9 Actors Who Overstayed Their Welcome In Roles

There is something to be said for knowing when to call it a day...

Mystique Jennifer Lawrence
Fox

There's really nothing in cinema quite like seeing a great actor do justice to a great role. As much as story, design, direction and so-forth play an integral role in the creation of a film, the performances have to be there in order for the film to work.

Performances are what either makes or breaks a production: actors can either truly sell the performance and immerse the audience in the world or they can flounder and draw attention to everything else wrong with the film.

A bad performance is one thing, but even worse is a performance that starts out good and ends up becoming garbage. Amidst the current Hollywood landscape, (populated by sequels, reboots, and franchise-starters galore) more and more actors are signing up for multi-picture deals in which they commit to playing a single role for years to come.

While this sort of deal isn't an inherently bad thing, and has been pulled off with wonderous results before, it runs the risk of ending unceremoniously. Far too often, it seems as if actors have not truly considered the stamina or commitment required to properly carry out these roles.

These are the actors who have spoiled us by showing us that they can do great things with the role, and then completely let us down.

9. Vin Diesel - Dom Toretto

Mystique Jennifer Lawrence
Universal

The first entry in the Fast franchise featured a likable, if not wholly original, performance from the Pacifier himself as a no-good street urchin. Diesel was the 'loose cannon' of the film, playing well off of Paul Walker's role as the straight-man and doing a great job of creating a real sense of chemistry between them.

Then, following the first film, something strange happened. Diesel neglected to come back for the sequel, seemingly hanging up what was arguably his best performance-to-date and leaving while he was on top. It was a bold move that earned him a great deal of respect.

But of course, it was too good to last.

The franchise went on to have way too many sequels, with Diesel returning to the fold for the fourth installment and having never looked back ever since. Now eight films deep(!?!), Diesel's performance has lost any and all bite it once had.

As Toretto has gone from a lowlife street racer to an agent for a secret government organization, Diesel's acting has gone from mildly interesting to complete white noise. He's not the loose cannon anymore, seeing as literally every other character in the films, from Tyrese to The Rock, are all filling that role.

If anything, Diesel is now the straight-man of the franchise, a role he is clearly completely uninterested in.

Contributor
Contributor

A film enthusiast and writer, who'll explain to you why Jingle All The Way is a classic any day of the week.