Unemployment of fading or washed-up actors

NOTE: As it is sometimes often reasonable why this happens in the industry, the "Bad Qualities" and "Good Qualities" sections should be kept instead of "Why This Practice Sucks" and "Redeeming Qualities", as this practice, while unfair for the most part, is not inherently disrespectful and can be justified in some cases, and can even be viewed differently depending on who you ask. This can also go onto the Okay Movies Wiki for these reasons.

You know that saying "When you're hot, you're hot, when you're not, you're not?" Well, the industry has that mentality too when it comes to employing actors and actresses based on their relevance, and then eventually forgetting about them once they have had their big break, thus leading to them getting fewer, minimal, or even no parts at all, just so the industry can cast more popular ones and forget about the other ones.

This has always been a problem in the industry, as actors who were once popular or beloved at the time eventually faded into obscurity with them getting only fewer parts than usual, or only got supporting or minor roles in movies or even TV series (usually in mentor-like roles to the main character), and were replaced by the more relevant actors, however, some of the fading ones still showed up every now and then, but not as often as they used to. However, it got even worse in the mid-2010s, where mostly every well-known actor who frequently (or sometimes) appeared up until then nearly were forgotten about by the industry completely, just so the industry could employ the more popular ones like Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Gal Gadot, Tom Holland, Chris Hemsworth, Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Jessica Chastain, Jason Statham, Idris Elba etc., leaving some of the ones who were already popular in previous decades like Denzel Washington, Jim Carrey, Sandra Bullock, Halle Berry, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Bill Murray, Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Garner etc. to eventually fade away and be forgotten about as a result, just to pander to younger audiences nowadays, simply because the industry seems to think that younger audiences now won't care about actors from their parents' younger days like Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers or Steve Buscemi even if this was proven otherwise.

Now the reasoning for why many actors fade away can be justifiable enough: maybe it's due to old age, maybe audiences lost interest in the actor (or even the opposite, maybe the actor just wasn't interesting to audiences or maybe they weren't profitable enough), maybe the actor was even a heinous/toxic/egotistical or at least controversial person who actually bullied other people and hurt them or similarly, maybe the actor was in movies that were either box office flops or were universally hated therefore giving them a negative reputation, or maybe they were typecast too often in the same role or genre. However, other times it is proven that the actor was simply selfishly forgotten about by the industry and were "thrown under the bus" just because another actor became popular unexpectedly and got more parts than the other actor, even if said actor was already popular in the past, which is already bad, but even worse if the actor was an overlooked B-list or C-list actor (but still had a sizable fanbase) or even a child actor. All in all, it is still sad nonetheless as these once beloved actors suddenly get ditched by the industry.

Examples of once popular or beloved but now washed-up or fading actors

NOTE: Actors who have since retired can still count only if they were already fading away or falling off around the time of their retirement, and hence can be listed below. Deceased actors cannot count as they have passed away, even if they had fallen off by the time of their deaths, and if any actors on the list below pass away, then they should be removed out of respect.

• Antonio Banderas: He was suddenly forgotten about during the 2010s, mostly appearing in movies made in his homeland Spain if not direct-to-video movies.
• Jackie Chan: He primarily does dubbing work these days as result of his advancing age and all the injuries he's sustained over the years.
• Russell Crowe: Seems to have been forgotten about during the 2010s, though he did appear in the 2016 action buddy comedy The Nice Guys alongside Ryan Gosling and also the 2022 Marvel superhero film Thor: Love and Thunder, though even then, those were past his prime.
• Johnny Depp: While he was popular in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, he had fallen off in the 2010s. Amber Heard defaming him and destroying his reputation didn't help him either.
• Leonardo DiCaprio: While he's still a fairly popular household name, he had suddenly fallen off after 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street to focus more on his environmental activism, despite being a big star from the 1990s to the early 2010s. This became more evident when he announced his break from acting after winning his Oscar in 2016. He was just as easily sidelined as a result by the industry, only appearing in 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and 2021's Don't Look Up ever since, and will appear in 2023's upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon.
• Michael Douglas: He had pretty much faded back into obscurity during the 2010s.
• Will Ferrell: Because of the brutal failure of 2018's Holmes and Watson, the industry outright rejected him for the most part, though this became evident since 2015, where he became one of those washed-up comedy actors trying to stay relevant by appearing in comedy films alongside more popular comedic actors. However, between him and the other five members of the Frat Pack (Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Jack Black), he still remains a household name and is still fairly popular, with only fellow Frat Pack members Jack Black and to a lesser extent Owen Wilson not far behind either.
• Morgan Freeman: Even he of all people was not immune to this, as he fell off around 2013-2015 and started to appear less often, but nevertheless he is still thankfully popular thanks to his influence on society. Still, compare that to the 2000s where he was still fairly everywhere.
• Ryan Gosling: While he was a big star in the 2010s, Gosling did not appear in another movie after 2018's First Man for four years until the 2022 Netflix action thriller The Gray Man, and will appear in the 2023 Barbie movie, though even at that, audiences stopped caring about him. (This is outright evidence that this can happen no matter how popular the actor is.)
• Jack Nicholson: He never appeared in a movie since the Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd-led romantic comedy How Do You Know, released way back in 2010! It wasn't until nine years later in 2019 when it was confirmed that he retired.
• Gary Oldman: Even though he's still seen occasionally, he was mostly forgotten about and audiences have stopped caring about him, only caring more so about the more popular actors.
• Adam Sandler: Best known for appearing in rather controversial comedy films made by his production company Happy Madison Productions to say the least, his 2015 film Pixels was what put the final nail in the coffin for his career. Ever since, he and/or his production company Happy Madison Productions started only making movies for Netflix now.
• Sharon Stone: Had vanished in the 2010s, though her arrogant nature might have had something to do with it.
• Miles Teller: While he was a promising young up-and-coming star in the early-to-mid 2010s, he made the unfortunate decision to appear in the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot which severely diminished any potential he had in the industry until then, and didn't appear in any movies after 2017's Only the Brave and Thank You for Your Service and 2022's Top Gun: Maverick and Spiderhead, and only showed up in the 2019 miniseries Too Old to Die Young during the 2017-2022 period. However, there is a possibility that Top Gun: Maverick might revive his career.
• Denzel Washington: Despite being a big star and box office powerhouse in the 1990s, the 2000s, and the early 2010s, he seems to have veered into this territory from 2014 onwards, and especially from 2018 onwards, as well. Despite this, however, he still remains popular amongst moviegoers and moderately successful, though he has faded almost into obscurity at this point.
• Will Smith: Had considerably fallen off when his 2013 film After Earth became a flop, but this still led to the industry giving him big parts (making him remain fairly popular, but less so compared to other actors on the rise or actors who the industry focused more on) to give him another chance, all of which remaining true until The infamous incident where he SLAPPED Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Therefore permanently tarnishing his own reputation. Even if his career wasn't doing particularly great after After Earth being a flop, this is what ended up ruining his career big time.
• Tim Robbins: He had appeared less often come the 2010s, and hasn't been seen in a movie since 2019.
• Sylvester Stallone: He had fallen off after Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, with that mostly killing his career. He did have a slight career resurgence in the 2010s, though that was still way past his prime.
• Greg Kinnear: This suave "ladies' man" actor who was everywhere in the 2000s was suddenly sidelined to supporting and minor roles in the 2010s.
• David Spade: His career was mostly killed by his involvement in the Grown Ups duology.
• Katie Holmes: Though she was a promising actress in the industry during the 2000s, she was sidelined during the 2010s.
• Andy Dick: His controversial behavior and wrongdoings caused him to be forgotten about and fade into obscurity during the late 2000s or early 2010s.
• Susan Sarandon: Once at her prime mostly during the 1990s and up until the late 2000s, she was only sporadically seen during the 2010s.
• Jim Carrey: His career was so severely hurt by 2014's Dumb and Dumber To that the industry mostly didn't want to employ him anymore. His erratic personal life didn't help, either. While he didn't exactly confirm it, he had announced that he plans to retire from acting after Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
• Tom Cruise: While he is still thankfully popular enough to not have faded into obscurity at this point, his infamous ties to the Church of Scientology caused the industry to doubt him (though this makes them hypocritical in the fact that they are willing to employ other big-name Scientologists despite the controversies surrounding the Church), and eventually he became a laughing stock of the industry during the mid-2010s.
• Drew Barrymore: Once a very popular child star of the 1980s, with subsequent attention in the 1990s and 2000s, she fell off during the mid-2010s. Nowadays she hosts her own talk show: The Drew Barrymore Show.
• Edward Norton: The industry sidelined him after his infamous controversial behavior on the set of 2008's The Incredible Hulk. This caused the industry to finally believe that he was difficult to work with.
• Owen Wilson: He had suffered a career-killing movie in 2010's Marmaduke, and while has doing somewhat fine in 2011-2013, most of the movies he appeared in during then were flops. Eventually, he was sidelined by the industry from 2014 onwards, not even appearing in anything from 2017 to 2021. However, he started to get a slight resurgence in early 2021 by appearing in the series Loki, but that's still not enough, and much like fellow Frat Pack members Will Ferrell and Jack Black (who have since faded themselves albeit in varying ways), he still remains a household name.
• Al Pacino: He had suddenly disappeared in the mid-to-late 2000s, and was almost completely sidelined in the 2010s.
• Geena Davis: She had fallen off because of her 1995 film Cutthroat Island being a flop. Not even The Long Kiss Goodnight, released the following year, could save her career.
• Jesse Eisenberg: After the Social Network, the Rio duology, and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, he has disappeared from the industry.
• Jude Law: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Jaden Smith: He had suddenly fallen off after 2013's After Earth, causing him to take a break from acting to focus more on his music. However, he's had a bit of a resurgence in recent years.
• George Clooney: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Natalie Portman: Around 2012-2013 she had suddenly fallen off most likely due to the mixed reception of 2013's Thor: The Dark World, mostly appearing in indie films since, with the occasional exception. However, she did recently reprise her role as Jane Foster in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder.
• Naomi Watts: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Jada Pinkett-Smith: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Sean Hayes: While the industry never particularly showed him love, he was sporadically seen since the mid-2010s.
• Rob Schneider: Has rarely been seen since 2010's Grown Ups, even within the Happy Madison Productions side of things. His anti-vaccination activism didn't do him any favors.
• Martin Lawrence: Likely as a result of being typecast too often in comedies, 2011's Big Momma's: Like Father, Like Son seemed to be a career-killing movie for him. It took him nine years to appear in another big budget movie until 2020's Bad Boys For Life.
• Dolph Lundgren: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Dana Carvey: The failure of 2002's The Master of Disguise caused him to go an an eight-year hiatus to take care of his family. Even after his hiatus, it does not seem like he will have a true career resurgence, likely due to his older age.
• Robert Patrick: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Julia Roberts: While she was everywhere in the 1990s and 2000s, ever since the 2010s she was forgotten about.
• James Franco: Had fallen off around 2014 or 2015; his sexual assault allegations made it worse, to the point where even his friend Seth Rogen turned his back on him in 2021 by saying he won't collaborate with him anymore. Franco himself actually admitted to these allegations in a December 2021 interview.
• Jack Black: Was forgotten about in the 2010s due to the unfortunate mistake of appearing in the 2010 film Gulliver's Travels (which sadly killed his career at least as a leading man), only getting supporting roles nowadays, though he will have another moment in the spotlight as Bowser in the upcoming animated Mario movie in 2023, and he did have a bit of a career resurgence in 2017 with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle but, even then, that still didn't save his career. While he has faded slightly, he still remains a household name despite this, like fellow Frat Pack members Will Ferrell and Owen Wilson not too far behind, despite the both of them having faded too.
• Chris Rock: He had somewhat fallen off in the mid-2010s.
• Nicolas Cage: Is essentially an industry laughingstock at this point, mostly appearing in DTV action movies these days.
• Tim Allen: His career was basically killed by Zoom: Academy for Superheroes, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, and The Shaggy Dog, all of which were released in 2006, and he had fallen on hard times ever since. Even the last two Toy Story films weren't able to provide much help for him.
• Steve Zahn: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Christine Baranski: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Mel Gibson: His infamous drunken anti-Semitic rant basically killed his career, although he had a bit of a resurgence in 2016.
• Rene Russo: She became unheard of by the start of the 2010s.
• Louis C.K.: His career took a downturn when he admitted to his 2017 sexual allegations. This caused the industry to reject and forget about him in an instant, as well as being kicked from The Secret Life of Pets 2, being replaced by Patton Oswalt.
• Nick Swardson: The abysmal Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star killed his chances as a leading man in a comedy.
• Jamie Foxx: The combined 2014 failures of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Annie basically killed his career as he did not appear in another movie until 2017. However, he is starting to show some resurgence with the successes of Soul and Spider-Man: No Way Home, along with having a bunch of projects in the works.
• Ben Stiller: 2016's Zoolander 2 killed his career almost indefinitely; nowadays he produces more stuff than he acts in them, and mostly appears in minor roles. Unlike fellow Frat Pack members Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black (who have faded to varying degrees themselves) and not unlike Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn, he has since lost his household name status.
• Kevin James: Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 almost killed his career.
• Chevy Chase: Thanks to his arrogant nature, he faded into obscurity in the mid-2000s and especially during the 2010s.
• Matthew Broderick: Was forgotten about during the 2000s.
• Eddie Murphy: His 2012 movie A Thousand Words managed to kill his career (mainly as a result of him appearing in too many comedies); ever since, he appeared in the obscure 2016 drama Mr. Church, but he didn't manage to make a real comeback until 2019's Dolemite Is My Name.
• Steve Buscemi: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Mike Myers: Has rarely been seen after the 2008 flop The Love Guru which killed his career.
• Uma Thurman: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Tim Roth: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Matthew McConaughey: He was mostly forgotten about during the mid-2010s.
• Mike Epps: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Ice Cube: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s. In his case, this also happened in the music industry.
• Chris Tucker: Was mostly forgotten about after 2007's Rush Hour 3.
• Michael Cera: Was somehow forgotten about during the 2010s.
• Danny Glover: Was sidelined during the 2010s.
• Jet Li: While he was a big action star in the late 1990s and 2000s, he faded back into obscurity during the 2010s.
• Aaron Eckhart: Faded into obscurity after the critical and commercial failure of 2014's I, Frankenstein.
• Josh Hartnett: Once a popular young adult actor during the late 1990s and 2000s, he was sidelined during the 2010s.
• Jake T. Austin: Once a promising young star in the 2000s and early-to-mid 2010s, his career started to decline once he left his role as Jesus Foster in The Fosters in 2015 to the point where he made the unfortunate mistake of appearing in the 2017 film The Emoji Movie, which severely diminished any potential he had in the industry and caused him to be forgotten about ever since. He went dark after that, appearing in low-scale films.
• Val Kilmer: His reputation for being difficult to work with led to his career declining. His diagnosis with throat cancer also limited his roles.
• Wesley Snipes: He spent three years in prison for tax evasion, which severely affected his career.
• Bruce Willis: His career was sidelined during the 2010s and gained a reputation for being difficult to work with. In 2022, he announced his retirement due to aphasia.
• Cuba Gooding Jr.: He made some infamously bad choices after winning an Oscar for Jerry Maguire to the point where he became a punchline.
• Brendan Fraser: His career was sidelined in the 2010s due to depression, divorce, health issues and speaking out about a man who sexually assaulted him.
• John Cusack: His career was sidelined in the 2010s.
• Cameron Diaz: The combined 2014 failures of Sex Tape and Annie caused her to go on an eight-year hiatus from acting. However, she will return to acting by starring alongside Jamie Foxx in Back in Action.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones: Her career sidelined in the 2010s due to personal issues.
• Gene Hackman: He hasn't appeared in a movie since Welcome to Mooseport in 2003. He has since retired.
• John Travolta: His career hasn't been the same since the infamous failure of his vanity project Battlefield Earth. His links to Scientology also haven't helped his reputation.
• Allison Mack: Though she was a promising young star in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s and 2000s, best known as Chloe Sullivan in Smallville, her career fell apart due to her sexual abuse allegations involving NXIVM that led to her arrest in 2018, but even before then she was sidelined during the 2010s after Smallville ended in 2011.
• Jean-Claude Van Damme: His career declined in the late nineties due to his growing ego and personal problems.
• Steven Seagal: He torpedoed his own career with his growing ego to the point where he become a punchline. His shady personal life didn't do his reputation any favors.
• Kiefer Sutherland: Despite being a popular movie and television actor during the late 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s, he was mostly forgotten about during the 2010s.
• Michael J. Fox: He was forced to retire from acting in 2020 due to his declining health from Parkinson's disease, but even before then he was sidelined during the 2000s or 2010s.
• Charlie Sheen: His career hasn't been the same since he was fired from Two and a Half Men as a result of his chaotic and hedonistic personal life.
• Faye Dunaway: Her career hasn't been the same since the high profile failure of Mommie Dearest. She also gained a reputation as being an absolute nightmare to work with.
• Christian Slater: His career sidelined in the 2000s, though he managed to gain notable parts on the stage and on television and shake off his bad boy reputation.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger: Even with his household name status, he had suddenly fallen off by the early 2000s, and was temporarily forced to quit acting to serve as Governor of California from 2003 to 2011. Even after he came back into the industry, he won't have a true career resurgence due to his advancing age.
• Alfonso Ribeiro: Once known as the lovable Carlton Banks in the popular 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (which ran from 1990 to 1996 for six seasons) after slowly rising to fame in the mid-to-late 1980s, he was suddenly forgotten about after appearing in the movie Love Wrecked which was released back in 2005! He was sidelined in the mid-2000s onward, and the fact that he didn't appear in many movies and mainly stuck to television roles might not have helped him either. Nowadays, he currently hosts America's Funniest Home Videos, taking the position of host since Tom Bergeron quit in 2015.
• Carla Gugino: While she was a promising though sadly overlooked star in the mid-to-late 1990s and especially throughout the 2000s with films such as Snake Eyes, the first three Spy Kids, Sin City, the original Night at the Museum, American Gangster, Watchmen, and Race to Witch Mountain, and even shows such as Spin City, Karen Sisco, and Entourage under her belt, she was sadly sidelined by the industry after her three big-budget 2011 outings Sucker Punch, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and New Year's Eve and forgotten about, likely due to her tendency to appear in supporting/minor roles rather than leading roles. She has since mostly only appeared in indie/arthouse films as well as shows such as the first season of Wayward Pines and Jett. That being said, she does still show up every now and again in films like San Andreas, The Space Between Us, and Gunpowder Milkshake, and Mike Flanagan has been giving her chances with his Netflix projects like Gerald's Game and The Haunting of Hill House recently, so she still might have potential.
• Patrick Dempsey: While he was a popular actor especially during the 2000s, he was mostly sidelined after 2010 as audiences started to lose interest in him. He even departed from his infamous role as Dr. Derek Shepherd in the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy in 2015, which might not have helped him either, though he did return in season 17 from 2020 to 2021.
• Michael Keaton: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Mira Sorvino: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Jim Belushi: Was sidelined by the industry by the start of the 2010s.
• Jason Segel: Has rarely been seen after 2014's Sex Tape, which probably killed his career.
• Luke Wilson: Had slowly faded back into obscurity as the 2010s progressed, basically becoming unheard of by 2019. Like fellow Frat Pack members Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, he has since lost his household name status.
• Pierce Brosnan: Was sidelined during the 2010s.
• Jeff Goldblum: He was mostly sidelined during the 2010s.
• Sigourney Weaver: Was suddenly forgotten by the time the 2010s started.
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse: The once promising rising child actor, best known for his role as "McLovin" in the 2007 teen comedy Superbad, was suddenly forgotten about during the mid-2010s.
• Jennifer Jason Leigh: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2000s, though she had a slight resurgence in the 2010s, it was not enough.
• Malin Akerman: Once an "it girl" who celebrated her fifteen minutes of fame with 2009's Watchmen, she had suddenly fallen off around the mid-2010s, mostly going dark with indie films ever since.
• Vince Vaughn: Since 2015, he had only been appearing in supporting roles. Like fellow Frat Pack members Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller, he has since lost his household name status.
• Anthony Hopkins: While he's still a household name, he was sidelined during the 2010s, likely due to his advancing age.
• Kevin Bacon: The eponymous actor who was the inspiration for the infamous "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" theory was sidelined during the 2010s.
• Kurt Russell: Was sidelined during the 2010s.
• Warren Beatty: His only credit since the 1998 flop Town and Country was his long-gestating Howard Hughes biopic Rules Don't Apply in 2016.
• Kevin Costner: His career sidelined in the 2000s following the failure of The Postman.
• Roseanne Barr: The once popular comedic actress, best known for her role as Roseanne Conner in the sitcom Roseanne, had considerably fallen off after 2004's Home on the Range and was sidelined from mid-2000s onward, almost to the point of obscurity. Her erratic personal life, arrogant nature, and reputation for being difficult to work with on her sitcom didn't do her any favors. However, she did get a slight resurgence in early 2018 with the revival of Roseanne, though that wouldn't last long, as her infamous racist tweet she made about former Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett in May of that year caused her show to get cancelled and later re-tooled as a spin-off called The Conners without the involvement of Barr, whose character was killed off from an opioid overdose. This also caused the industry to reject and forget about her, therefore tarnishing Barr's reputation for good. Even if her career wasn't doing particularly great after Home on the Range, this is what ended up ruining her career big time.
• Alan Cumming: Was sidelined by the industry during the 2010s.
• Halle Berry: A once popular actress during the 1990s and 2000s, she had since been sidelined during the 2010s.
• AnnaSophia Robb: A once promising young child actress who appeared in the 2007 film Bridge to Terabithia, she had potential for a bigger career in Hollywood with films like Race to Witch Mountain, Soul Surfer, and The Way, Way Back, but was forgotten about after the aforementioned The Way, Way Back released back in 2013. She went dark after that, appearing in lower-scale films.
• Jonathan Lipnicki: A once promising young child actor who appeared in films like Jerry Maguire, the first two Stuart Little films, The Little Vampire, and Like Mike, he had potential for a bigger career in Hollywood, but was suddenly forgotten about after Stuart Little 2 was released back in 2002. He went dark after that, appearing in lower-scale films.
• Janet Jackson: Her acting career fell off after she appeared in the 2010 films Why Did I Get Married Too? and For Colored Girls. She was also sidelined by the music industry in the mid 2000s after her Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. However, she had a bit of a resurgence in 2022 with her eponymous documentary series for Lifetime and A&E.
• Rihanna: Was sidelined in the late 2010s. In her case, this also happened in the music industry, primarily due to her being focused on her beauty and fashion lines.
• Clark Duke: This once promising star who rose in the early 2010s and had potential to have a bigger career was suddenly forgotten about after 2015 due to the failure of Hot Tub Time Machine 2.
• Julia Stiles: Her "it girl" status, which started in 1999's 10 Things I Hate About You, died in the early 2010s, and she was just as suddenly sidelined.
• Adrien Brody: Once a very promising star in the 2000s, he was sadly forgotten about during the 2010s.
• Jason Schwartzman: Once a very promising star in the 2000s, he was sadly forgotten about during the 2010s.
• Teri Hatcher: Was sidelined during the 2010s, likely due to her reputation of being difficult to work with.
• Jeremy Piven: While he was a big star in the 1990s and 2000s, he was sadly forgotten about during the 2010s.
• Rob Corddry: Was forgotten about due to the failure of 2015's Hot Tub Time Machine 2, and has since went dark.
• Steve Carell: While he's still, in some ways, a household name because he's still remembered for his roles as Andy Stitzer in 2005's The 40-Year Old Virgin, Frank Ginsburg in 2006's Little Miss Sunshine, Gru in the Despicable Me series, Brick Tamland in the Anchorman duology, and especially as Michael Scott in the first seven seasons of the American remake of The Office, he started to lose some of his fame after he left The Office in 2011, and especially around 2014-2015 as audiences started to lose interest in him, to the point where, after 2014 or 2015, he became a punchline. Despite this, he is still seen occasionally and is again still a household name.
• Rainn Wilson: Was mostly forgotten about once The Office ended back in 2013.
• B.J. Novak: Was mostly forgotten about once The Office ended back in 2013.
• Jenna Fischer: Was mostly forgotten about once The Office ended back in 2013.
• David Duchovny: Was sidelined by the industry in the 2010s, after Californication ended in 2014.
• Gillian Anderson: Was sidelined by the industry in the 2010s.
• Pauly Shore: He was a promising star in the 1990s up until 1996's Bio-Dome which sadly killed his career, mainly due to being typecast too often as his "Weasel" persona in comedies. He has since faded into obscurity, mostly going dark by producing most of his own stuff.
• Jim Caviezel: Due to his religious beliefs getting in the way of his career, he was understandably sidelined during the 2010s.
• Dave Chappelle: In a rare case of an actor deliberately doing this on purpose due to the stress in the industry, he fell off during the mid-2000s while filming the third season of Chappelle's Show, by unceremoniously vacationing and laying low in South Africa and declaring fame and the spotlight too stressful for his mental health, part of it being due to his increasing disdain towards Chappelle's Show. He was also a big star in the 1990s and early-to-mid 2000s up until then. However, he's had a bit of a resurgence in recent years.
• Kate Beckinsale: While she was fairly big in the 2000s, she was forgotten about during the 2010s.
• Sean Penn: Was sidelined during the 2010s due to his controversial behavior. He was fairly big in the mid-1990s and 2000s.
• Noah Ringer: The brutal failure of 2010's The Last Airbender killed his potential as a rising young star in the industry. Not even Cowboys & Aliens, released the following year, could save his career. Eventually, he became unheard of by the mid-2010s.
• Jadon Sand: While he was a promising child star who appeared in 2014's The Lego Movie and had potential to have a bigger career, he was suddenly forgotten about after 2019 when The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part became a flop at the box office and The Affair ended.
• Jake Lloyd: He was a promising young child star in the mid-to-late 1990s up until 1999's Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which sadly killed his career. He had suffered bullying in school and harassment by the press, both in response to his role as young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, causing him to retire from acting in 2001 and he had fallen on hard times ever since.
• Seth Dusky: The failure of 2011's Mars Needs Moms killed any potential he had as a rising young star in the industry. Since then, he shifted to doing mostly additional voices and ADR voiceover for feature films like Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Hop, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Ice Age: Continental Drift, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, before fading out of the industry completely in the mid-2010s.
• Daryl Sabara: Though he was a promising child star in the 1990s and 2000s, he was sadly forgotten about after 2012's John Carter, causing him to go dark afterwards.
• Elisabeth Harnois: Was forgotten about due to the failure of 2011's Mars Needs Moms, causing her to go dark with indie films ever since, though she did appear as Morgan Brody in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, it was not enough to save her career.
• Joan Cusack: Was sidelined from the industry during the 2010s.
• Max Charles: Once a very promising child star in the 2010s, he was forgotten about by the start of the 2020s once The Lion Guard ended in 2019.
• Alexa PenaVega: While she was a promising child star in the 1990s and 2000s, she was sadly forgotten about after 2013's Machete Kills, causing her to go dark after that.
• Jeffrey Jones: His legal troubles and wrongdoings caused him to be forgotten about and fade into obscurity in the mid-2000s.
• T.J. Miller: His career took a downturn in the late 2010s after his departure from Silicon Valley and his involvement in the high profile failure of The Emoji Movie (which killed his chances as a leading man), both in 2017. His erratic behavior and reputation for being difficult to work with on Silicon Valley didn't help him either, but his sexual assault allegations and fake bomb threat incident made it worse to the point where the industry mostly doesn't want to employ him anymore, as well as being kicked from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, being replaced by Justin Rupple.
• Anna Faris: While she was popular in the 2000s and the early 2010s, she started to appear less often after 2013's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, mostly appearing as Christy Plunkett in the sitcom Mom until she left the show in 2020, as well as getting minor or supporting roles in 22 Jump Street, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, and Keanu between 2014-2016. She was eventually forgotten about from late 2010s onward after the failures of 2017's The Emoji Movie and the 2018 remake of Overboard, and the fact that she only appeared in five movies during 2014-2018 and mainly stuck to her television role might not have helped her either.
• Jason Drucker: Had vanished from the industry after the infamous failure of 2017's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, though he did appear as Otis Wilson in Bumblebee, which was released the following year, it wasn't enough to save his career.

More to be added.

Potential or possible future examples of this happening to currently popular or beloved actors

NOTE: This is only speculation, as some of these actors may or may not remain popular or have potential to remain in the industry for long.

• Chris Pratt: It has ultimately unanimously agreed by most audiences that, once Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the animated Mario movie is released in 2023, as well as the animated Garfield movie in 2024, he'll probably fall off due to his overexposure in the media and audiences getting sick of him in the long run. The fact that 2022's Jurassic World: Dominion was brutally savaged by critics and audiences doesn't help him either.
• Vin Diesel: He'll probably fall off once the final Fast and Furious film is released in February 2024, likely due to his increasing ego problems over the Fast and Furious franchise, like his infamous feud with Dwayne Johnson which caused him to leave the franchise, and was the very reason why Justin Lin left the franchise as director of the final two films. His career basically relies on the Fast and Furious franchise, and once that franchise ends, so will his career (for the most part).
  • In fact, a lot of actors have their careers hanging on the Fast and Furious franchise which will, as mentioned earlier, come to an end in 2024. Some of these actors include:
    • Tyrese Gibson
    • Chris "Ludacris" Bridges (coupled with the decline of his music career)
    • Michelle Rodriguez
    • Sung Kang
    • Jordana Brewster
• Dwayne Johnson: He will probably fall off during the next decade or so, one of the many reasons is that he was becoming a meme.
• Kevin Hart: Audiences will get tired of his shtick, and therefore he'll likely fall off in the next decade or so. He'll probably fall off even sooner if he's not careful with his career choices, as he might end up appearing in a comedy film that may end up getting hated by many critics and audiences and destroy his reputation in the industry.
• Ezra Miller: They will probably fall off within the 2020s because of their controversial behavior.
• Ryan Reynolds: He will probably fall off during the next decade or so.
• Amber Heard: She will probably fall off once Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is released in 2023. The industry seems to have started rejecting her after she lost her defamation trial with her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
• Mark Wahlberg: He'll probably fall off within the 2020s, essentially becoming an industry laughingstock. He has already started to fall off.
• Seth Rogen: He'll probably and considerably fall off by the early 2030s, due to his tendency of being typecast too often as a goofy stoner.
• Ana de Armas: While it's unlikely to be the case because she's already becoming popular, some believe that she's only being employed because of her looks rather than her acting skills. Henceforth, she'll probably have faded by the next decade or so, if she loses her charisma just as suddenly.
• Hugh Jackman: After 2017's Logan and The Greatest Showman, it seems as though the industry's already rejecting him.
• Jason Statham: He will probably fall off in the next decade or so.
• Brad Pitt: The industry seems to have started rejecting him.
• Daniel Craig: Will basically become unheard of by the start of the 2030s.
• Robert Downey Jr.: It seems as though the industry has already started to forget about him after he finished his role as Iron Man in the MCU.
• Chris Evans: After concluding his Captain America role in the MCU (similar to Robert Downey Jr.), he is basically already being slowly forgotten about and fading back into obscurity.
• Chris Hemsworth: He will fall off in the next decade or so.
• Scarlett Johansson: She will probably fall off in the next decade or so.
• Mark Ruffalo: He will probably slowly become unheard of by the 2030s.
• Jeremy Renner: Is already fading back into obscurity.
• Charlize Theron: While it may be unlikely now that she joined the MCU as Clea (hence boosting her potential), she will probably fall off during the next decade or so.
• Nicole Kidman: Will probably fall off during the 2020s.
• Idris Elba: Will probably fall off in the 2020s, albeit slowly.
• John Krasinski: While it may be unlikely now that he's joined the MCU as Reed Richards (hence boosting his potential), he will probably fall off in the 2020s.
• Tom Hanks: Will probably fall off in the 2020s due to his advancing age.
• Tiffany Haddish: While she only became a very famous comedic actress in the mid-to-late 2010s and early 2020s, she will just as suddenly fall off and be forgotten about mainly due to hers and Aries Spears' child molestation allegations.
• Emily Blunt: While she was a popular household name in the 2010s, she'll probably fall off during the 2020s if she doesn't keep the same charms as before or if she's suddenly thrown under the bus,
• Jessica Chastain: She will probably fall off in the next decade or so.
• Kristen Stewart: She will fall off in the next decade or so.
• Ellen DeGeneres: After concluding her eponymous talk show in 2022, she is basically already being slowly forgotten about and fading back into obscurity. Her toxic workplace allegations involving her talk show aren't helping her reputation either.

More to be added.

Bad Qualities

1. It's often disrespectful to the actors in the industry. These days, the industry only often seems to care about employing the more popular big names other than the ones who had already been popular or at least beloved before them. The least they could do is that they could alternate between the popular and washed-up ones, giving them a fair balance, which is what they did before the mid-2010s, but since then, it's really only the popular ones now instead of a balance (the washed-up ones nowadays only appear in lower-scale films, or are only sidelined to supporting or even minor roles.
2. The thing about this practice is that it knows no age group. Literally any actor could become affected by this regardless of their age or when they become popular. With actors in old age it's at least more justified in the fact that their older and more advanced age can limit their potential, but that's literally why they have stunt doubles for certain scenes. It's even worse with child actors, as they are often treated worse.

Good Qualities

1. Sometimes actors do justifiably get blacklisted by the industry due to their advancing age, or if they are heinous or controversial people. Additionally, actors can even deliberately do this themselves if their political or religious beliefs get in the way of their career, or if they decide to retire or take a break from the industry to focus more on other things in their lives, like taking care of their families, focusing on school or college, sociopolitical activism, etc (to which the industry will realize this and justifiably sideline them).
2. Even if some actors do fade away, there can still be some who, despite them fading away or falling off, still keep their household name status and still remain popular due to their influence on society, like Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Johnny Depp, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Cruise etc.

See also

• Overlooking of actors, a similar practice where the actor in question is often overlooked and doesn't get that many offers rather than fading away from the industry (though the both of them can overlap).

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