As Hollywood trends come and go, so does the need for certain actors. Many child actors never break into the industry, and many high-profile stars burn out after a couple of big jobs. Do you remember what these stars were in before they faded away?
Taylor Lautner
Even though it's pretty weird, Taylor Lautner became a teenage sex symbol at the age of (probably) 14. He starred in early films like Sharkboy and Lavagirl and Cheaper By The Dozen 2 before taking a leading role as Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga. He won over the hearts of teenage girls everywhere after he made it big portraying the werewolf love interest.
Teenage Sellout
Unfortunately, Lautner went from teenage sex symbol to teenage sellout, unable to book many gigs after the Twilight movies. He'd apparently peaked as a werewolf, and Hollywood wasn't invested in his career as it was in Robert Pattinson's. Now, he dates a normal college girl and lives a low-profile life.
Shailene Woodley
Before she was Hazel Grace in The Fault in Our Stars, she was Amy in 2008's The Secret Life of the American Teenager. However, despite landing several high-profile gigs like The Descendents and Divergent, Woodley couldn't seem to hold on to relevancy.
Big Little Lies
After taking some time off from the big screen, Woodley was cast as a minor lead role in HBO's Big Little Lies. The role isn't as glamorous as Reese Witherspoon or Nicole Kidman's, but she is a driving force in the cast. She's done some indie films here and there, but none that have scored big at the box office.
Carrie-Anne Moss
Best known for her role as Trinity in The Matrix, Carrie-Anne Moss has managed to evade the spotlight despite portraying such a stellar role. Because of it, she got to star alongside Keanu Reeves for years. The sci-fi series launched her into fame, and before that, Moss had essentially no background in acting.
Occasional Netflix Movies
Since The Matrix, Moss hasn't landed any hard-hitting roles. She plays various characters in Netflix Marvel shows. Currently, she's reprised her role in Jessica Jones.
Mischa Barton
The O.C. launched Mischa Barton's career. She played the "It" girl of Orange County, Marissa Cooper, and no other teen drama has even come close to matching the hype. She even won several Teen Choice Awards, despite leaving The O.C. after three seasons.
Back To Reality
After taking a long break from Hollywood, Barton is set to star in The Hills, a show that credits The O.C. as an inspiration. Despite her successful, though staggered, career, Barton has also been the subject of several legality issues. She's one for "impulsive actions," to say the least.
Taylor Kitsch
Taylor Kitsch played Tim Riggins in the sports drama, Friday Night Lights, for five seasons. The show was a huge hit, with 8 million viewers overall. He was also cast as Gambit in an X-Men spinoff, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Swing and a Miss
Kitsch did his best to land higher-profile roles. His agent certainly fought for him. He landed roles in Battleship, John Carter, and True Detective, but none of them were big enough to put him in the box office.
Megan Fox
Believe it or not, Megan Fox got her start on Kelly Ripa's 2004 sitcom, Hope and Fatih. She later played the villain in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen alongside Lindsay Lohan, establishing herself as a popular mean girl. However, her breakout performance was really in 2007's Transformers.
Heating Things Up With Machine Gun Kelly
After working on hit Michael Bay films, Fox took a break from Hollywood. She married 90210 star Brian Austin Green and had three children together. Then, she took a co-starring role on New Girl alongside Zoey Deschanel. Now, she's in the process of divorcing Green and is dating musician Machine Gun Kelly.
Alex Pettyfer
Rember Stormbreaker? That 2006 film won Alex Pettyfer an Empire Award. Since then, he's gone on to star in several young adult romance movies and even land a gig modeling for Burberry. But otherwise, he hasn't done much else.
Magic Mike'd
After co-starring alongside Channing Tatum in Magic Mike and playing the lead in Endless Love, Pettyfer's career came to a halt. He appeared in several interviews where he came off as pretentious and annoying. Needless to say, fans didn't love that.
Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver, though older now, is best known for her role in 1997's Good Will Hunting. That career also kicked off Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's careers. Driver has also won a Golden Glob and an Emmy award for her role on the TV series, The Riches.
Minnie Who?
Sadly, outside of Good Will Hunting, Driver was never able to establish herself as a household name. That film is pretty much the only one that gave her any sort of legitimate credibility. Unfortunately, she's not close with her co-stars today.
Armie Hammer
One of Hammer's coolest roles was when he played both Winklevoss twins in The Social Network. His other huge role was in Call Me By Your Name, a romance that also starred Timothee Chalamet. However, his career has plateaued since then.
Trouble In Paradise
In 2020, Hammer announced that he and wife Elizabeth Chambers would be divorcing. The split is apparently amicable, but before the news broke, some odd allegations arose regarding Hammer messaging younger women. Only time will tell what the truth really is.
Brandon Routh
Routh had a penitent for persistence and landed himself roles on Gilmore Girls and Chuck in the 2000s. He also played a supporting role in Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Superman Returns
Routh's biggest role was arguably in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns in 2006. Despite the buildup to the huge role, the film did poorly at the box offices. Looks like it takes a special actor to replace Christopher Reeve, and Routh wasn't it.
Leelee Sobieski
Leelee Sobieski played the title character in a Joan of Arc biopic and landed several small dramatic roles throughout the 1990s. She was up for a role in Interview with the Vampire, but Kristen Dunst ended up winning it instead. Sobieski's once prolific career flattened out pretty quickly after the early 2000s.
Sam Worthington
James Cameron gave Sam Worthington his arguably best role in Avatar. He even auditioned to play James Bond in Casino Royale, but the part was given to Daniel Craig. Other than the Cameron-created sci-fi film, Worthington hasn't done much since then.
Chad Michael Murray
Remember One Tree Hill? Of course you do. Chad Michael Murray also played roles on Gilmore Girls, A Cinderella Story, and Freaky Friday. He was the epitome of the 2000s It Guy, but the hype ends there.
Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning is arguably one of the most successful child stars in the game. From I am Sam to Uptown Girls, she has gone from young starlet to awkward adult actress. It can be difficult to transition between genres, and her appearances in films like The Runaways has been subpar.
Phoebe Cates
Former model Phoebe Cates made her acting debut in the film Paradise, which had a similar plot to the hit Brook Shields movie, Blue Lagoon. She later took on a controversial role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The steamy red bikini scene was her last memorable part.
Emile Hirsch
After appearing in hit films like Lords of Dogtown and Imaginary Heroes, Emile Hirsch went on to play roles in indie films like Into the Wild. He won a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actor for his role as Chris McCandless. His career has been on a steady decline since 2008, unfortunately.
Eric Bana
If you've seen 2004's Troy, you'll probably remember Eric Bana. He also had a starring role in the Australian comedy series, Full Frontal, Black Hawk Down, and Star Trek. Despite his good looks and charm, critics just didn't love the films he was cast in.
Fairuza Balk
You might remember Fairuza Balk from her role as Dorothy in Disney's Return to Oz. After that, she earned several minor roles, such as Hubble in The Worst Witch. she even won an Independent Spirit Award for the film Food Lodging.
Garrett Hedlund
Garrett Hedlund had big dreams at 18, so he moved to LA to pursue acting. He had a role in Troy alongside Brad Pitt and Eric Bana as Patroclus. Hedlund actually turned down roles in The Hunger Games and Fifty Shades of Grey. He's now dating actress Emma Roberts, and the couple is expecting a baby.
Jai Courtney
Australian actor Jai Courtney got his first role in the 2005 short film, Boys Grammar. His big breakout role was in Divergent, where he played the Dauntless leader Eric. Despite being featured in high profile films like Suicide Squad and Jack Reacher, his roles have been too minor to notice.
Gemma Arterton
Bond Girl Gemma Arterton played roles in Strawberry Fields and Quantum of Solace. She also earned parts in several blockbuster action films like Clash of the Titans. However, she hasn't quite been able to land a lead role yet.
Ione Skye
Best known for Say Anything, a Cameron Crowe drama alongside John Cusack, Ione Skye made a name for herself in the late '90s and early 2000s. However, Skye just couldn't live up to that legendary performance in Say Anything and has since given up acting to pursue painting and writing.
Jami Gertz
You can see Jami Gertz appear in single episodes of shows like Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. Her Hollywood breakout was with the film Endless Love, alongside Brooke Shields. She remains an '80s and '90s icon, never landing anything prominent after that.
Julia Ormond
Julia Ormond got her start in the 1989 British movie, Traffik, about an underground heroin trade. She also won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her role in 2010's Temple Grandin. Her biggest role was in the movie Sabrina, where she played the lead, but after that, she could never maintain her leading lady image.
Kate Bosworth
Kate Bosworth had a series of small roles in films like The Horse Whisperer and Remember the Titans, but her breakout role was in Blue Crush. The surfer movie gained $40 million in box office sales and led her to take several other roles. However, she's never managed to claim a lead role of her own since.
Kellan Lutz
Kellan Lutz is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in The Twilight Saga. After leaving the series, he played Tarzan, Poseidon, and Hercules. That's a pretty packed roster. Unfortunately, all of his films are pretty B-level.
Saoirse Ronan
Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan has landed roles in The Lovely Bones, Atonement, and most recently, Little Women. Despite several high-profile roles, she's just one of those actresses who still has yet to break into "household name" territory.
Sean Young
Sean Young played the lead alongside Harrison Ford in the film Blade Runner. Her career seemed to be on a steady incline after that with No Way Out, Dune, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective through the 1990s. However, her undoing was when she oddly propositioned Tim Burton into giving her the role of Catwoman in Batman Returns, which he didn't do.
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff got his start on various 1980s television sitcoms like Diff'rent Strokes, Roseanne, and Married...With Children. His breakout film role was in The Gate, a horror film about an undiscovered gateway to Hell. He's tried to make a comeback in the industry since then, but he's just managed to land a couple of small HBO roles.
Estella Warren
Canadian actress Estella Warren was actually a skilled synchronized swimmer before she came to Hollywood. She also had a successful modeling career, working for Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret. Her short-lived acting career included roles in Planet of the Apes and Beauty and the Beast.
Anne Heche
Anne Heche was a prominent household name thanks to her time on the soap opera, Another World. She also had roles in the films Donnie Brasco, Volcano, Six Days, Seven Night, and Return to Paradise. However, her career suffered after she dated Ellen DeGeneres, which at the time was a major scandal.
Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino's first major role was in the 1985 film Vision Quest. She then rose to prominence when she starred in the action movie Gotcha! Despite having several major breaks in the '80s and '90s, she was never able to keep the momentum going through the rest of her career.
Thora Birch
Thora Birch's most famous role is by far the little sister in the Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus. She won a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age" for her role in Purple People Eater in 1988. However, when she starred alongside Scarlett Johansson in Ghost World, Hollywood took a liking to her more.
Danny Masterson
Best known for his role as Hyde on That '70s Show, Danny Masterson has had a tumultuous time in Hollywood. He took roles in films like Yes Man and The Bridge to Nowhere and has guest-appeared on Punk'd. However, he's currently in the process of fighting a sexual assault case in court.
Edward Furlong
Edward Furlong played John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement, and he won a Saturn and MTV Movie Award for the role. However, despite having such a promising start to his career, he fell victim to alcoholism and substance abuse in his late teens and early twenties.
Erika Christensen
Erika Christensen is probably best known currently for her role as Julia Braverman on NBC's Parenthood. Her breakout role was in the film Traffic, and she won an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance. She's only had smaller TV roles since Parenthood and currently stars in Ten Days in the Valley with Kyra Sedgwick.
Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen is best known for his role as Anakin Skywalker in several of the early Star Wars films. He won a Best Actor and the Cannes Film Festival Revelation Award for the role. Despite the high profile saga, his chemistry with Natalie Portman's character was deemed "awkward" and kept him from getting other big jobs.
Joey Lauren Adams
In 1997, Joey Lauren Adams made her debut in the film Exorcist: II. That role then led her to her big break, Dazed and Confused. She also inspired the film, Chasing Amy, because she was in a relationship with the director, but that film would end up being her last notable role.
Josh Lucas
A teenage Josh Lucas moved to Hollywood when he was nineteen to pursue acting. He won guest-starring roles on shows like True Colors and Parker Lewis Can't Lose. For the most part, he's known for playing co-starring characters in films like Reese Witherspoon's Sweet Home Alabama.
Kerri Green
Kerri Green played Andy Carmichael in the 1985 hit The Goonies, and is probably best known for that character. She also played the subject of a love triangle between Corey Haim and Charlie Sheen in Lucas. Her career was sadly meant to stay in the '80s, because none of her other roles were very impactful.
Mike Vogel
Mike Vogel was a Levi's model before he ever worked in Hollywood. During a campaign, he caught the eye of talent scouts and was cast in the TV series Grounded for Life. He played smaller roles in a couple lowkey horror movies, but he never landed any box office hits.
Nick Stahl
Nick Stahl has landed roles alongside some Hollywood giants like Mel Gibson and Arnold Schwarzenneger, but his career in acting didn't last long. He was arrested for possession of methamphetamine in 2013, and in a 2017 interview he stated he was focusing on putting his life back together.
Topher Grace
Best known for his role on That '70s Show as Eric Foreman, Topher Grace has led a pretty lowkey career. Though he did have some Hollywood roles in Venom, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, Valentine's Day, The Big Wedding, and Take Me Home Tonight, he couldn't find his big break. Much of the That '70s Show cast found themselves in the same boat.
Bridget Fonda
Bridget Fonda scored roles in The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Point of No Return, and It Could Happen to You. She made a name for herself after she won a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the film Scandal. Sadly, she retired from acting and only attends premieres if her husband, Danny Elfman, does.
Ilan Mitchell-Smith
Ilan Mitchell-Smith is a classically trained ballet dancer and even accepted a scholarship to perform at the School of American Ballet. Later, he landed a role on Weird Science, a teen movie by John Hughes. Today, he's a professor at California State University, Long Beach.
Michael Schoeffling
Schoeffling is best known for his role as Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles opposite Molly Ringwald. To fans, he was the perfect actor to play the heartthrob. He apparently thought Hollywood wasn't all that, and retired from acting, became a carpenter, and now lives a quiet life.
Rick Moranis
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids star Rick Moranis had a pretty successful career through the 1980s and '90s, with features also in Spaceballs, Ghostbusters, and Little Shop of Horrors. Unfortunately, his wife died in 1997 and he's taken a sabbatical from acting since.
Shelley Duvall
Shelley Duvall's acting career has been defined by its eccentricity. She is most famous for her role in The Shining with Jack Nicholson. She even won a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her role in 3 Women. Recently, she appeared on Dr. Phil to candidly discuss her battles with mental illness.
Helen Slater
Helen Slater started her career in 1982 in ABC's Amy and the Angel. She also played Selena in the film Supergirl alongside Mia Farrow and Peter O'Toole. The movie didn't do well in the box offices, so neither did her career.
Shiloh Fernandez
Shiloh Fernandez is one of those guys who looks like every other guy, which makes him perfect for Hollywood. He's had roles in Euphoria, White Bird in a Blizzard, Red Riding Hood, and Skateland. Unfortunately, he's never broken into lead role territory.