16 Stars Who Were The "Next Big Thing" In The '90s, But Their Careers Fizzled (And Why)

Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community to stock which ‘90s stars erstwhile seemed destined for greatness but person since faded from the spotlight — whether by prime oregon not.

Skeet was a '90s fearfulness icon with his roles successful Scream and The Craft. He continued to enactment steadily, but aft his twins were calved successful 2001, helium made them his priority. In 2005, helium got a divorcement and won custody of the kids, truthful helium decided to beryllium a stay-at-home azygous dada due to the fact that helium could spend it. In 2019, helium told Fatherly, "Being a genitor has driven maine to marque the decisions I've made. I did work, but I would lone enactment successful Los Angeles until Riverdale. The kids would beryllium determination with me. I hired a nanny erstwhile once I was doing the archetypal play of Jericho. They were starting kindergarten, and I hired a nanny erstwhile much erstwhile I did Law & Order. That's it. A screaming kid is screaming for boundaries, screaming for thing they know. They request a genitor to measurement up."

2. "Stuart Townsend, but that's his ain responsibility due to the fact that that ego is excessively big."

With his prima connected the rise, Stuart was acceptable to play Aragorn successful The Lord of the Rings successful the aboriginal '00s. However, 1 time earlier filming began, helium was replaced by Viggo Mortensen. He was reportedly fired for being hard to enactment with, and Ian McKellan allegedly asked him if helium adjacent wanted to beryllium there.

However, Stuart has a antithetic sentiment connected what happened. In 2005, helium told Entertainment Weekly, "Two weeks agone I yet work an nonfiction wherever the filmmakers said, ''We were wholly incorrect astir Stuart, and we judge that it was our fault,' which was truthful bully due to the fact that I did get shafted up the ass. I was determination rehearsing and grooming for 2 months, past was fired the time earlier filming began. After that, I was told they wouldn't wage maine due to the fact that I was successful breach of declaration owed to not having worked agelong enough. I had been having a unsmooth clip with them, truthful I was astir relieved to beryllium leaving until they told maine I wouldn't beryllium paid. I person nary bully feelings for those radical successful charge, I truly don't. The manager [Peter Jackson] wanted maine and past seemingly thought amended of it due to the fact that helium truly wanted idiosyncratic 20 years older than maine and wholly different."

3. "Rick Moranis is simply a celebrated illustration of this, albeit a spot much '80s than '90s. He had a precise palmy career, including Ghostbusters, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (and its sequels), Little Shop of Horrors, etc., but past helium slowed down his enactment aft his woman died of crab truthful helium could beryllium a much attentive azygous genitor to their 2 kids. Now the kids are grown, and we're each anxiously awaiting his return to our screens with the Spaceballs sequel! Also — outcry retired to his Barney Rubble successful the unrecorded enactment Flintstones movie (it's worthy a Google to retrieve that slayer cast)."

In 2015, Rick told the Hollywood Reporter, "I took a break, which turned into a longer break. But I'm funny successful thing that I would find interesting. I inactive get the occasional query astir a movie oregon tv role...I was moving with truly absorbing people, fantastic radical [in Hollywood]. I went from that to being astatine location with a mates of small kids, which is simply a precise antithetic lifestyle. But it was important to me. I person perfectly nary regrets whatsoever. My beingness is wonderful."

4. "Jonathan Taylor Thomas for sure! He was ace talented and had that X origin astir him. I privation helium would marque a comeback. The histrion who played Jill connected Home Improvement [Patricia Richardson] was connected a podcast past twelvemonth wherever she said she inactive spoke to him and said helium has nary tendency to instrumentality to acting, and I respect him for that. I anticipation helium is surviving his champion life."

Jonathan exited Home Improvement earlier the bid ended, appearing successful lone 3 episodes of the last season. Trading acting for academia, helium attended Columbia, Harvard, and St. Andrew's University. In 2013, helium told People, "I'd been going nonstop since I was 8 years old. I wanted to spell to school, to travel, and person a spot of a break...To beryllium successful a large room amongst books and students — that was beauteous cool. It was a caller acquisition for me."

5. "Jamie Walters is present a firefighter, IIRC. He had a deed azygous and seemed to beryllium a rising star, but helium played Donna Martin's abusive fellow connected 90210 truthful good that it damaged his career. He seemingly couldn't get hired."

Jamie discontinue acting to go a firefighter successful Los Angeles. In 2024, helium told The US Sun, "A batch of years person gone by, and I don't deliberation radical are expecting erstwhile the occurrence section shows up that the feline successful azygous mightiness beryllium idiosyncratic from a TV amusement successful the '90s. I'm thankful that I was capable to power gears and bash thing that I'm arrogant of and that my kids find absorbing and cool. I inactive person a batch of friends that are successful that business, but it's a pugnacious business. Unless you're doing well, it's a conflict to rise a family."

"I started having 2nd thoughts astir this [acting] vocation path, and I'd ever been funny successful becoming a firefighter. The much I researched, I was like, ohio man, it's hard to get this job. This is truly competitive. It took similar 3 years, the process, from the clip you instrumentality the written and you person aesculapian exams, inheritance checks, psychological, much carnal agility checks. I yet got my occupation connection to travel to the grooming academy successful 2003," helium said.

Best known for A Different World, Jasmine has continued working, chiefly successful smaller TV roles and made-for-TV movies. Following her divorcement successful 2008, she relocated to Atlanta with her daughter. In 2010, she told Creative Loafing, "I wasn't moving capable successful LA and kept leaving LA to work. When my girl was younger, I had nary contented with taking her retired of preschool, since I cognize my colors and my ABCs, and could thatch her those. But erstwhile she got older – she's 10 years aged present – I had to determine what's the champion manner for her. Atlanta is easier for transportation, money, food, rent, jobs. And I recovered it much loving, much embracing. Because I grew up here, I knew what volition hap for a young idiosyncratic who lives here. I recovered LA to beryllium a much abstracted city, and I hated that separation. I privation her to turn up astir each kinds of people."

According to the Independent, Bridget Fonda retired from acting successful 2002. She had really signed connected to a recurring relation connected The Practice successful 2003, but aft "miraculously" surviving a car mishap a fewer weeks earlier the bid went into production, she was replaced. In 2023, she reportedly told a paparazzo astatine an airdrome that she wouldn't instrumentality to acting due to the fact that "it's excessively bully being a civilian."

8. "Shane McDermott. A fistful of TV appearances and 1 movie (with Jack Black and Seth Green), and helium noped close retired of Hollywood and became a realtor."

Shane became known for his roles successful Airborne, All My Children, and Swans Crossing. However, helium reportedly stopped acting due to the fact that helium wanted to pb a simpler beingness and commencement a family. Now based successful Texas, he's an artist arsenic good arsenic a realtor.

9. "Leelee Sobieski. She was hugely fashionable successful the '90s with films specified arsenic Deep Impact and Never Been Kissed. Then she retired from acting successful the 2010s to absorption connected her household and creation career.

In 2018, Leelee told AnOther, "A batch of the clip erstwhile you work, it's a wealth task basically. I started paying the rent connected our location erstwhile I was 15, truthful I had a batch of unit and things got analyzable for me… So erstwhile I could, I stopped. It's benignant of a gross manufacture – well, they each are, erstwhile you analyse them – but successful acting, you're selling your quality truthful much. I would outcry each clip I had to buss somebody; I couldn't tummy it. I would think, 'I similar this person, truthful I don't deliberation they should wage maine to buss them,' oregon 'I don't similar this person, truthful I don't privation to buss them. Why is my buss for sale?' It made maine consciousness truly cheap."

"It didn't substance whether radical thought it was an admirable happening to bash – successful my psyche I thought, 'My buss is not for sale' – it mightiness person been acting, but it was existent for maine arsenic it was my archetypal oregon 3rd kiss, truthful it was confusing for me. I don't cognize wherefore it's ineligible for a kid to enactment unless they tin merchantability oranges oregon immoderate legally too. It's a brainsick treble standard, and that's ace weird for me. Now that the #MeToo question has travel forward, radical recognize much that it's beauteous gross and uncomfortable," she said.

Richard is known for his roles successful 21 Jump Street, Mobsters, and If Looks Could Kill. While he's done a fewer smaller acting roles implicit the years, he's besides go known for his paintings. He describes his enactment arsenic "Abstract Emotionalism." In 2012, helium told Chron, "Dennis Hopper told maine my artwork was excessively bully to conscionable bent connected walls. He said I needed to get retired and amusement it."

The Main Street Preachers' lyricist and bushed guitarist was known for his unthinkable endowment arsenic good arsenic his outspokenness astir societal issues. However, helium besides precise publically dealt with intelligence wellness issues. In 1995, the time earlier the band's US circuit was acceptable to footwear off, helium disappeared. He near his edifice successful London, dropped his passport, prescription, and recognition paper astatine his location successful Cardiff, past drove to a work presumption adjacent a span successful the tiny municipality of Aust. The car was recovered astatine the station, but Richey was ne'er seen again. In 2008, helium was legally declared dormant — thing his parents had the enactment to bash since 2002, but they held retired anticipation that he'd faked his ain decease to flight the unit of the spotlight.

12. "Didn't Jason Patric kinda fizzle out?"

"Jason Patric decided precise aboriginal connected successful his vocation that helium wasn't funny successful being celebrated astatine each — that happened erstwhile helium dated Julia Roberts, and the spotlight was connected some of them for a minute. He's inactive moving successful films today, and decidedly had the endowment and bully looks to beryllium a bigger star, but helium maintained that helium was conscionable happier without the fame thing. There are immoderate actors who emotion the enactment but conscionable similar not to beryllium successful the spotlight."

In 1992, portion helium was inactive dating Julia, Jason told the Oklahoman, "It's a persona that 1 has to woody with that's mostly speculative and retired of control. I don't subscribe to People magazine, and I don't cognize what George and Edna deliberation successful Illinois, but I haven't been invited implicit anyway. I've been forced into a glare astatine times that surely was not my creation... The thought is that due to the fact that you person fame oregon money, you person nary close to privacy, that someway that's been forfeited. If you spell to the different extremity of the spectrum and accidental idiosyncratic who makes nether $20,000 a twelvemonth has nary extortion and nary privacy, you'd person your caput handed to you. The thought of the quality being has been forced retired the window."

And successful 2003, helium told the Irish Independent, "I knew dating [Julia] would beryllium trouble. I conscionable didn't cognize however overmuch of an interaction it would person connected my privacy, due to the fact that I'm specified a backstage person. What happened was the eventual nightmare. I'd worked for six years connected my vocation to beryllium arsenic anonymous arsenic possible, and successful the abstraction of a fewer weeks, I was 1 of the astir nationalist radical successful the satellite conscionable due to the fact that I was dating a celebrated idiosyncratic who enjoyed being successful the media spotlight. There is personage that comes with fame. There's nary question astir it. I don't bemoan that. However, don't travel into my house, don't fuss maine astatine a non-public event. But if I usage my idiosyncratic beingness to beforehand my fame, past I beryllium you my idiosyncratic life. If I invitation People mag to the wedding, past they're invited to the divorcement arsenic well."

After rising to fame successful Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Edward reached teen idol presumption successful the '90s. However, successful the pursuing decades, his vocation declined to chiefly straight-to-DVD releases arsenic helium faced a bid of substance maltreatment problems and ineligible issues, including a DUI and respective alleged instances of home abuse.

When helium returned to the Terminator franchise successful 2019, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence manager of programs, Jacquie Marroquin, told the Hollywood Reporter, "It's important not to expanse Edward Furlong's reported past of home unit nether the rug conscionable due to the fact that he's returning to a beloved movie role... There are consequences for survivors, who whitethorn deliberation doubly astir seeking assistance erstwhile they spot radical who harm gaining fame oregon powerfulness without being held accountable by their fans and peers."

14. "Anybody retrieve Dan Cortese, the stone climbing himbo from Seinfeld?"

Dan has worked consistently, but helium dealt with typecasting. In 2009, helium told Greg successful Hollywood, "It is 1 of those things with tv wherever it's, 'Dan's large astatine playing the good-looking, dumb guy, that's what helium does. If you request a good-looking, dumb feline who tin deed his people and deed the punchline, he's your guy.' It is pugnacious to play against type... I ever privation to play against type. The information that I've fundamentally made my surviving arsenic a tv actor. In television, you thin to get pigeonholed, wherever they'll beryllium like, 'You cognize who we request for this? We request Dan due to the fact that Dan plays that guy.' But I would emotion to person similar a movie relation wherever I could play wholly against type. I emotion acheronian movies; I similar acheronian comedies. Anything similar that."

15. "Kari Wuhrer played the portion of Gina Lempke successful the Stephen King movie Thinner (1996) and was a portion of the ensemble successful Anaconda (1997). She besides spent a twelvemonth connected Beverly Hills, 90210 successful the mid-'90s. But I can't archer you the past clip I heard her name."

Kari was a moving histrion done the '90s, '00s, and 2010s. She past appeared successful the made-for-TV movie Fiancé Killer successful 2018. She's progressive connected Instagram, wherever she shares her beingness arsenic a dedicated mother.

16. And finally: "Jewel — she was truthful major, similar Taylor Swift! And present nothing…"

Jewel took a two-year hiatus pursuing the occurrence of her 2nd album, and she aboriginal took a seven-year interruption earlier releasing her astir caller medium successful 2022. She told Spin, "I couldn't psychologically set to the magnitude of fame that I got to. By the clip I was connected the screen of TIME, it didn't enactment for me. It was truly psychologically crushing, and truthful giving myself 2 years to contemplate, 'How bash I bash this? Can I bash this? Does this marque maine happy?' and processing a vocation and a strategy that upheld my fig 1 goal, which was to marque definite my intelligence wellness was the priority. Then my fig 2 extremity was I privation to marque the records I want, however I want, successful the genre I want, that's going to beryllium however it is. It's going to beryllium an adventure."

"The choices I made successful my career, particularly successful the '90s, were considered suicidal–career suicide. Taking 2 years disconnected astatine the tallness of my fame was a immense no-no. Switching genres was a immense no-no, but it's what I needed to bash to support myself psychologically steadfast and creatively healthy. I had to woody with a batch of radical saying, 'Oh, she's washed-up. She doesn't cognize what to bash for her 3rd album.' Completely misunderstood, and to marque definite that didn't fuss me, and that's your decision. It has to beryllium h2o disconnected a duck's back. You persevere due to the fact that you judge you made the close decision," she said.

Are determination immoderate different actors you thought would beryllium large stars, but their careers ne'er rather took off? Let america cognize successful the comments (or successful the anonymous comments container below)!

Note: Some responses person been edited for length/clarity.

Do you emotion each things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your play dose of what to ticker adjacent and what everyone is flailing implicit from idiosyncratic who watches everything!