9 Actors Whose Big Break Movies Almost Ruined Their Careers

8. Hayden Christensen - Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones

Having achieved critical acclaim with Life As A House, Hayden Christensen was handed the chance of a lifetime when George Lucas picked him out of 1500 candidates to replace Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker. It should have been his golden ticket, but it ended up being a poisoned chalice.

The same aloofness that Lucas had seen as perfect to show Anakin's link to the dark side was deemed a mark of poor acting and the lack of chemistry between Christensen and Natalie Portman was ruinous. Sure, the films made money, but he is widely considered one of the worst elements in the trilogy.

As if the reception to his appearances in the Prequel trilogy wasn't bad enough, Lucas then decided to digitally add him to the 2004 re-release of Return Of The Jedi, just to piss fans off even more.

Did He Survive It?

Not really. He's still working, but only the disastrous Jumper from 2008 is particularly memorable, but at least he hasn't had to give up acting entirely, despite a five year hiatus. He sounds determined to work his way back too, as he told the LA Times:

"Star Wars… provided all these opportunities and gave me a career, but it all kind of felt a little too handed to me... If I can come back… and claw my way back in, then maybe I'll feel like I earned it."