10 Most Wildly Inconsistent Actors In Movie History

8. John Travolta

John Travolta hasn't quite veered into bad actor territory yet - people have too many fond memories of the guy in movies like Grease and Pulp Fiction for that, and was wonderful in movies such as Blow Out and Saturday Night Fever. Fact is, though, Travolta has made tons and tons of bad movies - not just movies where the script sucked or the direction wasn't up to scratch, but roles where Travolta himself seems to be suspended in some sort of restricted acting tank. You never know what you're gonna get with this guy. Travolta is clearly an actor who can only work up a screen presence if he's paired with the right material - that's why he thrived in Pulp Fiction. Tarantino penned the role especially for the actor, and even helped to bring his career back into the limelight. But pluck any recent movie out of Travolta's filmography and you'll find yourself staring into a few admirable performances (Ladder 49, Hairspray) and some real duds where the man seems to have tapped into singular emotions only (The Taking of Pelham 123). These days, casting Travolta in anything is akin to playing a game of Russian roulette.
Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.