Actors who were going to be The Next Big Thing—then fell off the face of the earth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the movies/tv thing, a lot of married actors with kids prefer TV because the work is regular and you are less likely to have to leave your family for shoots. For movie shoots, you basically always have to leave your family as the shoot will be someplace odd like Bulgaria and you’ll work round the clock until you drop. It’s one of the reasons actors have such a high divorce rate and often kids who are troubled. I do wonder if this is changing though as there is so much pressure to fill in lower cost locations like Atlanta or Canada even for TV shows, and I don’t know the logistics of moving families to those locations for the duration of a season shoot. It was easier when things were largely filmed on a sound stage in NY or California.

Ellen pompeo has talked about this interviews—how she went into acting thinking she wanted to be a movie star and then realized that a steady TV series allowed her to make a ton of money and also have the family she wanted.

Agree with this point, and I knew Chris O’Donnell and his wife when we were younger and still have mutual friends and he prioritized being a husband and father to which I say bravo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lori Petty

Lauren Holly

Lauren Holly was only anything because she was with Jim Carrey for a bit. I don’t think she was actually talented.

And Lori Petty was in Station Thirteen recently (and I think Orange is the new Black?) but had some mental health issues that derailed her for a while. She's still clearly nuts but employable.

[Anonymous]

Lauren was in 2 great TV movies- Just Desserts and Caught in the Act. I think she's talented; not Meryl but who is?

[Anonymous]

Neve Campbell

[Anonymous]

New article from US on this topic. I had forgotten about Michael Schoeffling--he was so dreamy!

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/stars-who-left-hollywood-behind-through-the-years/

Michael Pare and Michael Biehn are two others from this generation who basically disappeared.

[Anonymous]

Michael Biehn has had a good acting career, no comparison to Michael Pare who while attractive at the time couldn't act.

[Anonymous]

Alicia Silverstone

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mischa Barton
Most of the Twilight cast save Kristen, Robert and Anna.

Came here for Mischa. Where did she go?

Didn't she have major drug/alcohol problems that derailed her career?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone asked about Freddie Prinze Jr.??? He married well and has been directing and producing pretty steadily for a long time.

That was me - that's good to hear/good for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alicia Silverstone

Yes, she was the golden child after Clueless, but seemed incapable of really capitalizing on this for some reason.

Still though, she's been pretty successful. She did a season of a show called American Woman a few years ago, I really enjoyed it. And she played the mom on the new Babysitter's Club series which got a lot of a acclaim. She just did a Superbowl commercial, which nets her 7 figures, and she looked amazing. She had a great cameo in Senior Year, which was the #1 on Netflix for a spell.

True she didn't really last on the A list for long but she has had a decent career.

The thing is, she was totally an "It" girl from about 17-21-ish (I'd argue up until Blast from the Past when she was 23 because I LOVE that movie). I'm not sure I think her career was supposed to remain at that level of fame. The Aerosmith videos and Clueless are iconic. She has worked steadily since and everyone over 40 knows who she is. She's basically got a similar career trajectory as Heather Graham. She kind of was the Next Big Thing. But not everyone gets to be Meryl, Julia, or Cate.

And the more diffuse our media/movies/TV get the less you will get the Next Big Thing phenomenon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New article from US on this topic. I had forgotten about Michael Schoeffling--he was so dreamy!

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/stars-who-left-hollywood-behind-through-the-years/

Michael Pare and Michael Biehn are two others from this generation who basically disappeared.

He just moved to Pennsylvania and is a carpenter? Um, could we get a documentary please?

[Anonymous]

Gwyneth Paltrow. She is nothing but self-promoting GOOP and not acting at all.
Sadly, she did not fall off the face of the earth totally, just off the acting world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gwyneth Paltrow. She is nothing but self-promoting GOOP and not acting at all.
Sadly, she did not fall off the face of the earth totally, just off the acting world.

This is a stupid answer. She made a deliberate choice.

[Anonymous]

Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gwyneth Paltrow. She is nothing but self-promoting GOOP and not acting at all.
Sadly, she did not fall off the face of the earth totally, just off the acting world.

Agreed!