Sam Worthington gained world recognition after he was featured in numerous minor roles in Hollywood films, like ‘The Great Raid’. He also auditioned to play the iconic role of James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’, but ultimately lost to fellow British man, Daniel Craig.
Sam Worthington enjoyed a breakout in his Hollywood career after he was cast as the main star in ‘Avatar’, one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. He followed that up with a couple more blockbuster appearances, as the leading man in ‘Clash of the Titans’ and ‘Terminator Salvation’. Surprisingly, Worthington never became a staple name of the big screen.
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning became an established Hollywood star when she was seven years old, after playing the role of Lucy Dawson, in 'I am Sam'. For her performance, the young actress was awarded a SAG award nomination at just 8 years old, making her the youngest nominee in history. She also starred in numerous other films, like 'Uptown Girls', 'Man on Fire', and 'War of the Worlds'.
Dakota Fanning is a true prodigy, who shone at an age when most of us were still sitting in school learning how to read and write. However, transitioning your career towards more mature roles can be quite challenging, as made apparent in her subpar performance as Cherie Currie in The Runaways. The verdict is still out on whether the general audience will continue to portray more mature roles, but her acting in The Alienist wasn’t all that promising.
Chad Michael Murray
In 2003, Chad Michael Murray landed the lead role of Lucas Scott in the hit WB TV series, 'One Tree Hill'. The series was the network’s most popular and highest-rated series in its broadcasting history. For his role in One Tree Hill, Chad Michael Murray managed to collect plenty of accolades and even created a book series.
The American actor also secured a number of notable deals, like an endorsement contract for MasterCard, KMart, Cingular Wireless and the Chevy Cobalt. However, Murray failed to take full advantage of his popularity to elevate his celebrity status. As happens with all teen idols, Chad Michael Murray and his fan-base aged, the young fans lost interest and CMM faded from the spotlight.
Leelee Sobieski
Leelee Sobieski was once considered to be cast as the character Claudia, in the movie 'Interview with the Vampire', but ultimately lost to Kirsten Dunst. Later on, the American actress would be seen in various films, like 'The Reunion', 'A Horse for Danny' and 'Jungle 2 Jungle'.
During her mid-teens, she rose to prominence and was considered as an up and coming superstar following her performances in 'Deep Impact', 'Eyes Wide Shut' and TV’s 'Joan of Arc'. But over the years, she wasn’t able to fly any higher and was even nominated for a Razzie Award! Today, many don't even know who she is.
Brandon Routh
Brandon Routh was determined to be an actor and eventually secured various roles in numerous TV series, like 'Gilmore Girls', at the start of 2000. The American actor made frequent appearances in the NBC series, 'Chuck', and later played supporting roles in the films 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' and 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'.
In 2006, Brandon Routh was cast as “The Man of Steel” in Bryan Singer’s movie, 'Superman Returns'. There were plenty of lofty expectations for the actor after succeeding in the iconic role from the late Christopher Reeve. In the end, the movie turned out to be a bust, and Brandon Routh has now been demoted to a lesser superhero role, in the TV series, 'Legends of Tomorrow'.