After giving it a great deal of thought, we blame The Time Machine for throwing a wrench into the upward trajectory of Guy Pearce's career. He was an up-and-coming star, and then that movie came out, and while he continued to give fantastic performances, the momentum just wasn't there. Which is probably why, over a decade later, he's doing great work that we don't even realise is good. He's always had an ever-so-slightly smarmy vibe to him, which he uses to tremendous effect in films like The King's Speech, where he plays Albert's selfish, bullying older brother David (aka the short-lived King Edward VIII), and Iron Man 3. But honestly, we'd like to see him get back to playing leading roles. His most well-received role critically was 2000's Memento, which proved that he was capable of carrying a film. Having a starring role would help him get out of the shadows a little bit, and remind everyone how good he is.