10 Actors Who Profited From Films That Ruined Careers

9. Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Brick

For a time it looked as if Joseph Gordon-Levitt was destined to fall into the same abyss of obscurity as many of his fellow child actors - after a series of films including A River Runs Through It and 10 Things I Hate About You he decided to take a break from acting to focus on his education. His return to the silver screen in 2005 with Rian Johnson's play on the film noir genre, Brick, demonstrated Gordon-Levitt's acting chops and reignited a career which has been running smoothly ever since. From small but successful independent movies through to blockbusters such as The Dark Knight Rises, Gordon-Levitt's career has been constantly on the up, and with a new film directed by Robert Zemekis slated for later this year things can only get better. While Brick's director has gone on to do reasonably well since Brick (with Looper perhaps being the high point, if you exclude his efforts for Breaking Bad), Gordon-Levitt's co-stars have disappeared completely from the limelight. Only Lucas Haas has sustained something resembling a Hollywood career, taking on bit parts in movies like Inception, Lincoln and Transcendence.