If you make a mistake at work, what’s the worst that could happen? Your boss might yell at you in front of your colleagues. Worst case scenario, you get fired, but it’s still done in private. Messing up at work is never a pleasant experience, but actors have it worse.
When an actor makes a mistake or delivers a bad performance, it’s in front of the world. Not only that, but it’s also available to see for the rest of time. You may have forgotten some of them, but we sure didn’t. The following performances are the biggest stinkers of all time…
See the worst performances by the best actors:
Nicolas Cage as Edward Malus in The Wicker Man (2006)
Nicolas definitely didn’t need to rehearse for this role because he spent most of the movie shouting at pagan women, then assaulting them. He was also in a cheap bear costume and who could forget his screaming during the bees scene.
It just doesn’t suit Nicolas Cage to act so crazy. He shines brighter as an actor when we can take him a little bit more seriously.
Robert De Niro as The Fearless Leader in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000)
The Robert De Niro from back then is a far stretch from the Robert De Niro we know now. This movie, for him, was simply a hit and a miss.
We’re not sure if the money was too good to turn down or if De Niro had a fetish for lame adaptions of great cartoons, but this movie didn’t end up doing any good for anybody.
Dennis Hopper as King Koopa in Super Mario Bros. (1993)
It is still a mystery as to why Dennis Hopper would agree to play King Koopa in the unfortunate Super Mario adaption.
Dennis played his role and appeared as a crazy person on auto-pilot, which is mesmerizing to watch but easily forgettable.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Richard in The Beach (2000)
When you think of Leonardo DiCaprio and his incredible acting career, it seems he can do no wrong but in the early ‘90s and ‘00s, he wasn’t the actor we love today. His performance in The Beach had his fans doubting his flawless abilities.
Leonardo played Richard in a story revolving around an American college student looking for new experiences in Southeast Asia. There’s a point in the film where Richard is so wigged out that he imagines himself in a video game and it is seriously painful to watch.
Nicole Kidman as Carol Bennell in The Invasion (2007)
This movie was a flop altogether. What was intended to be a retelling of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, turned out to be one of the most poorly written films and a waste of great actors? Between Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, Nicole did her worst and gave a dull performance.
Kidman’s role involves her sleepwalking throughout the movie and to be honest, that’s how we felt watching it. The film was apparently re-shot by a different director once the studio grew concerned about the film.
Julia Roberts as The Evil Queen in Mirror, Mirror (2011)
Julia Roberts is an incredible actress but there is no denying that she’s had her fair share of mistakes. One of them being Mirror Mirror. Roberts played the Evil Queen which she should’ve used as an opportunity to show us her crazy side. However, she stayed fully committed to her rom-com style.
Of course, we understand that this was just a kids movie, but the evil villain is always scary and that’s something the children even expect. Roberts was nowhere near scary, she just seemed a little bit flat.
Colin Farrell as Bullseye in Daredevil (2003)
Usually, when an actor is given the role of a villain, it gives them an excuse to be a little more dramatic than usual. Sometimes, that right is taken too far and it turns them into a bit of an embarrassment. This is what happened when Colin Farrell claimed the role of Marvel Comics’ Bullseye in Daredevil.
There is a fine line between acting like an evil villain and behaving like a freak. In this film, Farrell was so over-the-top and just made a fool of himself. The film, in general, wasn’t too good but Colin’s role definitely had a lot to do with it.
Brad Pitt as Achilles in Troy (2004)
When you hear the name ‘Brad Pitt’ your brain automatically makes associations with good looks and loads of talent. It made sense for him to get the role of Achilles in Troy.
The problem with this performance may come from the weak script which tried too hard to adapt to an already well-known story. Also, Troy seemed to lack the poetry and epic feel of Homer’s work. Brad also put on an inconsistent accent which continuously faded throughout the movie.
Jeremy Irons as Profion in Dungeons and Dragons (2000)
This film had already received a ton of criticism owing to its many flaws. One of its biggest mistakes had to be casting Jeremy Irons as Profion. Which is surprising to say considering his past roles involved Shakespeare!
Jeremy spends most of the movie screaming and shouting. He also pulls these facial expressions that are just so out of place and somewhat crooked.
Will Smith as Tim Thomas in Seven Pounds (2008)
We know this movie made some of you cry from being so moved but there’s another side to the coin. Will Smith is a great actor with very few mistakes, but this one just wasn’t his best.
His aim in the movie is to donate all his organs to the right people. However, he seems to be too focused on appearing as a saint than reading the script. Also, death by jellyfish? Come on.
Ryan Gosling as Sergeant Jerry Wooters in Gangster Squad (2013)
Ryan Gosling is usually the reason ladies are drooling in the cinema. Only this time, he didn’t seem to reach his full potential. His role as Sergeant Jerry Wooters was just not suitable for Ryan.
It was either his ridiculous and penetrating accent or his timid appearance, but whichever caused the downfall, this was a hit and a miss for Ryan. He also showed little to no chemistry with Emma Stone and made everyone uncomfortable with his voice throughout the film.
Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009)
Although this was an Academy Award/ Oscar-winning movie and exceptionally moving, we have to comment on Sandra’s performance here. It’s possible that the overall opinion of the movie clouded our judgment on Sandra’s role.
She didn’t deliver the depth and power which the movie advertised. She made a good mother but failed to leave an impression on such a deep and intense film.
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (2011)
Meryl Streep is still the queen and we are not taking away from that but, every actor has a film they could’ve done without and we think this may be hers. She may have gotten an award for this one but her real fans will know it’s far from her best.
Her accent felt super unnatural. We know how the Academy likes to nominate Streep and occasionally bless her with a trophy. With The Iron Lady, it felt like they were making up for all those missed opportunities.
Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lincoln in Beautiful Creatures (2013)
This film was such a flop, it would’ve been hard for any actor to raise its average. What seemed to be an attempt at becoming the next Twilight Saga, this film managed to make one of the best actresses of all time look like a rookie.
Thompson creates two characters, the Bible-thumping Mrs. Lincoln and the powerful Sara-Fine, and clearly seemed to struggle with transitioning into each character. She seemed uncomfortable in this role and it showed.
Russell Crowe as Javert in Les Miserables (2012)
It was weird in the first place that Hooper made the decision to cast Russel Crowe when he has no idea how to sing. It makes it even worse that Crowe’s co-star was a veteran like Hugh Jackman.
When Russel is cast in a movie, he usually delivers a great performance but, in those cases, he was just acting. We think he should stick to acting rather than trying to be a Broadway star.
Jim Carrey as Walter Paul Sparrow in The Number 23 (2007)
Jim Carrey is usually given a great deal of attention for any role he plays, so we had high expectations for this one. We were terribly disappointed.
As a lead role, Carrey is surprisingly flat and the craziest part about him in this film is his hair.
Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
There is more than enough bad to say when it comes to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but there’s an elephant in the room and it’s Cate Blanchett as the villainous Irina Spalko.
Her character was so annoying and that haircut? It's such a shame because she’s more than capable of pulling off a menacing villain role without looking like a cartoon character.
Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face in Batman Forever (1995)
Tommy Lee was given the honor of playing the timeless role of Batman and boy did he throw that out the window! He played that character like a walking cliché and broke the hearts of committed Batman fans.
This schizophrenic villain was supposed to be the dark mirror image of Batman; however, Jones played him more a silly cartoon character.
Al Pacino as Tom Dobb in Revolution (1985)
In this film, Al Pacino plays Tom Dobb who is a fur trapper who messes around gets involved in the American Revolutionary War.
All you need is a poor script to send a great concept out the window and along with Pacino’s average performance, this one was a hit and a miss.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass in The Revenant (2015)
Fans were so excited when the infamous Hollywood icon, Leonardo, finally won an Oscar from this performance but truthfully, this was so far from one of his best roles.
He played the role of Hugh Glass who was trying to survive after a serious bear attack. The movie was done so poorly and got very boring very quickly. He spends the film just screaming in pain and honestly is there anyone who can’t do that? Also, they could have used a gummy bear which would have been more convincing than that green-screen teddy.
Jodie Foster as Nell in Nell (1994)
This movie probably would have been better off not being released at all. What more could you expect from a story about a woman who lived wildly in a forest whilst the town doctor tries to save her?
Jodie Foster made a fool of herself in the role of Nell, when she grows and speaks in tongues. This was supposed to be a serious drama which came out looking like a cartoon.
George Clooney as Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman & Robin (1997)
Any actor who fails when performing an old-time superhero film is never truly forgiven by all those comic book fans. George Clooney as Batman and Bruce Wayne was simply a mistake.
George just does not suit these roles one bit and should stick to the handsome man in romcoms from now on.
Clint Eastwood as Pardner in Paint Your Wagon (1969)
Clint Eastwood made a name for himself in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s as Hollywood’s best tough guy, but in 1969, he made a famous career blooper by starring in the western musical, Paint Your Wagon.
Clint just isn’t a musical actor and should stick to roles that don’t involve so much singing of love songs alone in a forest. It just doesn’t suit him.
Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Charlie Factory (2005)
Whenever Johnny is in a movie, he manages to impress both his fans and critics. When he played his role as Willy Wonka, he didn’t exactly meet this standard.
He made the character a little too eccentric which was entertaining, but not what we expected for a remake of the old-time classic. He kind of missed the point of his role.
Forrest Whitaker as Ker in Battlefield Earth (2000)
Whitaker made a total fool of himself in this role. His performance is totally over-the-top and that manic laugh doesn’t do any good either.
