We can have our good values and we can have our dignity, but sometimes we just need a paycheck.
This is most true in Hollywood, where even the most respected actors and filmmakers work on a project for the sole purpose of banking a few million bucks.
Some actors, however, seem perfectly content taking money for less-than-passable projects. Some are stuck trying to repeat iconic past performances, while others appear to be sleepwalking through every endeavor.
This list is particularly painful, because I love a lot of these performers. But these people are slumming it, and we all should expect more.
Nicolas Cage
Yes, he’s become a bit of a joke with his recent string of over-the-top performances in terrible movies. At least give the guy credit for repeatedly shattering his own high score for onscreen insanity.
Yet, in between the Ghost Riders and Wicker Men, Cage occasionally reminds us of his Academy Award-winning chops, most notably a nuanced supporting turn in “Kick-Ass.” He also made “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call- New Orleans,” where he actually builds a character arc around his hooting and hollering.
The guy has well-documented money troubles, so we’re probably in for another “National Treasure” and maybe “Drive Angrier.”
Rachel McAdams
I don’t want to hear how wonderful she was in “The Vow.” I don’t care. McAdams is good in everything, making her career choices all the more frustrating. Aside from a thankless bit part in the recent “Sherlock Holmes” movies, McAdams has been stuck reliving her “Notebook” success with hollow romance-minded movies like “Morning Glory,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “The Vow.” And even though she appears in the Best Picture-nominated “Midnight in Paris,” she plays the most unlikable and underwritten character in the movie.
Bottom line: She deserves better. She’s a great actress with a middling filmography. Perhaps the industry should be blamed for not making enough quality, female-centric films.
Samuel L. Jackson
This one really hurts, as Sammy J. is this writer’s absolute favorite actor. But after cringing through last year’s straight-to-video thriller “Arena,” even I can’t defend his recent slate of choices.
The problem is Jackson appears in about four movies per year, a rate much higher than your average A or B-lister. For every “Arena,” he usually makes something of value, like last year’s excellent (and largely forgotten) HBO film, “The Sunset Limited.”
Jackson has a better slate ahead of him in 2012. In addition to a larger role in Marvel’s “The Avengers,” he reteams with Quentin Tarantino on “Django Unchained.”
Nathan Fillion
Consider this an unfair inclusion since Fillion isn’t a household name for many people. After the brilliant but short lived sci-fi/Western “Firefly” ended, Fillion seemed poised for a huge breakout, even while maintaining his cult cred with projects like “Slither” and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.”
Then he got stuck on an average police procedural called “Castle.” It’s the jokey murder mystery show that follows “Dancing with the Stars” on Monday nights. He deserves a better TV show, or better yet, another shot in movies.
Denzel Washington
Arguably the most bankable box office star working today, his movies attract a wide spectrum of moviegoers. Yet the guy seems to play a variation on two types of characters: The ultra-cool cop/good guy or the mysteriously dangerous/cool bad guy. His latest, “Safe House,” tries to squeeze both types into the same movie.
I love watching Washington on screen, but maybe next year he can play a stoic baker or something.
(Insert Actress Here) who won an Oscar in the early 2000s
Surely Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep can’t be getting ALL the great parts.