10 Actors Who Suffered The Most After Winning An Oscar

Fantine's miserable life was only the start of Anne Hathaway's troubles...

Anne Hathaway
Universal/Aviron

You would think that winning an Oscar would be not only the pinnacle of any actor's career, but also the gateway to even better acting opportunities. Including, presumably, the chance to win more Oscars.

After all, once you get your hands on a little golden man, you join the auspicious club of talents who can be used to actually market movies. Surely audiences would be more drawn to Adam Sandler movies if everything he made was slapped with the "with Oscar Winner Adam Sandler" all over it?

The weird reality, though, is that Oscar success can instead mark the start of a slippery descent into creative madness and runs of poor form that some actors simply never return from. It's called the Oscar Curse for a reason...

10. Renee Zellweger

Bridget Jones The Edge Of Reason Renee Zellweger Hugh Grant
Universal

Renee Zellweger may be about to hit Oscar glory again thanks to her starring role in Judy, but that would only prove that she's a glutton for punishment if the first time she won is anything to go by.

After great turns in the likes of Me, Myself & Irene and Nurse Betty, she rose to glory on the back of her performance in the first Bridget Jones' Diary and drew adulation for Chicaco a year later before winning Best Supporting Actress for Cold Mountain in 2003. Her star was on the up.

But then something failed to click perhaps because she chose to make Shark Tale and the second, awful Bridget Jones movie straight after. And from there, aside for Cinderella Man, mostly, it was slumpsville as she waded through mediocrity and made outright terrible movies like Case 39, New In Town and My Own Love Song before disappearing entirely for 6 years.

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