Scripts pour in.
Producers beg Oscar recipients to be in their flicks, for the name recognition alone.
Some actors have used this newly acquired clout to enable them to do very good, very interesting work. Think Hilary Swank, for example. She worked as mostly an anonymous actor for years before getting the gold statue for Boys Don't Cry in 1999.
That one win catapulted her into a completely different level of available roles and possibilities.
But, there are lots of artists who miss out on the career path that Oscar can provide. Actors that make poor choices with their new-found Hollywood-cred.
Here's my list of Academy Award winners whose careers have devolved, artistically at least, since their red carpet win:
What Are They Thinking?
Cuba Gooding, Jr: Despite winning the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, the Jerry McGuire "Show me the money!" guy's career flopped soon after his acceptance speech.After a solid follow-up role in As Good As It Gets, Gooding's career has devolved into movies that go straight to DVD (End Game) and flicks of no real relevance.
Anyone remember Snow Dogs?
Jaimee Foxx: Foxx followed up an incredible supporting role in Collateral with an Academy Award winning lead in Ray.Next up?
Stealth.
I hope that title isn't a harbinger of things to come.
Gwyneth Paltrow: I thought she stole the Oscar win for Shakespeare In Love. Since then, she's done nothing really to earn my respect.Duets, with Huey Lewis? The best part of that movie was a karaoke-singin' Paul Giamatti. And Shallow Hal? C'mon...
Name one great role she's had since 1999.
Nicolas Cage: I'm such a fan of Cage's work that it's painful for me to add him to this list. But, I keep waiting for something as good as Leaving Las Vegas.
Dude, when you show us the goods like to you did in Vegas, The Rock, Windtalkers and Ghost Rider just seem third rate.
Somebody might put out an SOS.
2 comments:
Another good example is Denzel Washington who must have a moron for an agent as he goes from a very good film to a really awful film. He's real hit or miss and certainly not one of those guys who you can say "if he's in it then the film must be good."
Re:Paltrow. I would argue that the Royal Tennenbaums was a great movie and that she was quite respectable in it. Also, she was supposedly good in Plath but I would (pardon the expression) rather stick my head in an oven than watch that flick.
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