(Credit: Warner Bros)
Although the painstaking work of countless crew members are the true heroes of any Hollywood film, for better or worse, the only people who seem to receive the credit for such films are the director and lead actors. Indeed, a famous director could walk down the street without fear of being noticed, whereas if you’re Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt or Sydney Sweeney, expect to be mobbed every time you go to Tescos .
But, in many ways, this adulation is deserved. After all, without great actors, even the best screenplay of all time would fail for lack of conviction. DiCaprio and Robbie are also the best of the best, being definitive movie stars who can be counted on time and time again to deliver consistently fantastic performances. Yet, unfortunately for such actors, poor performances are somewhat inevitable, even for the most cautious stars.
Exploring the worst performances from the best actors ever seen on the big screen, this list will expose Oscar winners and Hollywood royalty, demonstrating that, beyond it all, they are just as fallible as you or me.
Take a look at the list below, which explores films from renowned filmmakers such as Adam McKay, Clint Eastwood, Baz Luhrmann, Christopher Nolan and Taika Waititi.
10 Terrible Performances From Iconic Actors
Cate Blanchett – Don’t look for (Adam McKay, 2021)
Australian actress Cate Blanchett may be a two-time Oscar winner, but that didn’t stop her from delivering a strange performance that doesn’t show the full extent of her talents. From The Lord of the Rings franchise to The aviator, I am not hereAnd ElizabethBlanchett has earned enough fame to be able to make a faux pas like she did in the overrated satire Don’t look for. Adam McKay’s controversial film saw Blanchett play morning talk show host Brie Evantee.
His performance seems so obvious, proving himself to be too good an actor to play a character written with so little nuance and depth. Blanchett should have known better than to take on the role of a brainless talk show host, which leaves her no room to deliver a fantastic performance.
Harrison Ford – Ender’s match (Gavin Hood, 2013)
Movie fans around the world will recognize Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones or Han Solo from Star Wars fame, but you can bet your bottom dollar that no one remembers him as Hyrum Graff in the terribly disappointing 2013 film Ender’s match. Based on the science fiction book of the same name by Orson Scott Card, the story follows a young boy recruited to help fight an evil alien race.
As the Colonel, who recognizes the main character’s talents, Ford looks like he’s barely trying to play the part, dragging out each of his lines as his mind wanders off to think about what he wants for dinner. Ford may be known for his grumpiness, but this performance was unforgivable.
John Malkovich – Eragon (Stefen Fangmeier, 2006)
Speaking of disappointing films, Stefen Fangmeier’s adaptation of Christopher Paolini’s beloved fantasy novel Eragon was a disappointment to millions of people around the world. A charming story about a farm boy who discovers that his discovery of a dragon egg is the only thing that can save his home from destruction, Eragon should have been Game Of Thrones-lite, especially with a cast including Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich.
The result was anything but good, with Malkovich standing out as the most confusing element of the lot. An eccentric actor known for his leading roles in independent films, Malkovich looks like he doesn’t know where he is, playing the big bad Galbatorix with almost no conviction or personality.
Jodie Foster – Elysium (Neill Blomkamp, 2013)
Remember when South African-Canadian director Neill Blomkamp was hailed as the next big thing in the world of science fiction? Better times, perhaps. Indeed, it followed its excellent nomination in the “Best Film” category. District 9 with Elysium four years later comes a significantly messier film that tells the story of Earth in 2154, where the poor still live on the planet and the rich reside in a futuristic world in the sky.
While not entirely awful, the muddled film is made worse by a number of poor performances, with Jodie Foster as bureaucratic villain Delacourt being the worst of the bunch. Aside from the fact that you’ll spend your entire time watching the film wondering if she’s using a French or South African accent, Foster simply doesn’t apply herself to the role, tentatively navigating when she should be the menacing villain at the center of the film. .
Leonardo DiCaprio – J.Edgar (Clint Eastwood, 2011)
Leonardo DiCaprio has been considered one of the best actors of his generation for so long that people have long wondered why it took him so long to finally win an Oscar. He took a golden statuette home in 2016 for The ghost, but he had already given many Oscar-worthy performances. From What eats grapes Gilbert has Titanic And The deadDiCaprio’s filmography has many fantastic films in which he has given equally impressive performances.
In 2011, however, he took on the role of J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood’s film. J.Edgar. While his performance wasn’t as bad as some other actors on this list, DiCaprio wasn’t up to his normal speed here – perhaps because he’s buried under layers of terribly unconvincing.
Marion Cotillard – The Black Knight Rises (Christophe Nolan, 2012)
After Marion Cotillard made her debut The story of a boy who wanted to be kissed in 1994, she became a successful star in predominantly French cinema, before moving to Hollywood in the early 2000s. She rose to worldwide fame playing Édith Piaf in La vie en rose, winning an Oscar. Proving herself to be a multi-faceted actress, capable of delivering incredible performances in both English and French, Cotillard began landing roles in many high-profile films, like Creation, Midnight in Paris, And The black knight rises, over the years.
Unfortunately, his performance in Christopher Nolan’s third film Black Knight the franchise was far from impressive, becoming one of its worst roles to date. It was his death scene, which many thought he performed too dramatically, that was heavily criticized. “Sometimes there are failures,” she admitted, “And when you see that on screen, you ask yourself, ‘Why?’ Why did they keep this hold?
Naomi Watts- Diane (Olivier Hirschbiegel, 2013)
It wasn’t until Naomi Watts appeared in David Lynch’s film Mulholland Drive It was in 2001 that she was truly recognized for her talents. His dual role was widely acclaimed and the film would be nothing without his incredible presence. She has received several prestigious awards and nominations over the years thanks to her performances in acclaimed films like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), 21 grams And The impossible.
Unfortunately, when she tried to play Diana Spencer in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s film Diane in 2013, she found herself at the heart of numerous criticisms. Her performance earned her a Golden Raspberry nomination, although many critics argued that her poor portrayal of the people’s princess was due to a terrible script, leaving her with little to work with.
Russell Crowe – Thor: Love and Thunder (Taika Waititi, 2022)
The Marvel superhero series isn’t exactly the epicenter of quality cinematic performances, but Taika Waititi’s 2022 film Thor: Love and Thunder was particularly poor, being a career worse for everyone from supporting actress Natalie Portman to Russell Crowe, who played the colorful role of Zeus, the Sky God. Appearing for only part of the runtime, Crowe establishes his mark, giving a memorable and terrible performance.
By giving the character a controversial Greek accent, Crowe makes Zeus into something of an awkward punchline. By playing him as if he were in a throwaway comedy sketch, Crowe made no proper attempt to establish his Oscar-winning expertise, although what must be said is that Waititi’s awful script didn’t couldn’t help that.
Tom Hanks – Elvis (Baz Luhrmann, 2022)
Tom Hanks has long been considered one of America’s most beloved actors since appearing in films like Splash And Big. However, when he starred in the Baz Luhrmann biopic Elvis, which charts the rise and eventual death of the king of rock and roll, Hanks’ portrayal of Colonel Tom Parker was less than impressive. Playing Presley’s manager, Hanks was a mess, clearly looking far from in top shape due to constraints such as a large suit and prosthetics.
The actor received two Golden Raspberry Awards for his terrible performance. Not only did he win “Worst Supporting Actor”, but he also received “Worst Screen Combo” to share with himself, his bad prosthetics and his accent. Maybe 2022 wasn’t Hanks’ year. He was nominated for the “Worst Actor” Razzie for Disney’s Pinocchio during the same ceremony.
Viola Davis – The First Lady (Aaron Cooley, 2022)
We end our list not with a movie but with a TV series, starring the 2016 Oscar winner FencesViola Davis, playing Michelle Obama in the Showtime program The First Lady. Recounting the real-life experiences of the first ladies during their time in the White House, Davis’ portrayal of Obama was joined by Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt.
Yet despite being arguably the best actor of the trio, Davis delivers one of the strangest performances of her career, giving her real-life character strange facial expressions that don’t match the first lady at all. Heavily criticized, his performance wasn’t helped by the fact that the entire series felt like it was written by someone who had no idea how politics worked.
