Years after her Oscar win, Gwyneth Paltrow's role in the 2015 comedy Mortdecai became a major career misstep. The film was universally panned, earning a dismal 12% on Rotten Tomatoes. Her performance was considered so poor that it won her the Razzie Award for Worst Actress. | © Lionsgate
Even the immense talent of Sir Anthony Hopkins couldn't save the 2011 supernatural thriller The Rite. While his own performance was praised, the film itself was widely criticized for its dawdling pace and complete lack of suspense. It sits with a dismal 21% on Rotten Tomatoes, proving that even an Oscar-winning legend can't single-handedly rescue a dull script. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Julia Roberts followed her Oscar win for Erin Brockovich with the critically panned ensemble comedy Mother's Day. The film earned a dismal 8% on Rotten Tomatoes and was described as a last-minute gift that showed no effort. This misfire was so poorly received that it even landed the acclaimed actor a Razzie nomination. | © Open Road Films
Even an actor of Natalie Portman's caliber couldn't salvage her role in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. The film's central romance, shared with Hayden Christensen, is famously awkward and unconvincing. The blame lies less with the performers and more with George Lucas's clunky script and sterile direction, which made every romantic scene a chore to watch. | © 20th Century Fox
Anne Hathaway's role as the Grand High Witch in the 2020 remake of The Witches is widely considered a low point for the Oscar winner. The film was criticized as an unnecessary and uninspired retread of the beloved 1990 original. Despite her best efforts, the project landed with a thud, feeling stiff and utterly lacking in magic. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Despite his powerful Oscar-winning performance in The Last King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker cannot escape his connection to Battlefield Earth. The sci-fi film is frequently cited as one of the worst ever made. His over-the-top role in the notorious flop remains a permanent stain on his otherwise distinguished career. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Halle Berry followed her Oscar win for Monster's Ball with the infamous superhero disaster Catwoman. The role was so poorly received that she personally accepted a Razzie Award for Worst Actress just three years after her Academy Award triumph. It remains a stunning career misstep for the acclaimed actor. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Will Smith co-wrote the story for After Earth as a star vehicle for himself and his son Jaden, but the project backfired spectacularly. The film was criticized for its muddled plot, bizarre performances, and the duo's distracting futuristic accents. This sci-fi flop remains a major blemish on the filmography of the Oscar-winning actor. | © Columbia Pictures
Adrien Brody's role in the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde placed him squarely in the center of a critical firestorm. While his co-star earned an Oscar nod, the film itself was widely panned as a lurid and exploitative distortion of Monroe's life. It was criticized for inventing trauma and ultimately "won" a Razzie Award, marking a bizarre chapter for the Oscar-winning actor. | © Netflix
Nicolas Cage has made a career out of appearing in some truly terrible films, but 2011's Season of the Witch is a strong contender for the worst. The Oscar winner stars as a knight on a doomed mission, a role that earned him a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor. One critic bluntly stated that Cage was the main reason this fantasy adventure was a "colossal waste of time." | © Relativity Media
Before his infamous 2006 arrest derailed his career, Mel Gibson was already appearing in questionable projects, such as The Singing Detective. The film's intriguing premise about a hospitalized man's musical hallucinations fails to save it from being a tedious experience. It stands as a forgettable entry for the Oscar-winning director and actor. | © Paramount Classics
It's hard to believe that the two-time Oscar winner who gave us Raging Bull chose to star in the 2016 comedy Dirty Grandpa. The film is a baffling low point in his legendary filmography, earning a dismal 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. His performance was so poorly received that it even earned him a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor. | © Lionsgate
Fresh from his Academy Award win for Dallas Buyers Club, Jared Leto's heavily anticipated Joker in Suicide Squad landed with a thud. The film was widely panned as a messy and incoherent disappointment, failing to capitalize on his talents. Critics were particularly harsh, with one calling it an "ugly and boring" combination that did little for anyone involved. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Fresh off his Oscar win for The Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne took a wild turn with the bizarre space opera Jupiter Ascending. His performance as Balem Abrasax is famously strange, as he randomly shifts between a raspy whisper and sudden shouting. To be fair, this bizarre choice was likely a directorial decision, but it certainly didn't help the already confusing film. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Despite her Oscar win for Cold Mountain, Renée Zellweger chose the critically panned horror film Case 39. The movie was so poorly received that some worried it would permanently stall her career. She thankfully proved this wrong, later earning a second Academy Award for Judy. | © Paramount Pictures
Even the most celebrated actors, with Oscars gleaming on their shelves, are not immune to a massive career misstep. This is a look at those baffling moments when immense talent collided with terrible scripts, resulting in films that left audiences and critics utterly bewildered. From legendary method actors to beloved stars, they all have that one movie we'd rather forget.
