Hollywood thrives on an underdog story, but for each actor that manages to turn their success into a long-lasting career, there are just as many whose fame quickly diminishes. Gone are the days of limousines and interviews, the hype around the ‘next big thing’, and then comes the silence. Here are ten stars that once seemed like the future of Hollywood next door, but eventually, the film industry and sometimes destiny changed the game.
10. Shailene Woodley
Shailene Woodley was once the buzz of the town – she was adored in The Descendants, Divergent made her a franchise lead, and The Fault in Our Stars got her fans worldwide. However, after the abrupt cancellation of Divergent, her chain of blockbusters hit the brakes. Although she has been in a few minor roles since then, the glory days of Shailene as Hollywood’s lady of first choices seem to be far away.
9. Taylor Lautner
The time has come around when Taylor Lautner was the dream guy of the day. Being on the crest of the massive Twilight wave, he looked like he was about to skyrocket into super stardom. But when the franchise retired, so did its pace of growth. His efforts to diversify with parts in action films like Abduction failed to gain traction, and he had mostly left acting by the mid-2010s. At present, he is more of a subject for nostalgia than for new works, which is a sharp reminder of the ephemeral nature of fame.
8. Megan Fox
Once called one of the most attractive women in Hollywood, Megan Fox had a clear sky ahead of her after Transformers and Jennifer’s Body. But fights, too much exposure, and the hard grind of media pressure gradually took away her career. By the mid-2010s, she was no longer acting, only making headlines in the tabloids about her private life. She is trying to make small comebacks in acting, but it looks like her reign as Hollywood’s seductive bombshell is over.
7. Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth seemed to have everything needed to become a hit star – good looks, charm, and a big franchise like The Hunger Games. Yet, his ventures outside of that had never been successful. Independence Day: Resurgence was supposed to confirm him at the A-list level; however, it only broke his rise. According to reports, he is going to take over from Henry Cavill as Geralt in The Witcher, which might be his big return or only another stop along a long career full of near misses.
6. Hayden Christensen
He should have easily gone on to achieve the highest level of fame in turning Anakin Skywalker into a nightmare. However, the negative response to the Star Wars prequels led to Christensen withdrawing from Hollywood. For several years, he was involved only in small indie films that hardly got noticed. He came back to the Star Wars universe via Disney+ and was welcomed kindly, but it’s more like the reprieve of a fan’s dream than a real comeback of the leading-man era.
5. Sam Worthington
After Avatar, Sam Worthington was on top of the world—literally starring in the biggest film ever made. But despite high-profile roles in movies like Clash of the Titans, his career never reached those heights again. He’s continued to work steadily (and will be back for Avatar’s sequels), but his days as a household name have quietly faded into the background of Pandora.
4. Alicia Silverstone
In the 1990s, Alicia Silverstone personified the “wow” factor of that era once she played the role of Cher in Clueless. She seemed to be the darling of Hollywood—amusing, delightful, and just as good as the trend of the time. But, as the industry changed, the offers for her declined. In response, she shifted to smaller indie productions and stage work to build a less loud but stable second career. While she is still involved, she will always be more of a pop-culture legend than a present Hollywood powerhouse.
3. Matthew Lawrence
Matthew Lawrence was not one to miss during the 90s; he was in Mrs. Doubtfire, Boy Meets World, and Brotherly Love, to name a few. He was on television and in movies almost all the time, but only for a short while, as in adulthood, a decrease in roles was noticed. With irregular guest spots and low-profile indie films, he has been mainly out of the public eye. He is one of many child actors who recognized the difficulty of growing up in the spotlight.
2. Chloë Grace Moretz
In no time, the celebrity Chloë Grace Moretz was on everyone’s lips for her talent that she demonstrated in Let Me In. Moreover, Moretz suffered from a severe online harassment incident in 2016, which led her to a silent exit from the entertainment industry, taking more than just a moment for herself and being more discerning with her job. She is mainly doing voice work now and has significantly reduced her activity compared to when she was a child. It seems that her career as a big Hollywood star was cut off before going further.
1. Garrett Hedlund
Garrett Hedlund was not far from his big moment after he did the same for Troy and Tron: Legacy, and even went beyond to include charm, grit, and star quality in a single package. Nevertheless, Hedlund’s career path went downhill due to a few bad luck instances, among which turning down The Hunger Games and starring in box office flops were highlighted. Thus, while he still has enough acting opportunities to keep him going, his career hasn’t been able to get back to that adrenaline level. Even the much-anticipated Tron continuation project is goingwithoutwith Garrett Hedlund.
Where are those starlets who once looked destined to become the next big thing now? Some met with bad luck, some with bad scripts, and some were just hardcore victims of an industry that rapidly forgets the old to give way to the new. In the world of Hollywood, fame is brightest but shortest-lived. For every person garnering attention, there is another whose name is getting tucked away in the credits, revealing that even the most alluring stars can cease to glitter.