Sometimes an actor nails a role so well that it completely sidetracks their career. Either this means they cannot live up to the lofty expectations set by their performance, or they’retypecast and continue playing the same partover and over. It might sound counterintuitive, but sometimes a role can be just a little bit too good.
This has happened to plenty ofgreat actors across Hollywood history, asyoung stars find their defining role much too early and are never able to step outside of the shadow of their earliest success. Other times, actors gain a truly iconic part and just continually relive their glory days in a succession of worsening movie sequels and spin-offs.
While some of these actors maintained highly acclaimed careers, in all of these cases, there’sone role that changed the trajectoryof their filmography forever and closed the door on potentially much more interesting opportunities. When all is said and done, it makes you wonder if they would have been better off not playing the part at all.
7Robert Downey Jr. As Tony Stark
Iron Man (2008)
The career of Robert Downey Jr. has gone through several fluctuations, and the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe saved his career following addiction problems and even a stint in jail. However,the MCU has been both a blessing and a curse to Downey, as his cinematic performance has become inseparable from the role.
Downey managed to briefly break away from the MCU and even earn an Academy Award in 2023 forOppenheimer, but the fact that he’s due back as Doctor Doom inAvengers: Doomsdayin 2026 proves how intertwined his legacy is with the superhero genre. While Downey is a talented dramatic actor, he rarely gets the chance to broaden his horizons.
6Shelley Duvall As Wendy Torrance
The Shining (1980)
Shelley Duvall was one of the most unique and interesting actresses of the 1970s, whose performances in Robert Altman movies showcased her as an alluring and enigmatic star. However, despite outstanding performances inNashville,Thieves Like Us, and3 Women, her career ended up being defined by her role in Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shining.
Duvall was initially mocked for her performance and was even nominated for a since-revoked Razzie for Worst Actress, and the out-of-touch idea that she gave a bad performance plagued her career. It was only after the damage was done thatDuvall’s role as Wendy was reappraised by criticsand viewers, and today it’s remembered as a masterclass horror performance.
5Tatum O’Neal As Addie Loggins
Paper Moon (1973)
At just 10 years old,Tatum O’Neal became the youngest person ever to win a competitive Academy Awardfor her role as Addie Loggins inPaper Moon. As a charming road comedy, there was something so engaging about the performance O’Neal gave opposite her real-life father, Ryan O’Neal, that captured the hearts of audiences and critics alike.
However, becoming an Oscar winner so young cast a shadow over her career, and O’Neal never again reached the lofty heights she soared to when she was just a child. Despite later roles inThe Bad News Bearsand guest appearances on shows likeSex and the City, O’Neal would always be remembered as the feisty kid fromPaper Moon.
4Bela Lugosi As Count Dracula
Dracula (1931)
The Hungarian–American actor gained his career-defining role as Count Dracula in the 1932 classic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s influential novel. WhileDraculahelped turn Lugosi into a household name, it also meant that this classically trained actor spent his entire career living under the shadow of this vampiric role and spent decades starring in niche horror movies.
Lugosi had difficulties gaining roles in the latter part of his career, and his friendship and collaborations with the similarly maligned director Ed Wood were dramatized in the Tim Burton film of the same name. BeforeLugosi encountered Wood in the early 1950s, he was living in near poverty and obscurity and earning his living throughDracula’slegacy.
3Peter Lorre As Hans Beckert
M (1931)
The Fritz Lang mystery thrillerMwas among the most influential movies of all time, as it laid the groundwork for the procedural drama. Among the excellent cast wasPeter Lorre as the child-murdering serial killer Hans Beckert, a role that meant he was typecast as creepy villains for the rest of his career.
Lorre’s short stature, bulging eyes, and unique screen presence made him highly memorable, and he would play similar roles in movies likeMad LoveandCrime and Punishment. While Lorre’s unique appeal caught the attention of Alfred Hitchcock for the originalThe Man Who Knew Too Much, it’s hard not to feel like there was more to Lorre than menacing roles.
2Anthony Perkins As Norman Bates
Psycho (1960)
Anthony Perkins terrified audiences as he traded in his all-American boy-next-door persona to play the troubled serial killer Norman Bates inPsycho. This role confounded audiences' expectations and showcased Perkins as an actor capable of walking the fine line between madness and vulnerability with a character that was both chilling and tragically human.
While Perkins already had an acclaimed career and an Academy Award nomination,Psychomeant he was typecast as a disturbed loner, and Hollywood struggled to see him as anything but a soft-spoken killer. In a way,Perkins embraced this through his appearances in severalPsychosequels, although it closed the door on his chances at remaining a handsome leading man.
1Louise Fletcher As Nurse Ratched
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
It’s hard to think of a movie performance that showcased so much potential and a career that failed to live up to it than Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched inOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. As the breakout performance of an unknown actress,Fletcher earned an Academy Award for her menacing and coldly authoritative performance.
The bar was set far too high, andOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestremained Fletcher’s defining performance. Despite continuing to work in film and television for the rest of her life, she never overcame her association with Ratched and was unable to step outside of the shadow of an Oscar win that came a little too early.
