Once, they were household names, whose smiles were greedily snapped up by the paparazzi the moment they stepped out of their limousines or walked down the red carpet. Their constellations used to be all over Hollywood skies, part of a network that powered the cinemas across the nation and electrified television screens even beyond America’s borders.
But these big shots, for one reason or another, have gradually lost their luster. This is a list of celebrities who have been shut out from the entertainment industry.
A Difficult Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl finally found the right platform in Grey’s Anatomy to gain recognition in the entertainment industry she’d been looking for. Since her child-model years, she’d worked hard to find success, accruing all the qualities needed to become a romantic comedy princess in movies like Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, and Life As We Know It.
But many regard her as difficult to work with. She was very vocal about the poor working conditions on Grey’s Anatomy. However, her producers say that they didn’t appreciate how demanding she was about her wardrobe choices or the way she always questioned their scripts.
The Controversial Rose McGowan
McGowan starred alongside Brendan Fraser in the Encino Man, but she got her break in Hollywood in the movie Scream. She was critically acclaimed for her role in the grindhouse movie Planet Terror in 2007. Outside of her body of work, she was praised for standing up against Harvey Weinstein and raising awareness about the film producer’s sexual assault cases.
But this stance also meant Rose McGowan’s career was put into decline. Despite being a gay rights activist, her blunder against the gay community in 2014 certainly didn’t improve matters. McGowan has had spats with Ben Affleck, supporters of the Democratic Party, and has openly criticized Caitlyn Jenner, further tainting her reputation.
Precious Star Monique Angela Hicks
Monique, AKA Mo’Nique, started her career as a stand-up comedian. She gained recognition as a member of The Queens of Comedy, from which she was able to progress to a movie actress. She’s won numerous awards for her work, including her role in the drama film Precious in 2009.
But it didn’t turn out to be salutary as it ought to have been after the actress refused to promote the film. This created discord between her and director Lee Daniels. Oprah, who co-promoted the film, was quoted as describing Mo’Nique as malicious, pushing her farther away from the Hollywood community.
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey was active in Hollywood starting in the mid 1980s. He played many roles and even won himself 2 Oscars. In his time in Hollywood he earned millions of dollars and was well respected by his colleagues and fans until a scandal stopped him in his tracks.
In 2017 Anthony Rapp, a fellow actor, accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him when he was underaged. House of Cards, the show he was on at the time, dropped him from the show. In an attempt to control the damage he came out as gay, which enraged and offended the LGBTQA+ community who felt he was lying to cover up the atrocious act he committed.
Comedian Randy Quaid
Actor Randy Quaid won the Golden Globe Awards for his role in LBJ: The Early Years and in 1973 for The Last Detail, but not even these accomplishments could shield him from his many escalating legal troubles. Quaid also received complaints about his offensive demeanor from the movie crew while filming The Merry Wives of Windsor. His acting career has spiraled since.
Quaid and his wife have had various run-ins with the law, allegedly involving credit card fraud, vandalism, and immigration. Nobody really knows what caused this odd string of behavior, but as a result, he’s been marked as an unstable investment.
Jokes Gone Overboard For Roseanne Barr
Actress Roseanne Barr has made a living out of comical acts, starting in 1980, with gigs in local bars in Colorado until she finally made it along with the bigwigs of Hollywood. She landed her own sitcom, Roseanne, which was a hit, leading to more projects to come—until her political commentary went overboard.
As a Donald Trump supporter, she tweeted racially-insensitive jokes against President Obama’s senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, which led to her show’s cancellation. But this wasn’t her first screw-up. Other blunders included suggesting a Hitler photo-op and tweeting personal details about George Zimmerman. Hollywood finally reached its breaking point and ‘barred’ her from the platform.
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski was a famous filmmaker known for his movies such as “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown”. More people might know his name because he was married to Sharon Tate who was tragically murdered by the Manson family.
The tragic passing of his wife led to some really horrible personal decisions, including drugging a 13 year old girl, which landed him in jail. He continues to make films in Europe but will be arrested if he ever returns to the U.S.
A Victim of Circumstance, Corey Feldman
As a young teen in the eighties, Feldman was already worth more than a million dollars, thanks to his commercially successful movies such as Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Gremlins, and The Lost Boys, in which he partnered with his best friend Corey Haim for the first time.
But Corey Feldman claims to have grown up in an abusive household, and that much of his earnings as a child actor were swiped by his parents. He admits that he was a victim of sexual abuse when he was a teen, which contributed to his drug and alcohol addiction. Because of his many personal issues, he became hard to handle, resulting in the decline of his career.
Hollywood Ten Member, Dalton Trumbo
In the thick of the Cold War era, a wildly paranoid Hollywood blacklist was instituted to root out communist sympathizers in the entertainment industry. Artists who refused to cooperate with the authorities were fired from work or suspended (without pay).
Dalton Trumbo was someone who didn’t testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947. Banned from Hollywood, he was able to continue his screenwriting, albeit anonymously. His notable works included Roman Holiday and The Brave One. It took more than a decade before he would be publicly credited for his work again.
The Ageless Sondra Locke
It’s hard to tell Sondra Locke’s age from her appearance, and it has been reported that she’d deliberately lied about it—a strategy that she worked to her career’s advantage. As an actress, she had a breakthrough performance in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. But she was more popular as Clint Eastwood’s partner in movies like Sudden Impact.
Unfortunately, after her relationship with Clint Eastwood soured, so did her career in Hollywood. She became a lonely hunter for work in a community that allegedly blacklisted her due to her estranged relationship with the veteran actor, which even led to legal battles.
The Eccentric Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen’s name used to be evocative of success as the actor was remembered for roles in great movies like Platoon, The Rookie, and Major League. He was even television’s highest-paid actor during his run in the sitcom Two and a Half Men. But a drug and alcohol addiction changed his fortune.
He was fired for openly criticizing director Chuck Lorre, but only after he had the gall to demand a 50% rise from a $1.8M salary. To make things worse, Sheen was often seen on TV bragging about how special he was, smoking through his nose, and generally being a big shot from Mars.
Gina Carano
Gina is a former MMA fighter who turned to acting in 2018. She was cast as a warrior in Disney’s series The Mandalorian. Her fighting experience certainly prepared her for the role, but her commentary off-screen was not well-received.
She made an incredibly offensive comment on social media that being a Republican in Hollywood is like being Jewish in Nazi Germany. She was immediately fired from the show. She still does some acting but her reputation has certainly been tarnished and we don’t expect to see her in anything big soon.
