10 Actors Who Dramatically Rebranded Themselves In The Last Decade

Like it or not, actors have become just as much of a brand as Coca-Cola or McDonald's. And just like those companies, Hollywood thespians need to evolve in order to stay above their competition. 

Whether it be out of necessity or a simple desire to do something different, every actor will, at some time or another, update their image and branch out into uncharted territories. Sometimes that means venturing into genres that audiences aren't used to seeing them in, other times it means completely overhauling their public persona because they've been involved in one too many scandals.

These so-called "rebirths" don't always work out. If they did, Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson would still be in-demand, and Macauley Culkin would be starring in the next Avengers movie. Still, odds are usually in the favor of those who try to, in marketing parlance, "diversify their brand."

Actors who really dedicate themselves to a revival tend to reap the rewards, benefitting from a second - or third, or fourth - act that allows their mugs to stay on movie posters for years to come.

Once upon a time, Bradley Cooper was known as "America's Favorite Jerk," appearing in film after film as the quintessential douchebag. He kicked off his douche-a-thon with adversarial roles in Sex And The City and Wedding Crashers, and seemed primed to continue that trend even as he made the move toward leading man in The Hangover trilogy.

A string of terrible romantic comedies ensued, positioning Cooper as a low-tier Matthew McConaughey clone - beginning, coincidentally, as McConaughey's sidekick in Failure To Launch - and it started to look like Cooper only had two modes: Jerk and Eye Candy.

But the fresh-faced actor slowly spread his wings and showed the world his legit acting chops, hinting at a dangerous side of his personality in Limitless before diving into a string of highly diverse, high-profile roles.

Suddenly, Cooper was a perpetual Oscar contender, making critics go gaga in Silver Linings Playbook, The Place Beyond The Pines, American Hustle, and American Sniper. Not only was he in high demand from director David O. Russell, but audiences couldn't get enough of the guy who, at one time in his career, seemed like a natural successor to other renowned, cinematic jerks like Billy Zabka and Biff from Back To The Future.