Top 20 Actors Who Saved Their Career with One Performance

what the hell is going on here two good men are dead and you guys are fighting over who's gonna be the next hot shot huh is that what's happening yes that's exactly what's happening welcome to watch mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 actors who saved their career with one performance this is how i went people keep asking if i'm back and i haven't really had an answer but now yeah i'm thinking i'm back i was not expecting that but i was expecting not to expect something so it doesn't count for this list we'll be looking at actors who largely turned their careers around with one movie we'll be taking into account the state of their respective careers both before and after as well as the popularity of the role itself whether the actor eventually returned to infamy is irrelevant so long as there was a noticeable uptick in their output after the performance is in question be sure to let us know your favorite comeback roles in the comments number 20 adam sandler howard ratner uncut gems this is how i went all right we've known for a long time that adam sandler could act whether it be from his grounded performance in punch drunk love or the surprisingly serious funny people however he's developed a reputation for seeming much more comfortable screwing around on screen through let's just say eccentric characters i'm so sick of that why are you so afraid to admit that we are connected faces we shared mom's womb we were roommates oh that is just disgusting yet in 2019 he blew everyone out of the water with his manic energy in uncut gems i can't figure it out it can't figure out what i'm supposed to do everything i do is not going right everything i do it's not going right i don't know what to do i really don't it's too soon to tell where his career will take him from here though he did threaten to make a movie that is so bad on purpose if he wasn't nominated for an oscar which he wasn't well then bring on grownups 3 we deserve it number 19 johnny depp captain jack sparrow pirates of the caribbean the curse of the black pearl no one ever really doubted johnny depp's abilities as an actor prior to 2003 but aside from sleepy hollow he hadn't really starred in anything that had mass appeal seeming to prefer off-kilter fare like fear and loathing in las vegas though it's easy to forget now the prospect of depth headlining and adaptation of disney's pirates of the caribbean ride didn't sound all too appealing you are without doubt the worst pirate i've ever heard of but you have heard of me however when the first installment in the franchise was released it was a massive success and legions of fans popped up overnight to support depp who would even earn an oscar nomination for his work if you were waiting for the opportune moment that was his from there he went on to become one of the biggest stars in hollywood for the better part of 15 years number 18 jim carrey dr robotnik sonic the hedgehog back in the 90s jim carrey rose to fame portraying wacky characters like ace ventura the mask lloyd christmas and the riddler just to name a few however his typical schtick became more and more seldom in the decades to come with his 2004 turn as count olaf in a series of unfortunate events being arguably the last true carry performance throw in some personal troubles and it seemed like the carry we knew and loved was gone i'm doing just fine i just uh you know there's no meaning to any of this so i i wanted to find the most meaningless thing that i could come to and join and uh and uh and here i am enter sonic the hedgehog where his zany portrayal of classic video game baddie dr robotnik was praised for hearkening back to his previous work in the dark though the film was plagued with post-production issues carrie is certainly one of the reasons the sequel was greenlit i was not expecting that but i was expecting not to expect something so it doesn't count number 17 paul bettany vision avengers age of ultron though paul bettany was technically a member of the marvel cinematic universe from the beginning voicing jarvis in 2008's iron man he had to wait to get his real shot jarvis you there that's your service sir in those intervening years he starred in a slew of critical and commercial failures be it movies he headlined like legion and priest or those where he acted as a supporting player like the tourist and transcendence just when it seemed like he didn't know how to pick him betany's mcu investment paid off with the advent of vision in avengers age of ultron it's a privilege to be among them you're unbearably naive well i was born yesterday a bright spot in a decent enough sequel bethany was perfectly cast to play the android and we'll be doing so again in the disney plus series one division wonder and vision oh we have five pat this is our home now i want us to fit in number 16 chris evans captain america captain america the first avenger from one mcu cast member to another chris evans got his first chance to play a superhero in the first two fantastic four movies as johnny storm also known as human torch however that franchise fizzled out early and his later attempts to participate in superhero comic book adaptations like push and the losers also failed proving that the fourth time's the charm evans finally landed the perfect role in that of steve rogers and the titular hero in captain america the first avenger how'd you feel you look taller his popularity as the character growing with each subsequent appearance evans rounded out his time in the mcu by making fans everywhere weep now let's see what he does outside the comic sphere very nice matter of fact eat [ __ ] number 15 kristen stewart valentine clouds of sils maria not the last actor to be marred by the twilight saga that we'll talk about on this list kristen stewart found herself one of the most disliked actors in hollywood by the series end in 2012. nessie you nicknamed my daughter after the loch ness monster her affair with snow white and the huntsman director rupert sanders and subsequent breakup with twilight co-star robert pattinson didn't help matters moving somewhat out of the limelight stewart built her career back up with a string of indie movies but the one that made doubters prove she could act came in 2014 with clouds of sils maria at 20. you saw sigrid's ambition and you saw her violence because you felt it in yourself so that's what i'm saying the text is like an object it's gonna change perspective based on where you're standing she more than held her own working against veteran actor juliette benosh and has since returned to the blockbuster scene with 2019's iteration of charlie's angels number 14 jennifer lopez ramona vega hustlers much like another entry on this list jennifer lopez couldn't be mentioned without evoking the string of romantic comedies she made throughout the 2000s though some are popular among a certain demographic like made in manhattan and the wedding planner few were positively received from a critical standpoint with the worst of the bunch coming in the form of geely it's turkey time huh another surprise 2019 performance her role in hustlers as ramona vega reminded people why she was such a magnetic star to begin with receiving a bulk of the praise for the film though she wasn't nominated for an oscar like many had hoped it did show that jlo's still got it you know we used to say if only we had known each other back then you know maybe we could have looked out for one another number 13. nicholas cage red miller mandy even during his critical heyday around the turn of the 21st century nicolas cage could still be described as an unorthodox and mesmerizingly manic screen presence it's a little obvious don't you think okay but here's the twist we find out that that the killer really suffers from multiple personality disorder right see he's he's actually really the cop and the girl all of them are him exacerbated by a slew of financial troubles it started to seem as if cage accepted every offer that came his way to make ends meet greasing us with such esteemed classics such as knowing and season of the witch whereby his eccentricities turned into overacting just when the world began to get nostalgic for him we were graced with the perfect combination of manic cage with actual quality in mandy it remains to be seen what kind of career renaissance may be over the horizon but if it's anything like mandy we're here for it number 12 chris pratt star-lord guardians of the galaxy beginning in 2009 chris pratt showed the world just how funny he could be on the nbc sitcom parks and recreation as fan favorite andy dwyer leslie i typed your symptoms into the thing up here and it says you could have network connectivity problems however his presence in film remained rather limited for several years inhabiting only small roles in good movies like zero dark 30 and roles that were memorable for the wrong reasons like his turn in movie 43 yet pratt shocked the world in 2014 when he ditched his schlubby slacker persona and bulked up for marvel's guardians of the galaxy proving he could be funny and kick-ass this led him to being one of the most bankable stars in hollywood following up with more blockbusters like jurassic world number 11 michael keaton reagan thompson birdman and the next time you screech it'll explode into millions of eardrums you'll glimmer on thousands of screens around the globe back in the day people were skeptical of keaton's casting as the caped crusader in tim burton's batman movie though many were silenced when they saw him don the cape and cowl on the big screen after a single sequel keaton stepped away from the franchise which got significantly worse while keaton did well jack frost you're the man no you the man nope i'm the snowman keaton stayed relatively quiet for much of the 2000s but we're sure the meta commentary on his career in 2014's birdman was too good to pass up listen hold on [Music] that wasn't an accident what do you mean i made it happen oh okay the film was a critical sensation ultimately winning best picture and making keaton an oscar nominee since then keaton has been in a slew of big movies in addition to being another bird-themed character in a superhero movie as the mcu's vulture there you go mason business is good number 10 matthew mcconaughey ron woodruff dallas buyers club screw the fba i'm gonna be doa like i gotta sue the hospital to get my medicine for much of his career matthew mcconaughey was ridiculed for making a throng of lazy romantic comedies from failure to launch to ghosts of girlfriend's past it had been the end of me so i cut it short then a little thing called the reconnaissance happened which started slow with movies like the lincoln lawyer and mud allowing mcconaughey to reveal his acting chops in a big way it crested it in 2013 when he gave an absolutely transformative performance in dallas buyers club which saw him pick up numerous critic accolades culminating in an oscar for best actor now we live in a world where mcconaughey starring in serious projects like interstellar and true detective isn't taken as jokes but as good marketing ploys to which we can only say alright alright alright number nine mickey rourke marv sin city no reason at all to play it quiet no reason to play it anyway but my way while you could argue that his oscar-nominated turn in 2008's the wrestler put mickey rourke back in the winner's circle we maintain that came a little earlier in 2005 with frank miller's sin city in the neo-noir thriller he plays marv a hard-hitting brute out for revenge and to clear his name for the death of his lover though the ensemble film has plenty of memorable characters he was especially so as he adopted the tough guy persona we'd know him for then on in typical career resurgence fashion he then joined a superhero movie in iron man 2 and even reprised his role as marv in 2014's sin city a deemed to kill for looks like trouble looks like christmas number eight liam neeson brian mills take in believe it or not there was a time when liam neeson was better known as a dramatic actor with only limited action set pieces in movies like the phantom menace and batman begins though he wasn't exactly starved for work his career took a turn for the badass in 2008 with a little movie called taken in which he single-handedly takes down a procession of scumbags as he rescues his daughter from a sex trafficking ring if you let my daughter go now that'll be the end of it i will not look for you i will not pursue you but if you don't i will look for you i will find you and i will kill you opening the floodgates for other middle-aged actors to become action stars virtually everything neeson made afterward was an action romp of sorts from the a-team to the gray to non-stop to the commuter seriously the list goes on and a plan on figure number seven ryan reynolds deadpool deadpool oh oh hello i know right whose balls did i have to fondle to get my very own movie i can't tell you but it does rhyme with wolverine despite being one of the most likable movie stars in the business ryan reynolds was hit with a barrage of box office bombs in the early 2010s as he'll gladly tell you now 2011's green lantern was far from the crowd pleaser dc had in mind for their iconic hero's first feature and please don't make a super suit green or animated we knew he was right for the merc with a mouth but the studio's botching of the character and x-men origins wolverine hardly inspired confidence wait is that you striker finally figured out how to shut you up fortunately he got the comics accurate solo film we'd been dreaming of in 2016 and it did not disappoint we just have to thank whoever released the test footage that got the ball rolling whether or not that person's name rhymes with schmeyen schmeynolds besides nobody's getting hurt that guy was already up there when i got here number six keanu reeves john wick john wick you uh working again no just sorting some stuff out oh well i'll leave you be there good night john good night jimmy we've known for a long time that keanu reeves can kick ass on film as is evidenced by the first matrix movie however the poor reception to that film's two sequels and later deads like the day the earth stood still and 47 ronin signaled that perhaps the action star's best days were behind him as expressed in the sad keanu memes though we never thought of him as a powerhouse actor arden fans of his hoped the perfect role for him would come around someone must have been listening as the john wick movie slowly evolved from sleeper hits to blockbuster sensations hey john hey hurry everything all right yeah everything's fine reeves mania has gotten so big in fact that a matrix iv practically went from being a long shot to a done deal people keep asking if i'm back and i haven't really had an answer but now yeah i'm taken on back number five robert pattinson connie nicas good time without you standing next to me being strong no are you feeling this are you feeling because i'm feeling right now for much of his early career robert pattinson couldn't be mentioned without someone groaning at his identification with the twilight saga though many defend his involvement citing poor source material pattinson spent the better part of five years trying to clear his name earning consistently decent marks for several lesser-known indies it was inevitable that one would put him over the top and that came in 2017 with good time i think i was a dog in her previous life will soon be available for adoption in fact i know i was that's why they love me so much pattinson gave a commandingly manic performance as a criminal evading capture all throughout new york city along with the lighthouse this gave patinson the freedom to basically do whatever he wanted and apparently what he wants is to be the next on-screen batman there's that role again you don't know what i'm talking about at all number four marlon brando vito corleone the godfather i'm gonna make him an awfully camera fuse everyone knew brando was a heavyweight actor from the get-go with his early work in movies like a streetcar named desire and on the waterfront the latter of which he won an oscar for in 1955. you don't understand i could have had class i could have been a contender however the 60s saw brando grow increasingly cynical towards the craft as an uncharacteristic multi-picture studio signing led to a string of disappointing flops despite his infamy for being difficult to work with brando transcended all criticisms in 1972 with his embodiment of mafia don vito corleone and the godfather look at him brando commanded the screen yet again winning his second oscar and later proved that some of his best work was still ahead with apocalypse now though the less said about the island of dr moreau the better this is the most outrageous spectacle i have ever witnessed look at yourself i understand that i must be shocking you number three drew barrymore casey becker scream wait wait don't hang up what i want to talk to you for a second long referred to as america's sweetheart then child actress drew barrymore fell out of fashion in her adolescence due to issues attributed to a troubled upbringing by the time scream came out in 1996 people were intrigued to see what she would do in her 20s as the star of a meta satirical slasher movie you never told me your name why do you want to know my name i want to know who i'm looking at they were in for a huge surprise as the movie's biggest draw was killed off in the opening scene naturally it was a small part but boy was it the shocking memorable one she was looking for she springboarded off that into a career as a romantic comedy lead in films like the wedding singer and never been kissed suffice it to say drew's still got us screaming number two john travolta vincent vega pulp fiction but you're saying a foot massage don't mean enough and i'm saying it does and look i've given a million ladies a million foot massages and they all meant something back in the 70s john travolta could do nothing wrong with back-to-back hits in saturday night fever and grease however the 80s were not so kind as his sequel to the former staying alive was panned by critics well in case you don't know this i used to be pretty incredible myself when he lived in brooklyn really what happened i moved to manhattan director quentin tarantino has made a career building back up the careers of former stars but it all started with john travolta as the alliteratively named vincent vega in 1994's pulp fiction without this we probably wouldn't have gotten another fan favorite performance of his in face off of course travolta would soon retarnish his image in the year 2000 with battlefield earth from which his career has never fully recovered but that doesn't take away from this entry's impact now if you excuse me i'm gonna go home and have a heart attack before we unveil our number one pick here are some honorable mentions shia labeouf james lort honeyboy you stop you know [ __ ] i'll be bringing up the pass i can't get out from under it and i'll teach you what i know i'll give you what i have sylvester stallone rocky balboa rocky balboa you me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life but it ain't about how hard you hit it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward how much you can take and keep moving forward that's how winning is done renee zellweger judy garland i love you you won't forget me will you promise you won't before we continue be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos you'll have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them if you're on your phone make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications number one robert downey jr tony stark iron man could it really have been anyone else as is now public knowledge robert downey jr went through a severe dark period in the late 90s and early 2000s that saw him battle numerous drug addictions i have a lot of nerve showing up here tonight can i at least get a reaction from you panic i would say panic this took a huge toll on his career and people were genuinely shocked by his casting as marvel's iron man despite his recently sustained sobriety i'm just not the hero type clearly with this uh laundry list of character defects all the mistakes i made largely public all reservations evaporated when the film was released as downey wrote a wave of critical acclaim as the star of one of the best superhero movies of all time from this the highest grossing movie franchise was shaped in the form of the marvel cinematic universe which employed downey for an additional 11 years and made him one of the highest paid stars on the planet i am iron man do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from watchmojo and be sure to 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Channel: WatchMojo.com

Views: 2,641,449

Rating: 4.8756423 out of 5

Keywords: actors who saved their career, actors who made a comeback, career saving performances, performances that saved careers, acting performances we love, movie characters we love, best actors of the decade, robert downey jr., iron man, tony stark, mcu, marvel avengers, captain america, chris evans, chris pratt, guardians of the galaxy, adam sandler, uncut gems, john travolta, pulp fiction, Celebrity, Drama, watchmojo, watch mojo, top 10, list, mojo

Id: 7Qe7uecMmTU

Length: 23min 51sec (1431 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 22 2020