Even the best can make mistakes, the crème de la crème of Hollywood knows something about this. Sometimes, being a big star isn't enough. Not if the assigned role is completely out of your league, poorly written, or simply shouldn't exist. The fact remains that cinema heavyweights have often “stumbled” into embarrassing and forgettable performances. One of the most infamous cases is that of Halle Berry con Catwomanthe stand-alone about the anti-heroine of DC Comics considered one of the worst films ever made.
The actress, fresh winner of the Oscar for Monster’s Ballwas inundated with criticism with lots of Razzie Award received for his terrible incarnation of the charming villain brought to success by the iconic, Michelle Pfeiffer. When you're famous, every misstep you make is amplified and it doesn't matter whether you're a living legend like Al Pacino (Jack e Jill) e Robert DeNiro (Wild grandfather) or a star at the height of his popularity like Robert Downey Jr. (Dolittle) e Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar); no one is immune to a bad performance. Here, 10 to forget.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar (2011)
The star of Titanic as one of the most influential personalities of the American 20th century. But DiCaprio's performance was nothing more than a weak bait for the Oscar that the actor would finally win five years later with Revenant. The banal biopic of Clint Eastwood sees him donning terrible prosthetics to embody the elderly version of the controversial FBI director.
2. George Clooney – Batman & Robin (1997)
“I destroyed the role“. Thus, the Hollywood star dismisses his embarrassing performance as the Bat Man in the forgettable film Joel Schumacher. Multi-named ai Razzie Awards, Batman & Robin risked stunting the series star's rising career E.R..
3. Robert De Niro – Crazy Grandpa (2016)
Living legend of cinema, Bob De Niro throughout his iconic career did not hesitate to accept mediocre roles in (often) terrible films. The lowest point reached was in the foul-mouthed comedy opposite Zac Efron that he showed us Raging Bull in vulgar and childish situations; far from his usual comedian repertoire.
4. Tom Hardy – Capone (2020)
The director Josh Trank tells the last days of life of public enemy number one. Intense and eclectic, the English actor failed miserably in the role of the legendary gangster Al Capone, resulting in a caricature-like and mumbling character. The biopic itself was also disintegrated by critics who dismissed it as “a gruesome and grotesque viewing experience“.
5. Robert Downey Jr – Dolittle (2020)
Few stars boast the charisma of Robert Downey Jr.. Too bad that for most of the runtime, the beloved Tony Stark seems half asleep. Then there's the problem of his distracting and inconsistent Welsh accent. Instead of talking to animals, the actor should have talked to a dialogue coach.
6. Halle Berry – Catwoman (2004)
Produced before superhero films became commonplace, DC Comics' stand-alone anti-heroine is considered one of the worst ever made. Halle Berryfresh winner of theOscar per Monster’s Ballwas inundated with criticism with lots of Razzie Award received for his pathetic incarnation of the charming villain brought to success by Michelle Pfeiffer.
7. Tom Hanks – Cloud Atlas (2012)
The former golden boy of Hollywood actually plays six different roles in the sisters' ambitious epic Wachowski. But his performance as gangster Dermot “Duster” Hoggins may be the worst of his career. Laughable and with a bad cockney accent, Duster is a trash character.
8. Dennis Hopper – Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Character actor of unforgettable cults such as Easy Rider e Blue VelvetHopper appeared in the disastrous live action, based on the famous Nintendo video game, in the role of the turtle villain Bowser. Result? A ridiculous and over the top performance (with him not looking like a tortoise but a dinosaur).
9. Al Pacino – Jack e Jill (2011)
A cameo that earned the sacred monster of Hollywood a Raids as Worst Supporting Actor. In the cringe comedy of and with Adam SandlerPacino raps in a commercial for Dunkaccino, a real drink launched by Dunkin' Donuts that mixed coffee and hot chocolate (at least until it was discontinued in 2023). Today, that rap has gone viral.
10. Jodie Foster – Elysium (2013)
Former Hollywood child prodigy and two-time award-winning anti-diva Oscar, Jodie Foster made viewers shudder with his robotic villain with an unlikely French accent (a strange fusion of Australian, British and Russian) in the sci-fi Neill Blomkamp (director of the acclaimed District 9 2009).
