Top 20 Celebs Who FAILED at Being Action Stars

#20: Alicia Silverstone

“Batman & Robin” (1997)

This legendary superhero bust stalled many careers when it was released back in 1997, with “Batman and Robin” effectively halting any hopes co-star Alicia Silverstone might have had about a career in action movies. The film’s ultra-campy tone and overtly jokey execution effectively killed the “Batman” franchise for years as well, with Silverstone’s performance as “Batgirl” adding little, if anything to the proceedings. It’d be unfair to lay the blame for “Batman and Robin”’s failure solely on Silverstone – there’s plenty of blame to go around, after all – but this doesn’t change the fact that the actress just didn’t seem cut out for the action movie game.

#19: Pamela Anderson

“Barb Wire” (1996)

“Barb Wire” knew exactly what it was when it was released back in 1996: male teenage fantasy fodder featuring Pamela Anderson, lots of guns and some very big explosions. The film was based upon a Dark Horse comic book series, with Anderson playing the role of the ...titular... heroine. The film didn’t please audiences or critics, however, with many pointing to Anderson’s one-note performance and dry delivery as sticking points in this box office bomb. Still, “Barb Wire” is fun enough when you’re in the right mood, but Anderson would fail to achieve any sort of action movie success in the wake of its release.

#18: Brian Bosworth

“Stone Cold” (1991)

Those searching for some action movie lunacy need look no further than 1991’s “Stone Cold,” an enjoyably ridiculous collection of tough guy clichés starring the one and only Brian Bosworth. Bosworth had previously made his name in the NFL, but “Stone Cold” was supposed to be his breakout role in the action movie mainstream. Fans and critics didn’t flock to “The Boz,” however, and “Stone Cold” flopped at the box office. B movie fans did later latch onto the film on home video, but Bosworth’s star never truly ignited, although the former Seattle Seahawk still acts on the indie scene to this day.

#17: Taylor Kitsch

“John Carter” (2012)

Let’s rewind to 2012, a year that was supposed to mint Taylor Kitsch as Hollywood’s newest golden boy. Coming off the massive success of “Friday Night Lights,” Kitsch was handed the keys to an astronomical action blockbuster that cost the GDP of a small country. Unfortunately, “John Carter” was a verified box office disaster, becoming one of the most infamous flops in movie history. While the sci-fi epic has since earned a few cult defenders over the years, the general public met it with a big fat no, and it flatlined Kitsch’s trajectory as a bankable action star. He’s still going strong in indie films and television, but he’s no action hero.

#16: Dane DeHaan

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017)

Luc Besson’s ambitious space opera was a visual masterpiece, but it suffered from one fatal, glaring flaw: its leading man. Dane DeHaan is a talented actor, usually shining in cerebral and moody indie roles or playing troubled villains. However, casting him as Major Valerian - a swaggering, roguish space-cop - was a massive miscalculation. DeHaan severely lacked the imposing physical presence and natural charisma required to carry a massive sci-fi action flick. Consequently, his stiff performance felt wildly out of place in such a vibrant, high-octane universe. He grounded a movie that desperately needed to soar.

#15: Kit Harington

“Pompeii” (2014)

He was known far and wide for his role in “Game of Thrones,” which made Kit Harington’s leap to the silver screen seem like an absolute no-brainer. Right in the midst of Thrones Fever, Harington took a massive swing with the historical action flick “Pompeii,” which was heavily promoted on his rising star power. But critics and audiences quickly pointed out that his brooding, quiet television charisma didn’t translate into carrying a loud blockbuster. In fact, he was, dare we say, quite bad. The film failed to make waves at the box office, proving once and for all that wielding a Valyrian steel sword on TV doesn’t automatically make you a genuine action movie heavyweight.

#14: Taylor Lautner

“Abduction” (2011) & “Tracers” (2015)

Oh, Taylor Lautner, we know you’re trying hard to escape from your “Twilight” past. But the actor’s performances in the 2011 film “Abduction” and 2015’s “Tracers” are just that: attempts. “Abduction” was Lautner’s first proper crack at action movie stardom as an adult, and received scathing reviews concerning the actor’s wooden performance and lack of charisma. “Tracers” unfortunately didn’t fare much better, with Lautner implausibly starring as a bike messenger who ends up running with a parkour gang in New York City. The time may come when Jacob...er, “Taylor,” finally becomes an actual action movie heavyweight, but it’ll definitely take better movies than these to get the job done.

#13: Jai Courtney

“A Good Day to Die Hard” (2013)

For a few confusing and head-scratching years in the early 2010s, studio execs were convinced that Jai Courtney was the heir apparent to the action movie throne. He was aggressively inserted into major franchises like “The Terminator,” but perhaps his worst turn is playing John McClane’s tough-guy son in “A Good Day to Die Hard.” Instead of revitalizing the aging IP with fresh blood, audiences found Courtney’s wooden screen presence severely lacking. He didn’t have the grit or the charm to anchor the film, and putting him beside a legend like Bruce Willis just proves there are levels to this. The movie was critically reviled, serving as a widespread rejection of Courtney as a dependable leading man.

#12: Ice Cube

“xXx: State of the Union” (2005)

Not even Ice Cube could save the “xXx” franchise in 2005, when the rapper-turned-actor decided fill the shoes vacated by Vin Diesel. To be fair, “xXx: State of the Union” did bring back a small return against its sixty million dollar budget, but critics were split on Cube’s performance as an action hero, while fans mourned the loss of Diesel from the franchise. They would get their wish over a decade later, however, with “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” reigniting the film series, bringing both Cube and Diesel back for another round.

#11: Tyler Perry

“Alex Cross” (2012)

You can respect writer, actor and director Tyler Perry for attempting to try something new by taking part in the 2012 film “Alex Cross.” It couldn’t have been easy for Perry to step into a role that was not only based on a beloved book series by James Patterson, but had also been previously portrayed on screen by Morgan Freeman. Fans of Perry’s “Medea” franchise, however, stayed away from “Alex Cross,” and the film ended up as both a critical and commercial failure, despite Perry’s best intentions.

#10: Mila Kunis

“Max Payne” (2008)

Mila Kunis is a fantastic actress with incredible range, but her abrupt venture into the gritty action genre was spectacularly misjudged. Back in 2008, Kunis was completely miscast as the hardened, gun-toting assassin Mona Sax in the movie adaptation of “Max Payne.” Despite taking the role seriously and giving it her all, Kunis’s petite physical stature and naturally angelic features made it exceedingly difficult for audiences to buy her as a bloodthirsty action heroine. Sometimes, a great actor simply doesn’t fit the run-and-gun mold, and that’s fine.

#9: Chris Klein

“Rollerball” (2002)

Remaking a cult classic usually isn’t the best idea, especially when the film was as niche as the 1975 sci-fi oddity “Rollerball.” That movie starred Hollywood heavyweight James Caan, however, while viewers of the 2002 version were forced to settle for “American Pie” actor Chris Klein. The “Rollerball” remake was panned by fans and critics alike, mainly because it lacked the kitsch ‘70s cool and socio-political themes of the original. Klein’s performance in the film was considered “bland,” and not up to snuff when compared to the charisma Caan brought to the role over 25 years earlier.

#8: Kevin Hart

“Lift” (2024)

Kevin Hart is arguably one of the hardest-working men in Hollywood, and lately he’s been trying to pivot away from pure comedy and into legitimate action star territory. Frankly, we don’t know why. Despite headlining big-budget Netflix action flicks like “Lift,” the glaring problem remains - audiences just can’t take him seriously as a formidable tough guy. He’s a small man, and his earnest attempts to play the suave mastermind of a heist invariably devolved into his trademark, high-pitched comedic shtick. The explosive action often feels entirely secondary to the jokes, leaving his “action star” status stuck firmly in the realm of parody.

#7: Armie Hammer

“The Lone Ranger” (2013)

Disney banked on Armie Hammer becoming the next generation’s big action hero when they cast him in “The Lone Ranger” opposite Johnny Depp. Instead, the chaotic film became one of the most infamous box office bombs of the 2010s. It completely failed to ignite the lucrative blockbuster franchise the studio so desperately wanted, and Disney lost a ton of money in the process. So Hammer’s highly publicized shot at being a traditional, square-jawed leading man fizzled out right at the starting line. And that was long before his off-screen controversies officially ended his mainstream Hollywood career for good.

#6: Jared Leto

“Morbius” (2022)

It's Morbin’ time! Or, well, maybe not. Jared Leto undeniably has a distinct knack for transformative character work, but his ambitious attempt to solo a superhero franchise was a historically embarrassing misfire. “Morbius” quickly became an inescapable internet laughingstock thanks to its chaotic plot, dated CGI effects, and Leto’s aggressively self-serious lead performance. The movie bombed so badly that it actually managed to flop twice after Sony execs mistakenly thought that ironic Twitter memes translated into actual interest. It did not, so Leto’s transition into a bankable action lead was killed, reincarnated, and killed all over again.

#5: Seth Rogen

“The Green Hornet” (2011)

This masked crime fighter possesses a proud pedigree dating all the way back to his debut in radio in the 1930s. The Green Hornet was set for a big budget reboot back in 2011, with the very unlikely Seth Rogen in the lead. Critics immediately picked up on Rogen’s performance in the film, calling the actor out for being miscast. The film did big money with fans at first, but sharply dropped off after a boffo opening weekend, as negative word of mouth soon spread about “The Green Hornet” and its less-than-convincing hero. In 2013, Rogen himself referred to working on the film as a “nightmare.”

#4: Dakota Johnson

“Madame Web” (2024)

Dakota Johnson has thoroughly made a name for herself, but entering the superhero fray proved to be a tangled web that was better left alone. “Madame Web” debuted as an absolute critical and commercial disaster. Johnson’s deadpan delivery and visible discomfort in the action sequences drew widespread internet ridicule, and the film was heavily memed. Even Johnson herself later admitted that she wasn’t even remotely surprised by the film’s reception, given its rocky behind the scenes drama. There was even widespread speculation that Johnson felt “tricked” into thinking she was joining the main MCU rather than a Sony spinoff. No wonder her heart wasn’t in it.

#3: Shaquille O’Neal

“Steel” (1997)

The late nineties were a rough time for the superhero movie genre, and a long way away from the early 21st century’s big budget action spectaculars. Enter basketball star Shaquille O’Neal and his disastrous turn as the DC comic book hero known as “Steel.” There’s a thick layer of cheese here, a fact that isn’t helped much by O’Neal’s less-than-commanding performance in the lead role of John Henry Irons. This is a shame, because it would’ve been great to see DC’s Steel up there on the big screen, especially if the filmmakers had explored his place in the Superman universe. One thing’s for sure: any sort of “Steel” reboot should stay very far, far away from the Shaq man.

#2: Tom Holland

“Uncharted” (2022)

As the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Tom Holland is undeniably phenomenal. But outside the welcoming safety of the MCU, his eager attempts to mold himself into a rugged, adult action star have been a very tough sell. His casting as the gruff treasure hunter Nathan Drake in the “Uncharted” adaptation was widely criticized by fans of the video games, mostly because he was too short and “boyish.” While “Uncharted” made decent money, Holland himself admitted that he struggled with the role, focusing way too much on “looking good” rather than fully embodying the character. Without the Spidey suit, audiences just aren’t buying him as a hardened action hero.

#1: Jay Leno

“Collision Course” (1989)

The question that’s you’re probably asking yourself is: “Wait, what? Jay Leno was in an action movie?” Well, incredibly, the answer to that is “yes,” and his co-star was “The Karate Kid’s” own Pat Morita! The film in question was “Collision Course,” and it featured an “East meets West” duo of cops trying to track down a stolen Japanese turbocharger in Detroit. Director Lewis Teague and crew had attempted to finish the film in 1989, but budgetary issues caused “Collision Course” to sit on the shelf until 1992, when it was quietly released on VHS.

Which effort made you roll your eyes the hardest? Let us know in the comments below!