Louder!
05:42 Show me the money!
05:43 He kept his popularity going in the new millennium, but not always among critics.
05:46 As the quality of his projects declined, the bulk of the leading film roles he could secure went straight to video.
05:51 They just don't understand yet, but they're gonna catch on believable.
05:55 I'm sorry.
05:56 Of course, some of the movies he had supporting parts in earned praise, like 2014's Selma.
06:00 Still, it was mainly his TV and stage work drawing in attention.
06:03 Gooding was especially renowned as the star of the People vs. O.J. Simpson American Crime Story.
06:08 I don't even understand these things they're saying about me.
06:11 This article says that I come to represent the cross-section of racial politics, due process, and celebrity culture.
06:18 I mean, what does that even mean?
06:19 However, dozens of sexual assault allegations and charges against him began emerging in 2019,
06:24 casting a dark shadow over his career.
06:27 Number four, Kristen Bell.
06:28 It didn't take long for Kristen Bell to become a TV must-watch.
06:31 With the trifecta of Veronica Mars, heroes, and Gossip Girl pretty early in her career,
06:36 she was practically guaranteed long-term film success.
06:39 I work for a company interested in keeping him out of trouble.
06:42 Peter is a dangerous guy.
06:45 You don't have to tell me that.
06:47 But after her big break in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, she headlined a string of arguably forgettable flicks.
06:52 Despite box office success, Bell proved a more versatile lead in voice acting.
06:56 She returned to small-screen residency with Showtime's House of Lies before NBC's acclaimed The Good Place
07:02 fully reminded people of her talent.
07:03 We're running out of time, and I am your only option.
07:07 A lot of guys your age said that to me just as the bar was about to close.
07:12 A successful revival of Veronica Mars in 2019 took that further.
07:16 Bell is now best known for her TV work, though that's not to say she doesn't make memorable
07:19 silver screen appearances, especially in the animation world.
07:22 Are you okay?
07:24 I've never been better.
07:27 This is so nice.
07:28 Number three, Elizabeth Taylor.
07:30 Few Hollywood stars can measure up to Elizabeth Taylor.
07:32 She was recognized as one of the most iconic women in the world, who starred in many of
07:36 her era's biggest and most influential films.
07:38 It will not be wise.
07:40 What is wise?
07:42 To hand over Rome, Italy, the world to Octavian?
07:45 However, even her clout in Hollywood declined with age and sensationalism of her personal life.
07:50 By the 1980s, she was working primarily on stage and in a variety of TV shows.
07:55 Someday you shall have those things.
07:59 And when you do, you will realize Mikos did not deserve his fate.
08:07 This notably included a stint on General Hospital and a couple of brief appearances on The Simpsons.
08:11 Miss Taylor, a couple of grade school kids wanted you to be on a Krusty special.
08:15 I told them to buzz off.
08:17 Good.
08:18 Taylor, however, remained a relevant public figure even after her retirement in 2007.
08:22 Her legacy is now defined as much by her acting range as her glamour.
08:26 In her later career, though, Hollywood left her few options outside of television.
08:30 You see wonderful things in Texas when you're 50.
08:35 Perhaps.
08:36 But I won't care as much then.
08:40 Number two, Bob Hope.
08:41 Recent generations may be most familiar with Bob Hope through his TV work, but the vaudeville-forged
08:46 comedian was one of the biggest box office draws throughout the 1940s and 50s.
08:50 We're off on the road to Morocco.
08:55 This taxi is tough on the spine.
08:59 With an equally prolific radio and stage career, he was bound to conquer television from its
09:03 advent.
09:04 It wound up being his safety net after a series of flops cost him top billing at theaters
09:07 by the early '70s.
09:09 I can see you.
09:10 That's strange.
09:11 I can see you.
09:12 That's only since I put in air conditioning.
09:13 Yet Hope remained one of TV's top personalities until his retirement in 1998.
09:18 Ironically, he may be best known for hosting the Oscars a record 19 times.
09:22 Hope's own renown in film may have sadly been short-lived, but TV kept the dynamic
09:26 entertainer an icon for much of his career and beyond.
09:29 I really needed you on this show.
09:30 How do you mean?
09:31 Well, it's very tough on me being both star and sex symbol.
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09:51 1.
09:52 Winona Ryder
09:53 Winona Ryder was the "it girl" of the '90s.
09:56 She had built a diverse filmography and received two Oscar nominations before she was 25.
10:00 You a Heather?
10:02 No.
10:03 I'm a Veronica.
10:05 Sawyer.
10:06 But the early 2000s brought backlash over shoplifting in Adam Sandler's Mr. Deeds.
10:11 Fire excites me.
10:13 Knock yourself out.
10:15 From there, the basically blacklisted Ryder largely appeared in independent comedies.
10:19 She subsequently landed some elevated projects in both mediums in the late aughts and into
10:23 the 2010s, before working nostalgia in her favor as Joyce Byers on Stranger Things.
10:27 You're a very brave girl.
10:29 You know that, don't you?
10:33 Everything you're doing for my boy, for Will, for my family.
10:41 Thank you.
10:43 The Netflix mega-hit and Ryder's standout performance really brought her back into the
10:47 limelight.
10:48 With further acclaim in the miniseries The Plot Against America, she's due for a full-blown
10:53 comeback.
10:54 I'm one of many.
10:55 You're modest, isn't you?
10:57 First though, there's the matter of one of the most cinematic shows on the smart screen.
11:01 What are your favorite TV turns and comebacks from movie stars?
11:03 Join the cast in the comments.
11:04 I bet you hate to leave because Shakespeare said, "Parting is such sweet sorrow."
11:10 Of course, Shakespeare wasn't stationed in this swamp.
11:13 Did you enjoy this video?
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