5. Drew Barrymore - Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a My First Mystery Movie. Getting big success from a young adult audience first experiencing it on DVD it gained a reputation for being an incredibly confusing tale that took many viewings to get. In fact a rather basic (and linear) story, the plot has plenty of supernatural padding that makes it an unwieldy beast. After Richard Kellys beyond lacklustre directing career following Darko I think if theres anything to get in Donnie Darko, the director certainly didnt put it there. Understandably for a film of this type, it struggled to get a distributor for a cinema run. Step in Drew Barrymore. The former child actress turned sort of attractive lead saw the films potential and funded a cinema release. This ended up being Flower Films (Barrymores company) only high profile film without Drew involved; its a shame she didnt foster more young talent. Despite the eventual adoration of the film coming from DVD, this was a movie saving decision. While many actors tinker properly behind the scenes, this is most high profile example of one securing release.