10 Terrible Actors Who Got Lucky Breaks

Hollywood sure is a fickle business; it’s often not so much about talent as a combination of luck and who you know. This explains why countless enormously talented actors have to work side-jobs to fund their art, while some truly dreadful ones – the Lindsay Lohans of this world, for instance – get to clog up our cinema screens because they have the right “look” or play the right politics. Or, in some cases, they probably just sleep with the producer…

There are so many great actors out there struggling to catch a break, and here are 10 success stories who managed to make it look totally effortless. Here are 10 actors who are largely regarded as being bad, even dreadful actors, yet they have managed to become stars in their own right due to making smart choices and probably having a damn good agent.

Here are 10 terrible actors who got lucky breaks…

10. Keanu Reeves

Of course, one cannot neglect the fact that Keanu Reeves lit up cinema screens with his 1980s role in the two Bill and Ted films and also as disaffected teen Matt in River’s Edge. Again, though, these roles – of the metal-loving airhead and ennui-infused drifter – feel entirely derived from the actor’s actual personality. The roles in which he has shone best have been those that require empty vessels, and as such it’s no surprise that his casting in the Wachowski’s The Matrix was a a stroke of twisted genius.

In much the same way that he proved a diverting presence in the otherwise dire remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, Reeves is great at playing hollow shells, but if he ever has to adopt a vibrant character, he encounters problems. Hence, getting the big break as a soulless everyman computer hacker who then becomes a machine-like Jesus-figure-badass is perfect for him. All he needed was good looks and decent physical ability, which he more than demonstrated throughout the film’s plentiful action scenes.

Granted, the Wachowski’s got a little ahead of themselves by trying to get Neo to act all emotional in the sequels – and that’s one of many reasons why they don’t work – but this is a quintessential instance of a bad actor making the best of what he has with the luckiest of all breaks.

9. Sam Worthington

Sam Worthington began life carving out a career as a brick-layer before he managed to end up with a few bit-parts acting, being most acclaimed (in fact, his only acclaimed role to date) in Cate Shortland’s aussie flick Somersault.

He came to greater worldwide prominence by starring in Terminator Salvation, but the real lucky break he got was working with James Cameron on his ground-breaking blockbuster Avatar. Though Salvation was released first, Worthington was only picked for that role on the recommendation of Cameron, who had already been filming Avatar for a long time before the Terminator film even began production.

Needless to say, he’s a terrible, wooden actor, who was given the stage to star in what would become the highest-grossing film of all time and the fourth entry to one of cinema’s most beloved franchises, all in the space of a year. Worthers has followed it up with a series of underwhelming action films and crime flicks, his bland personality and flat delivery ensuring that his making the grade for Avatar was sheer luck rather than force of will.

8. Orlando Bloom

Aside from a few small appearances in British shows like Casuality, Orlando Bloom was virtually unknown until he was cast as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, propelling him to overnight fame, and leading to him also starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as Will Turner.

All he proved in these films, however, was that he had the look, but not the talent; his obnoxious delivery of lines and incredibly forgettable personality made for some of the more awkward moments in both the Rings and Pirates series, and so it wasn’t too much of a surprise that he ended up being written out of the latter franchise alongside Keira Knightley.

Compounding this is his CV since; he’s starred in a small number of indie productions, but hasn’t exactly scored a big success since leaving those franchises. He’s reported to appear in the third and final Hobbit film, There and Back Again, but I imagine after he’s done milking that gravy train he’ll return to the obscurity he’s suffered for the last half-decade.

4. Channing Tatum

Here’s an actor I constantly find myself going back and forth on, because I can’t decide quite how bad he is. Channing Tatum’s career began as very mixed bag; he showed absolutely zero character in the infamous Step Up dance film series, but was excellent in A Guide To Recognising Your Saints. Then he was dreadful in a glut of films tailored entirely to his physical attributes (Dear John, Fighting. G.I. Joe, The Eagle), but in 2012, enjoyed one of the luckiest breaks of any actor in recent history.

Being cast in the tri-fecta of Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike and Haywire, as well as 21 Jump Street, Tatum was exceptionally well-placed in all three roles, as they required him to play the dumb lug or the good-looking guy, resulting in him naturally succeeding. I’m not saying Tatum’s a dumb guy, but he never really displays much personality, causing his performances to often seem quite bland and awkward, yet this is something that is perfectly harnessed in 21 Jump Street and Haywire in particular.

For Magic Mike, it was all about exploiting the most base element, that he’s a good-looking guy, and women want to see him gyrating around on screen. As a result of all this success, he’s now one of Hollywood’s hottest properties.

3. Matthew Broderick

It pains me to say it, but Matthew Broderick really is not a very good actor. Though he’s widely-beloved for the excellent Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Broderick is another instance of an actor who just seems to be playing themselves.

While this works wonders for a likeable, off-the-tracks character like Bueller, it’s not exactly something he could continue to play as he got older, and in failing to diversify, demonstrating his lack of range, the job offers dried up.

Though Broderick enjoyed a brief run of successful post-Bueller roles in the 80s, he soon enough ended up playing Inspector Gadget in the widely-panned reboot movie, and basically saw his career swirl down the toilet.

Why? Because he is, in fact, a bad actor. Nowadays he just comes across as stilted and awkward; the only remotely entertaining thing I’ve seen him in the last decade was an episode of Louie, but that was more down to Louie CK’s brilliant script more than anything. It pains me to admit it, but it’s true.

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