Almost famous: destined for stardom, so where'd they go?
Every couple of years, there's a new big star on the rise. But not everyone can make it in showbiz, and these Hollywood casualties are living proof. Touted as "the next big thing," not one of them managed to crack the big time.
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Alicia Silverstone: After playing the adorablely sexy Cher in Clueless back in 1995, Alicia Silverstone was pitted as the next huge actress. Unfortunately, she seemed to fade into the background, never to return to the forefront of acting success. We do give her cred for her animal and environment activism and her book The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet. -
Alison Lohman: The stunning blonde beauty starred in White Oleander back in 2002 and seemed destined for wonderful things. A small part in Big Fish and a role in last year’s horror film Drag Me to Hell just wasn’t what everyone expected. We hope to see more of her ethereal beauty in the future. -
Kip Pardue: The young actor with all-American looks and a sexy grin, Kip modelled for Abercrombie and Fitch and was cast in both the Sty Stallone flick Driven and Remember the Titans. But where is he now? Apparently appearing in movies called Stag Night and The Trouble with Romance. Come back Kip! -
Samantha Mathis: Samantha was expected to be a big hit after movies like Little Women and Broken Arrow but she never quite was. She had a tiny part on Lost for one episode which unfortunately is not going to bring her back. -
Wes Bentley: He burst onto the movie scene back in 1998 as the love match for Kevin Spacey’s daughter in American Beauty. He had the stare and the dark good looks, he went on to appear as the lead in Soul Survivors and The Four Feathers but they were termed ‘duds’ and he eventually disappeared, rumoured to be dealing with drug addiction. -
Chris Evans: With his good looks he was noticed immediately after starring in Not Another Teen Movie and then even more so in Fantastic Four. Since then he’s done nothing to write home about, just a small role in The Nanny Diaries and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. That’s too bad. -
Marley Shelton: With early roles in Pleasantville, Never Been Kissed and Deathproof, Marley seemed to making some ground, but success on a major level sadly, never eventuated for her and she has continued to play small roles in not so big films. -
Estella Warren: With stunning eyes and lips, it was only a matter of time until Estella was noticed. She starred in Planet of the Apes, Perfume, one episode of That 70s Show, but her career never really took off the way it seemed it would with bit parts on Law and Order and not much else. -
Skeet Ulrich: Who could forget the sexpot with the bad ass looks from the Scream movies? Apparentely, many can. Besides the Scream movies and The Craft, Skeet appeared in movies titled, Nobody’s Baby and Soul Assassin, and played Jake Green in Jericho. Sadly, he’s been labelled “a poor man’s Johnny Depp.” Agree? -
Thora Birch: Starting with The Purple People Eater back in 1988, Thora began her career as an actress. She was an established child-actress appearing in films like Hocus Pocus and Monkey Trouble, growing up slowly in Now and Then. It was just after making The Hole that we stopped hearing about Thora. Since then she’s made films like Silver City, Slingshot and Winter of Frozen Dreams. Recently, she is rumoured to be cast in The Story of Bonnie and Clyde – let’s hope it’s a winner, we miss her quirky style! -
Ryan Phillipe: It’s no secret the Ryan has not experienced the same level of success that his ex-wife, Reese Witherspoon, or his current girlfriend, Abbie Cornish have. He starred in the I Know What You Did Last Summer flicks, then went on to star in Cruel Intentions as a poor little rich boy alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon. From here it gets hazy, he appeared in films like Chaos, Flags of our Fathers, Breach and most notably, Stop-Loss with now-girlfriend Abbie. -
Tom Everett Scott: Kicking off his career with the cute flick That Thing You Do, Tom had hearts racing (yep, clichéd but he did!). He then appeared in films titled An American Werewolf in Paris, One True Thing and Love Letter. He had bit parts on E.R. and Will and Grace before he was back on our radar in Because I Said So and Cashmere Mafia. Sadly, nothing substantial since. -
Neve Campbell: The queen of Scream, it has to be said. Neve, of course, played Julia Salinger in the hit TV series Party of Five, where we first fell in love with her. While the series was still running she starred in The Craft, the Scream movies and Wild Things. But as Party of Five came to an end, it seemed her movie success did as well. She went on to appear in When Will I be Loved, I Really Hate My Life and Three to Tango. Apparently, she has been cast in the new Scream movie – number 4, who knows maybe this one will be lucky? -
Scott Wolf: Scott acted in Saved by the Bell before landing the role of Bailey Salinger in Party of Five, alongside Neve. He then went onto projects like Spin City, Everwood, The Nine, CSI and V. Is it too late for Scott to make a comeback? -
James Van Der Beek: Known as the lovable and kind Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek, which he played for five years. James went on to film Varsity Blues, Texas Rangers, Rules of Attraction and Sex, Power, Love & Politics. Since then he’s had bit parts on Criminal Minds, Ugly Betty, How I Met Your Mother, One Tree Hill, Medium and Mercy. Oh dear. -
Jon Heder: Known to one and all as Napoleon Dynamite, due to his role in the film of the same name. He tried to leave the character behind by appearing in Just Like Heaven, Blades of Glory and When In Rome, but it hasn’t appeared to work. -
Rachel Leigh Cook: Playing opposite Freddie Prinze Jr in She’s All That set Rachel’s career on fire. She got the guy! But she hasn’t since. Rachel’s career has been on the lower end of the spectrum, sure she appeared in Josie and the Pussycats and The Hairy Bird. Even Nancy Drew a couple of years back, but nothing on the same cult status. -
Matthew Lillard: Matthew began in little films like Serial Mom before hitting it big in Scream. He starred in several notable movies after that, She’s All That and Scooby Doo, but things have been on a downward slope since. -
Macauley Culkin: Macauley played clever little Kevin McAllister in Home Alone 1 & 2. He also played sweetheart Thomas J who was allergic to bees in My Girl, Timmy in Getting Even With Dad and Richie in Richie Rich. He hasn’t done a great deal since, except date the gorgeous Mila Kunis (That 70s Show). -
Tara Reid: Once upon a time Tara Reid was a blonde bombshell. She played parts in Urban Legend, Josie and the Pussycats, American Pie and American Pie 2 and Van Wilder. A little later on, she appeared in My Boss’s Daughter, Hitched and Scrubs. Since then, Tara has been known mostly for her partying and appearances at events than for her acting. Sad. -
Mena Suvari: We first really saw her as the sweet choir girl in American Pie and then in Sam Mendes’ American Beauty as the object of Kevin Spacey’s infatuation. From here her roles seemed to get smaller. She was in American Pie 2, Domino, Factory Girl and that’s about it really. -
Shannyn Sossamon: This girl has an amazing quirky style. She starred alongside Heath Ledger in A Knight’s Tale, and then Josh Hartnett in 40 Days and 40 Nights, more recently, she played a small role as Jack Black’s cheating girlfriend in The Holiday. -
Gretchen Mol: In the late 90s, Gretchen graced our screens in Music from Another Room and Donnie Brasco. Everyone predicted she was going to be big. However, she instead went on to play anonymous, or smaller roles in several films. Most recently, she played Annie Norris in Life on Mars. -
Erika Christensen: She captivated everyone as a crazy stalker in Swimfan back in 2002. She then starred in The Banger Sisters, Flightplan and again, bit parts in shows like Law and Order and Six Degrees. -
Chad Michael Murray: Audiences didn’t know what hit them when Chad first appeared on their screens, first in Gilmore Girls, then Dawson’s Creek. He then scored a part in Freaky Friday, followed by A Cinderella Story and House of Wax. Currently he plays Lucas Scott in the once-popular TV series One Tree Hill.
Alicia Silverstone: After playing the adorablely sexy Cher in Clueless back in 1995, Alicia Silverstone was pitted as the next huge actress. Unfortunately, she seemed to fade into the background, never to return to the forefront of acting success. We do give her cred for her animal and environment activism and her book The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet.







