Fave today, flub tomorrow
WHEN starlets finally attain stardom, some of them tend to relax and make unwise career decisions, thus ending up taking one step back instead of forward.
That’s why we keep advising TV-film luminaries to not rest on their laurels and popularity. Just one film or TV series that fails to “fly” as expected could make producers think twice about casting a falling and failing star, especially if he or she commands a steep asking and buying price.
In recent years, this has been borne out by the flagging film fortunes of once bright stellar discoveries whose careers eventually lost steam and luster. For instance, there was a time when
Brendan Fraser was a hot stellar property—young, charming, adept at romance and comedy, coming on strong in the “Mummy” trilogy. His “breakthrough” role was in “George of the Jungle.”
He went on to play lead roles in other comedy, adventure and dramatic productions, but eventually put on weight and lost his stellar edge.
He was last seen in the 2013 film, “Pawn Shop Chronicles,” but his fans hope that he can still regain his thespic mojo—and reclaim the stellar prominence he’s lost.
Ditto for Colin Farrell, who enjoyed an even brighter acting career for many years, but has similarly been eclipsed by younger comers.
After a string of hit thrillers that established his thespic credentials, Farrell got addicted to drugs and checked into a rehabilitation treatment facility.
To make things worse, he got involved in a sex video scandal. These negative incidents have distracted producers and viewers from Farrell’s exceptional charisma and versatility, which once made him the young comer to beat in Hollywood.
So, film buffs hope that Farrell will be given new opportunities to prove his thespic worth again, to add to his already impressive filmography, which includes “Phone Booth,” “Alexander,” “In Bruges,” “Ondine,” “Horrible Bosses,” “The War Zone,” “Tigerland” and “Minority Report.”
Other stars we trust will be given another chance to go “from flub back to fave” in-
clude Shia LaBeouf, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Sam Worthington, Tobey Maguire and (hope springs eternal) Lindsay Lohan!
The (hopefully temporary) downturn in LaBeouf’s stellar career is particularly regrettable, because he appeared to have many things going for him when in 2007, he starred in the popular films, “Disturbia” and “Surf’s Up” and was cast as the young protagonist in “Transformers,” which became a top grosser.
Shia’s follow-up successes were the sci-fi film franchises’ sequels and the fourth “Indiana Jones” cinematic caper.
However, in 2005, the young star was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and later had other run-ins with the law.
These “dark” developments have resulted in a drastic change in terms of public perception and popularity, which we trust can still be remedied this season, if Shia gets his act together again—and comes up with a creditable comeback film.