No matter who you are or where you come from, everyone in the world has this same picture. It’s you and your loved ones, smiling genuine smiles, celebrating a happy event. It’s almost a perfect moment that you’ll fondly remember forever. I say almost, because there’s that one person that sticks out like a sore thumb. That one person that just doesn’t belong. Here are five actors that almost ruined great movies.
Five Actors That Almost Ruined Great Movies
5. Lori Petty in Point Break
Some people might dispute the fact that (the original) Point Break was a great movie. Well stop associating with those people, because they’re wrong about everything. This surf-based Pocahontas-esque buddy cop movie got fun performances out of Keanue Reeves, Gary Busey, and Patrick Swayze, but Reeves’ love interest, played by Lori Petty, was dreadful.
Maybe it’s her short hair, maybe it’s her attitude, or maybe it’s the fact that a California surfer with a New Jersey accent makes no sense at all, but Petty was just bad in this cult classic. When you’re in a movie starring Keanu Reeves and someone is criticizing your acting? Probably not a good sign.
Speaking of which, have you read Gary Busey’s twitter? Follow this link, it’ll change your life.
4. Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
First of all, Mickey Rooney is an absolute legend in Hollywood. If you trace the lineage of the silver screen, his finger prints are all over it. However, in no way is he Japanese. So he probably shouldn’t have played Mr. Yunioshi, a terribly offensive Japanese caricature. Even in 1961, this performance made people uncomfortable. This performance might be why people think of that obnoxiously catchy song by Deep Blue Something before the actual movie itself.
3. Keanu Reeves in The Matrix
This one is kinda tough, because in a way, Keanu Reeves was perfect for Neo. In the cold, empty Matrix, and in the real world, he probably wouldn’t be very warm or charismatic. However, Reeves is ultimately very stiff, and it’s not hard to imagine that someone else could’ve played the role and it wouldn’t have made a big difference.
Perhaps if he played Neo as well as he’s played the badass, John Wick, he wouldn’t be on this list.
2. Mark Hamill in Star Wars
This is where my boss shreds my portfolio, deletes my twitter, and blocks me on facebook. Luke Skywalker is an iconic character, and I just claimed that his performance in a New Hope is one of the worst (in a good movie) of all time. Well, it was. Hamill was only really a TV actor before the iconic film, and despite being the main character, he’s the least interesting, and frankly, a little annoying. Maybe that’s George Lucas’ fault, but Hamill didn’t steal the show quite the way Harrison Ford did.
Speaking of which, if you like Star Wars movies, check out this ranking! And if you like Mark Hamill, read this article about the Joker! And if you like the Joker, check out this article about Batman movies! or this one! And if you like shameless plugs, you’re in the right place.
1. Shelley Duvall in The Shining
Everyone has heard the nightmarish horror stories about how Stanly Kubrick harrassed Shelley Duvall on the set of the Shining to get a good performance out of her. Well, Kubrick either did too much or not enough, because this performance was the worst of any movie I’ve ever seen. Her overacting was so bad that she totally broke the immersion and almost made Jack Nicholson’s character a little sympathetic. Even in the iconic “Heeeeere’s Johnny!” scene, she’s so impossibly cheesy.