20 Actors Who Should Have Had Much Bigger Careers
It’s a magical feeling to watch an actor’s breakthrough performance and declare, like an old-timey Hollywood producer, “This kid’s gonna be a star!” It’s especially satisfying when you turn out to be right. Looking at you, Channing Tatum’s pecs. We knew you were going places.
As rewarding as that is, though, it’s equally disappointing to be wrong. Maybe they had a fatal flaw they could never overcome, they got stuck in a certain type of role, or they found that they preferred the edge of the spotlight. Whatever the case, some actors who seem to have it all never fulfill their potential.
“For me, it is Nathan Fillion,” Redditor XipingVonHozzendorf told r/Movies. “He had the potential for so much, but has been relegated to cameos, voice acting and crime procedural dramas. He could have done more seasons of Firefly, a Green Lantern live-action film or been the lead in an Uncharted or Halo ODST series, or an episode of a World War Z miniseries.”
They then asked, “Which actor/actress had the (worst) case of wasted career potential?” and their fellow Redditors made sure not to waste the opportunity to provide their thoughts.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Jared Harris
Taylor Kitsch
Barry Pepper
Edward Norton
Jon Hamm
Shannyn Sossamon
Mira Sorvino
Michael Biehn
Emile Hirsch
Seann William Scott
Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Paul
Ben Browder
Cary Elwes
Jeremy Irons
Tatiana Maslany
Tom Hulce
Michael Rosenbaum
Leelee Sobieski
