10 Stars Who Seem To Have No Future But A Special Role Has Returned Them To The Spotlight

The life paths of the stars are really unpredictable: today you are at the top, and tomorrow no one remembers your name. In most cases, this happens after scandals, bad roles, or when the audience just gets tired of your face on the screen. Some actors and actresses can't handle these situations and disappear from the spotlight, but others find enough strength to carry on and prove that they still deserve our attention. Sometimes all it takes is just one role that can take you back to the top of your game.

We decided to recall the films that gave a second life to our favorite actors and actresses.

10 PHOTOS

1. Renee Zellweger, Judy.

Most people know Renee Zellweger from her role in the comedy film Bridget Jones's Diary. But then the actress appeared in the musical Chicago, and everyone knew that Renee was also a great singer. She then won an Oscar for her role in Cold Mountain. And then something went wrong: Zellweger underwent a ton of plastic surgery and became almost unrecognizable. She seemed to have ended her career on her own. In 2019, Renee returned as a dramatic actress when she played the role of the legendary Judy Garland in the Judy biopic. She seems to have done a great job in this role. Critics have already called this project a revival of the star and a great triumph.

2. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club.

What did we know about Matthew McConaughey before the 2010s? Only that he had a great body and a beautiful smile. So, he got similar roles: he usually played attractive men in romantic comedies. At some point, the producers and directors decided that this was the best thing he could do, so McConaughey was not offered any serious roles for a long time. The only exception was Lincoln for the lawyer, but he did not have much success. Matthew played one of the main roles in the Dallas Buyers Club, which earned him an Oscar. After this triumph, everyone realized that he was back in the spotlight. After that, he appeared in The Wolf of Wall Street, Interstellar, and, of course, True Detective.

3. Tom Hardy, Bronson.

Now it's hard to believe, but in the early 2000s, Tom Hardy was not a star. He mostly appeared in B-movies or in supporting roles. Everything changed in 2008 when he starred in Bronson. In the film, Tom showed his talent: he not only transformed but also did an excellent job with acting. He talked for a long time with the dangerous criminal Bronson, whom he was going to play.

4. Winona Ryder, Black Swan.

Winona Ryder's career has been going up since the late 80s. She has played roles in a variety of films. In 2000, she appeared in the drama "Autumn in New York" along with Richard Gere, and it became a huge success for her. But a year later, the actress was arrested and charged with shoplifting in Beverly Hills. The court sentenced her to pay a huge fine, community service, and employment. Of course, nothing helped her career. Director Darren Aronofsky offered her a small role in his Oscar-winning drama The Black Swan. Despite the fact that she appeared for only 20 minutes, it was this film that made the producers pay attention to the actress. Now Winona is the star of Stranger Things.

5. Daniel Radcliffe, Man is a Swiss Army knife.

When we think of Daniel Radcliffe, we immediately think of Harry Potter. This is not surprising, because the young actor got the role of a wizard when he was only 11 years old. And ever since then, Radcliffe has been trapped in this movie. Neither the fans nor the producers could see him as anyone other than Harry Potter. At some point, due to all the fame and attention, Radcliffe got stressed out and started drinking. Many even thought that there would be nothing good in his career - after 8 Harry Potter films, Daniel starred in very average roles. Fortunately, in 2016, the actor got a role in a very unusual film - Swiss Army Knife Man. This project revealed his dramatic acting potential.

6. Mandy Moore, This is Us.

Mandy Moore started her career as a singer and she landed her first film role in 2001. It was the teen comedy The Princess Diaries. Then she had the main roles. Even though she did an excellent job in these roles, her career didn't progress much. For many years, Mandy appeared only in small roles in films and TV series. 2016 was a breakthrough year for the actress. NBC started a new series called This Is Us and Mandy landed the lead role. She has shown both her acting and her singing skills in the series. She received her first Golden Globe nomination and received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

6. Mandy Moore, This is Us.

Mandy Moore started her career as a singer and she landed her first film role in 2001. It was the teen comedy The Princess Diaries. Then she had the main roles. Even though she did an excellent job in these roles, her career didn't progress much. For many years, Mandy appeared only in small roles in films and TV series. 2016 was a breakthrough year for the actress. NBC started a new series called This Is Us and Mandy landed the lead role. She has shown both her acting and her singing skills in the series. She received her first Golden Globe nomination and received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

8. Steve Carell, Foxcatcher

Steve Carell is a great comedian. Throughout his career, he has played fairly typical comedy roles. Some films got bad reviews, some pretty good ones (Steve even won a Golden Globe), but the producers still didn't believe he was good enough to play in more serious films. But that all changed in 2014 when Carell was approached to change direction and take part in the drama Foxcatcher. Everyone was so amazed when the actor did a great job and played the millionaire John du Pont. For this, he was even nominated for an Oscar.

9. Drew Barrymore, Charlie's Angels.

Drew Barrymore became popular as a child: she starred in ET. Unfortunately, popularity at such a young age didn't make her very happy - Drew went to rehab twice when she was 15. It is not surprising that this story ruined the reputation of the actress, and the producers were not very eager to give her a job. But she was not going to give up and decided to show everyone that she could still be famous and successful. She became truly successful after the release of the action movie Charlie's Angels. Since then, Barrymore has always been in the spotlight. She is now the Santa Clarita diet star on Netflix.

10 Gillian Anderson, Hannibal

Gillian Anderson, known for her role as Scully on The X-Files, didn't actually love the part. According to her, it took her a lot of time and effort. Yes, it was Scully who made her incredibly popular, but it was this role that almost ruined her career. She even had to eventually leave the US and go to the UK to play in the theater and enjoy more serious projects. It was her role in the series Hannibal that brought her back to the screen. She played the role of a psychotherapist. She was different and more elegant, which made her the perfect choice for the role. By season 3, her character was one of the leads on the show. Now Anderson is actively involved in films and TV shows.