These celebrities course-corrected mid-career and were never the same! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at acting and music stars who were synonymous with one genre, only to revitalize their status with another.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at acting and music stars who are synonymous
00:13with one genre, only to revitalize their status with another.
00:18Well, I'm of the opinion that if Marcel's lived his whole life, he doesn't need to
00:23know nothing about this incident.
00:2720.
00:28Bring Me The Horizon Britain's metalcore scene was pretty niche
00:40when Bring Me The Horizon formed in 2004.
00:43Even more niche was the deathcore scene.
00:46The band's first EP and album got mixed reviews for Olly Sky's guttural vocals overgrinding
00:52occasionally melodic compositions.
01:01With poor commercial prospects, producer Fredrik Nordstrom convinced them to tone things down.
01:07The sound would still be intense, but the gradual incorporation of alt-rock and pop
01:12elements set BMTH apart from traditional metalcore.
01:15By the time they left the genre altogether in the 2010s, sales were soaring, along with
01:21critical acclaim.
01:23The 2019 album Amo even topped the UK charts.
01:27Still, BMTH will sneak out material to appease their metal loyalists as much as a wider audience.
01:4019.
01:45Robin Wright Robin Wright built a prominent and diverse
01:55resume throughout the 90s, but she spent much of the 2000s stuck in independent dramas that
02:01failed to captivate audiences and critics.
02:04It was ultimately the small screen that brought her back to power, in every sense.
02:08Netflix's flagship series House of Cards ran for six seasons on Wright's quietly intense
02:14rise from a corrupt politician's wife to the presidency.
02:25She then rode multiple Emmy nominations into a streak of high-profile thrillers, including
02:30Blade Runner 2049 and the DC Extended Universe.
02:34She even returned to Netflix to direct a couple episodes of Ozark.
02:37While Wright still favors understated dramas with more praise than ever, she's a real powerhouse
02:44in the thriller genre.
02:5118.
02:53Michael Bolton While there's no doubting the power of Michael
03:07Bolton's voice, many forget that it was once put to more orthodox use.
03:13He was a bona fide hard rocker at the peak of the genre's commercial market in the 70s
03:17and 80s.
03:26The frilliest he got was as the frontman of the short-lived hair metal band Blackjack.
03:32But after co-writing the Laura Branigan hit How Am I Supposed to Live Without You, Bolton
03:36reinvented himself as a pop star.
03:39His ferocious soul style certainly stood out among romantic ballads.
03:44Such range also cemented Bolton's reputation as a true vocal virtuoso, never mind the commercial
03:49success and legacy that came from him creating his own distinct sound.
04:0217.
04:08Darius Rucker Hootie and the Blowfish hooked the 90s with
04:19Americana-infused pop rock.
04:21Unfortunately, their output and profile steadily fizzled out until they disbanded in 2008.
04:27Frontman Darius Rucker was preoccupied with a solo career, initially in R&B, but he didn't
04:33fully blow up until he followed his passion for country.
04:37Rucker's flair for old-fashioned and modern pop in this genre made him a sensation with
04:42many accolades and number one hits.
04:56He was the first black artist since Charlie Pryde to top the country charts, helping to
05:00promote diversity in the industry.
05:03This also led to Hootie and the Blowfish reuniting with new, country-rock material.
05:08Rucker may have led their pop stardom back in the day, but he's now a singular country
05:12icon.
05:1716.
05:20Reese Witherspoon Once dubbed America's sweetheart, Reese Witherspoon
05:33was one of the top rom-com headliners of the 2000s.
05:37Projects like her Oscar-winning performance in Walk the Line still showed that there was
05:41great grit behind this wholesome image.
05:50As it began to lose momentum going into the 2010s, Witherspoon co-founded the women-centric
05:55production company Pacific Standard.
05:58Let's just say that the rebrand of Hello Sunshine is very ironic.
06:03The company's many daring features include 2014's Wild, which landed Witherspoon another
06:08Academy Award nomination.
06:10And with series like Big Little Lies and The Morning Show, she became a TV drama darling.
06:16Witherspoon took full control of her reinvention and has come out more popular than ever with
06:20critics and fans.
06:2815.
06:29Beastie Boys It's been said that the Beastie in Beastie
06:39Boys stands for boys entering anarchistic states towards inner excellence.
06:45It doesn't get much more punk than that.
06:47Sure enough, this always subversive outfit formed in the New York hardcore scene of the
06:52early 80s.
06:54They opened for the likes of Bad Brains and Dead Kennedys and recorded a killer EP.
07:05The boys might have stayed underground legends had they not met an up-and-coming producer
07:10named Rick Rubin.
07:11Their embrace of early hip-hop helped propel it into the mainstream and pioneer the hybrid
07:16genre rap-rock.
07:18Beastie Boys are now multi-platinum titans of a style they didn't even anticipate.
07:23At least the lifelong punks never sold out their edge and innovation.
07:3714.
07:38John Travolta John Travolta danced his way to superstardom
07:48with Saturday Night Fever and Grease.
07:51From there, the heartthrob drifted from musicals to popular dramas and comedies that lacked
07:56legs.
07:57He gradually lost his critical and commercial appeal, but passionate cinephile Quentin Tarantino
08:02still believed in him.
08:03Travolta won huge acclaim as charming hitman Vincent Vega in the 1994 masterpiece Pulp
08:10Fiction.
08:20He then became synonymous with anti-hero and villain roles in crime dramas, as well as
08:25a variety of edgier genre pictures.
08:28Unfortunately, this rebrand also devolved over time.
08:31Travolta now mostly does low-profile or straight-to-video crime thrillers.
08:36Still, no matter how bad their reviews, the proven range of this once-scorned pretty boy
08:41still has everyone rooting for him.
08:5313.
08:54Brendan Fraser From endearing comedies and dramas to big
09:07blockbusters, Brendan Fraser exemplified the range of an everyman actor.
09:12But all this fluff didn't have much longevity with critics and audiences.
09:16Sadly, Fraser's status was further strained by struggles with his health and personal
09:22hardships.
09:23After some memorable supporting performances in TV dramas, he returned to the spotlight
09:27with Darren Aronofsky's The Whale.
09:40Fraser's committed, devastating performance was hailed as one of the greatest Hollywood
09:45comebacks in years.
09:47From his Academy Award win came prestigious projects like Killers of the Flower Moon and
09:52the upcoming Dwight D. Eisenhower biopic, Pressure.
09:55Fraser may have always been lovable in lighter fare, but he's now beloved as a bold, dramatic
10:01presence.
10:1012.
10:12Katy Perry The artist formerly known as Katy Hudson is
10:24the daughter of Pentecostal pastors.
10:27She was only 17 years old when she started her career on The Righteous Path with the
10:31self-titled Christian Rock album.
10:33Its alternative pop elements polarized critics and didn't seem to lift audiences' spirits
10:38either.
10:39The album bombed just as the label Red Hill Records went bankrupt.
10:52Luckily, Hudson found salvation in secular music and a new name.
10:56Katy Perry became one of the biggest pop stars of the post-2000s, celebrated for her empowering
11:01and often steamy dance anthems.
11:04It's not like her Christian music was very orthodox to begin with, but in bringing such
11:09passion to the mainstream, Perry has won legions of followers.
11:1911.
11:22Adam Sandler At least for a time, Adam Sandler was one
11:36of moviegoers' favorite funnymen.
11:39Few fully respected his dramatic chops in films like Punch-Drunk Love and Funny People,
11:44but after a series of critical disasters and Netflix originals, many lost respect for
11:49his comedy.
11:50Then came the Safdie brothers' off-the-wall crime thriller, Uncut Gems.
11:54Sandler's humorless, highly-accoladed portrayal of a jeweler with a life-threatening gambling
11:59debt was named the best performance of his career.
12:11He has since returned to comedy, but with greater fanfare and detours to acclaimed dramatic
12:16roles.
12:17Sure, we may have been quietly rooting for Sandler all along.
12:20With his more serious turn, though, everyone is now eager to see what he'll do next.
12:3110.
12:32Leslie Nielsen Leslie Nielsen was a prolific character actor
12:46across all genres of film and television.
12:49Between the 1950s and 70s, his few starring roles included the sci-fi caper Forbidden
12:55Planet and the disaster epic, The Poseidon Adventure.
12:58Surely, the latter helped him secure the less-serious disaster classic, Airplane.
13:03And don't call him Shirley.
13:09With this and the Naked Gun series, Nielsen found his leading man brand in comedies.
13:15He specifically became one of the preeminent figures in the parody genre.
13:19Roger Ebert even dubbed him the Olivier of spoofs, whose hilarious deadpan style drew
13:25on a natural dramatic presence.
13:27The critical hits were few and far between, but Nielsen spent the rest of an initially
13:32wayward career as a comedy icon.
13:429.
13:48Pantera The story of Pantera is the story of mainstream
14:00metal between the 1980s and 90s.
14:02The Texas outfit was quintessential glam metal throughout the first decade, with Phil Anselmo's
14:08raspy voice distinguishing the melodic riffs.
14:18Then they came literally screaming into the next decade with Cowboys From Hell.
14:23The album was all thrash with uniquely ferocious vocals and groove, punctuated by Dimebag Darrell's
14:30blistering guitar solos.
14:32The band only got more intense from there.
14:35Their signature style was dubbed groove metal, and helped set up an era that pushed the boundaries
14:40of both heavy music and its commercial appeal.
14:43While Pantera enjoyed moderate success in the pop trends of 80s metal, they achieved
14:48greatness as unlikely innovators.
14:568.
15:00Robert Pattinson Whether he liked it or not, Robert Pattinson
15:12broke out as a brooding heartthrob, and he was pretty open about not liking it.
15:17He won over mainstream audiences as Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga, while joining
15:22in popular disdain for this brand.
15:24Remember Me and Water for Elephants didn't bring many around to the romantic lead, but
15:29after a couple of David Cronenberg films, he receded into a series of subversive thrillers.
15:36A24's Good Time and The Lighthouse formally returned him to the spotlight with a glowing
15:41reception.
15:51This patiently darkened transformation has completely changed the bandwagon's tone
15:55about Pattinson's edge.
15:57In bringing it to a neo-noir revision of Batman, he made a triumphant comeback as a big budget
16:02headliner.
16:057.
16:08Daft Punk In 1992, three French teens tried to make
16:22it in indie and punk rock.
16:24Unfortunately, their few tracks were so poorly received that Darlin disbanded within a year.
16:30Melody Maker magazine went so far as to call them a daft punky thrash.
16:35Artist and keyboardist Laurent Bronkiewicz did make it indie with the hugely successful
16:40Phoenix, but the aforementioned review really stuck with Thomas Bungalter and Guy Manuel
16:46to Omem Christo.
16:47They switched to electronic dance and donned robot costumes under the name Daft Punk.
16:57By the time they broke up in 2021, they were hailed as one of the most popular and innovative
17:02figures in their genre's history.
17:05Of course, their often hard-to-describe sound is further evidence of Daft Punk's versatility
17:11with genres.
17:176.
17:22Jane Fonda Coming from a lineage of acting greats, Jane
17:32Fonda was one of Hollywood's most versatile stars for three decades.
17:36She was particularly renowned for dramatic work like the Oscar-winning Clute and Coming
17:41Home.
17:42Then, she shockingly retired after marrying media tycoon Ted Turner in 1991.
17:47Four years after the divorce, she made an equally surprising comeback to the screen.
17:59Fonda began working primarily in light-hearted comedies, but still favors female and senior
18:04roles with unique substance for the genre.
18:07Her return as a leading lady was ultimately confirmed by the hit Netflix sitcom Grace
18:13and Frankie.
18:14Fonda still makes the occasional acclaimed return to drama.
18:18Mostly though, the Hollywood legend continues to shine as a hilarious comedy icon.
18:305.
18:31Bee Gees The Brothers Gibb explored pop and psychedelic
18:44rock through the 60s and dabbled in folk in the early 70s.
18:49Unfortunately, the Bee Gees' lucrative gift for pop trends lost momentum after a brief
18:54breakup going into a new decade.
18:56And then came disco.
19:08The group's juxtaposition of soulful harmonies and deep funk stood out in this hot movement.
19:15The Bee Gees ultimately became leaders of it after contributing to Saturday Night Fever,
19:19whose soundtrack remains one of the best-selling of all time.
19:23Consequently, their stardom took a hit with the genre's notoriously quick collapse.
19:28The Bee Gees nonetheless continue to successfully adapt to the times and are still recognized
19:33as one of the defining pop acts of their era.
19:454.
19:50Matthew McConaughey Dazed and Confused debuted Matthew McConaughey
20:01as a comedy superstar from the line.
20:03But after some promising forays into drama, he got stuck in cheesy rom-coms and capers.
20:09McConaughey took a lot of heat in the 2000s, before winning even greater praise throughout
20:14the 2010s.
20:16He actively broke his typecast with a string of acclaimed dramas, winning the Oscar for
20:20Best Actor with Dallas Buyers Club.
20:23HBO's True Detective and Christopher Nolan's Interstellar then launched his prestige to
20:28new heights.
20:37The media dubbed this phenomenal shift, The McConnaissance.
20:41The truth is that McConaughey had his toe in drama even as a laid-back comedian.
20:46In taking the plunge, however, he's become a name that everyone is excited to see.
21:003.
21:01Alanis Morissette Alanis Morissette found an ironic route to
21:16permanent pop stardom.
21:18And yes, that's the correct use of the word.
21:21Actually, Morissette's debut album, Alanis, was an instant hit for its infectious and
21:27emotive dance-pop style.
21:29Now as the time was much less successful.
21:41Only after being dropped by MCA Records Canada did Morissette truly captivate the youth of
21:46the 90s.
21:47Jagged Little Pill found the pop singer embracing alternative rock and post-grunge with her
21:52distinct mezzo-soprano voice.
21:55The album was a global phenomenon, winning five Grammys and becoming one of the best-selling
21:59albums of all time.
22:01Morissette's transformation asserted her as a key figure in 90s music.
22:05Of course, she continues to thrive as an alternative and indie idol.
22:152.
22:18Bryan Cranston It's hard to believe that Bryan Cranston's
22:30commanding voice and appearance weren't exclusively suited to drama.
22:34But after many small roles in that genre, he broke out as an eccentric dentist Tim Watley
22:40on Seinfeld.
22:41His stint as the patriarch on Malcolm in the Middle cemented him as a sitcom mainstay.
22:58With a decline after the show, however, his career was renewed by a very different family
23:04man.
23:05Cranston's portrayal of Walter White on Breaking Bad is considered one of the greatest performances
23:10in television history.
23:12As a representative of Peak TV, he continues to earn praise for intense roles on big screens
23:17and small.
23:18Obviously, Cranston still has prime comedic chops.
23:22His dramatic turn merely confirmed the lovable actor as a master of his arts.
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23:471.
23:49Robert Downey Jr.
23:58Robert Downey Jr. has had several incredible comebacks, always in different genres.
24:04But it initially didn't seem like the renowned drama star would need one.
24:09Personal drama, including a serious substance use disorder, derailed his career by the 2000s.
24:15The 2005 noir comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang marked Downey's triumphant recovery.
24:26Three years later, his perfect casting as Tony Stark revitalized the superhero film
24:31industry.
24:32His 11-year tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe made him one of Hollywood's highest
24:35paid actors.
24:37And with his return to blockbuster drama in Oppenheimer, he earned an Academy Award.
24:42Downey's salary and esteem allow him to take his time with projects.
24:46Thus, he's one of the few celebs whose genre shifts are consistently an event.
24:57What are your favorite celebrity rebrands?
24:59Feel free to promote them in the comments.