19 Actors who struggled to find work at some point

Hollywood is often referred to as a place of endless possibilities, but with many actors, getting to the 'top' will not be easy. While most become overnight celebrities, others get years of battling rejection, seeing their talent overlooked for years before gaining their moment. Whether because of typecasting, public controversy, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, these 19 actors have had their fair share of uncertainty. Still, they held on and showed that when all seems lost and the industry has forgotten you, resilience and talent will eventually bring a triumphant return.

1. Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. was at one time touted as one of Hollywood's best young actors; he had started with small roles in Chaplin (1992), and then his life began to plummet downward due to his addiction issues and multiple arrests in the late '90s and early 2000s. For years, his life was filled with minimal roles and public scrutiny. He made an astonishing comeback in the role of Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008). This role revived his career and transformed him into an international icon.

2. Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder is another popular star from the '90s who vanished from the Hollywood horizon following a shoplifting scandal in 2001. At that time, she suffered industry backlash and had difficulty getting hired. Her resurgence came with the Netflix series Stranger Things in 2016 when her performance as Joyce Byers was stunning. Ryder has since been heralded for advocating mental health awareness. As an experienced actor reviving her career, Ryder proves that persistence and talent can win over temporary drawbacks.

3. Ke Huy Quan

Ke Huy Quan was a child star who starred in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and The Goonies (1985). By the 1990s, though, he faced trouble finding work as Hollywood did not offer many opportunities for Asian actors. Quan was discouraged and went behind the camera to work as a stunt coordinator. Coming to reclaim the spotlight with a bang was the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All At Once, where he won an Oscar for his performance as Waymond Wang.

4. Matthew McConaughey

Pigeonholed in the early 2000s as the quintessential rom-com lead, Matthew McConaughey's career was stymied. Frustrated, McConaughey chose to spurn lucrative offers and leave the genre behind. It paid off with the "McConaissance," which produced critically acclaimed turns in Dallas Buyers Club and True Detective. Greenlights, McConaughey's 2020 memoir, became a bestseller, displaying his philosophical outlook on career reinvention. McConaughey is an inspiration.

5. Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh, an Asian cinema icon, was not breaking into Hollywood when she was given stereotypical roles. Her star soared in the 2000s with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000, but recognition mainstream eluded her. A renewed career path came through Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, and then she locked her place with Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), becoming the first Asian woman to have won the Best Actress Oscar. With The Witcher: Blood Origin and the sequels of Avatar, Yeoh continues breaking boundaries.

6. Laura Dern

Laura Dern is famous for her strong acting in films such as Jurassic Park (1993) and Wild (2014). Yet she was a casualty of major box office bombs in the late '90s and 2000s: Dr. T & the Women (2000) and The Master (2012). Still, the actor has come full circle, delivering an Emmy-worthy performance in Big Little Lies (2017). Her performances in Marriage Story (2019) have widely earned her acceptance into the realm of Hollywood's finest actresses.

7. Drea de Matteo

Drea de Matteo won widespread fame because of her Emmy-winning role as Adriana La Cerva in The Sopranos. After that, she had trouble holding on to consistent, high-profile acting work. Projects that kept her in the public eye were Desperate Housewives and Sons of Anarchy. She faced financial difficulties, especially during the pandemic in 2020. In a bold move, de Matteo launched an OnlyFans account in 2023, shocking everyone and taking control of her career. This shows that de Matteo has the strength to be relevant in this ever-changing entertainment industry.

8. Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba's roles in Dark Angel and Fantastic Four made her a household name, but she could not get away from being typecast as a Hollywood "it girl." Alba possessed great talent but was stuck with roles emphasizing looks over content. Frustrated by the lack of meaningful opportunities, she turned to entrepreneurship by co-founding The Honest Company in 2011, the ecologically friendly brand. Business has really anchored Alba firmly as a global powerhouse beyond Hollywood.

9. Aidy Bryant

Aidy Bryant, playing host and being featured on Saturday Night Live (SNL), revealed her incredible comedic talent. However, she does not make it easy on the sets, as many can become stereotyped with a narrow Hollywood definition of beauty. With Shrill (2019–2021), she finally found her breakthrough, which was a celebration of body positivity and highlighted her talent as a performer and creator. The show's success proved that Bryant's humor and authenticity could reshape how women are portrayed in entertainment.

10. Liv Tyler

Liv Tyler, rock legend Steven Tyler's daughter, quickly got mainstream recognition when she starred in Armageddon (1998) and played Arwen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The problem for Tyler was to make her career grow strong, especially when she came out of blockbuster roles into more dramatic ones. She seemed to fall off a cliff mid-2000s but eventually landed new chances with 9-1-1: Lone Star in 2020. Tyler's balance of family life with acting and her commitment to diverse roles have enabled her to stay steady in Hollywood.

11. Ben Affleck

After an Oscar for Good Will Hunting (1997), Ben Affleck's career stalled after failures such as Gigli and constant tabloid overexposure. With his directorial debut Gone Baby Gone in 2007, he reversed the trend to another Oscar for Argo in 2012. Despite his personal battles, including a very public battle with alcoholism, Affleck is still a Hollywood power player. In recent years, he's been back as Batman in DC movies and even launched a production company with Matt Damon, demonstrating a creative growth curve.

12. Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl was a rom-com queen in the 2000s, thanks to hits like Knocked Up and winning an Emmy for her role in Grey's Anatomy, but public fallout with showrunners and criticism of some of her own projects made it hard to find meaningful work. Recently, she returned steadily to Netflix's Firefly Lane (2021-2023), where her heartfelt portrayal of Tully Hart earned her lots of praise.

13. Terry Crews

Before becoming a household name, Terry Crews had to fight out of his professional footballing career into acting. He endured financial hardship and rejection in Hollywood. The breakthrough came when he was on Everybody Hates Chris, after which he nailed it with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Beyond acting, Crews now speaks out concerning mental health issues and survivors of abuse, drawing upon his personal life. He currently hosts America's Got Talent, making a case that if one tries and works, their path could change.

14. Megan Fox

Megan Fox rose to stardom with Transformers (2007), but she soon found her career derailed after a public spat with director Michael Bay, which promptly branded her as "difficult." Hollywood hastily put her in the back seat, and Fox could hardly get any meaningful role. Years have passed, but Fox has tried to reinvent herself, starting with cult classics like Jennifer's Body and embracing genre films. Her recent work in Till Death (2021) demonstrated her dramatic range, and the critics loved it.

15. Chris Hemsworth

Before his breakthrough role as Thor, Chris Hemsworth could barely get significant parts outside the Australian soap operas Home and Away. Not even after becoming a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was he done proving his range with roles in Rush and Extraction. The latest dramatic parts Hemsworth has undertaken include Limitless, a National Geographic series, where he is investigating longevity and mental health. Hemsworth has also stated that he would slow down his career after discovering a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's.

16. Betty White

Betty White struggled with career despondency during the 1960s when her initial successes on the radio and television began to wane. Resilient, she landed her signature role as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and again rejuvenated her career. She finally became a fan favorite as Rose on The Golden Girls. As late as the 90s, White continued to work and captivate audiences with her sharp wit and humor. She was mourned in 2021 when she died at the age of 99, but her legacy as a trailblazer for women in entertainment remains unmatched.

17. Jacob Elordi

Jacob Elordi shot to stardom from Netflix's The Kissing Booth trilogy. He could not break loose from being labeled a heartthrob, however successful the franchise remained. Sidelined by concerns that he only acted, Nate Jacobs in HBO's Euphoria (2019) made a significant breakthrough into critical acclaim while portraying a complicated, troubled young character. Recent projects, such as Priscilla (2023), where he plays Elvis Presley, solidifies his position as one of Hollywood's brightest young stars.

18. Quinton Aaron

After the breakout role in The Blind Side (2009) as Michael Oher, Quinton Aaron was destined for a career of great repute. Despite the film's great success, Aaron couldn't find much to work with in Hollywood. His massive physique, which had made him a perfect fit for some roles, became an impediment in a world where most casting was very traditional. Still, Aaron remained active in minor productions and became an advocate for mental health and anti-bullying causes, showing strength in the face of the challenges his career presented.

20. Mo'Nique

Mo'Nique excelled and bagged an Academy Award for her role in Precious (2009). This triumph came with controversy when she publicly accused Hollywood of blackballing her for not promoting the movie in the traditional awards circuit. Due to this, she had fewer opportunities as the years passed by. Refusing to give up, Mo'Nique returned to stand-up comedy and voiced her experiences in the industry. The latest ones are - The Reading (2023), marking her successful return to acting and proving she had not given up on it.