9 Actors Whose Big Break Movies Almost Ruined Their Careers

7. Helen Slater - Supergirl

Though the Superman movies began losing their way the minute Richard Donner left the franchise, Warner Bros still saw value in the brand to the extent that they wanted to expand it. That meant bringing in Supergirl for her own movie, which surely couldn't fail.

But fail it did and the cost was seemingly greatest to newcomer Helen Slater, for whom it was a big screen debut. Somewhat ironically, Slater was good as Kara Zor-El, but the rest of the movie was an embarrassment with a misguided tone, terrible story and hammy performances. Slater was never blamed, but her career never surpassed that "high-point."

The film was so bad, it prompted DC to kill off Supergirl in the comics two years after its release.

Did She Survive It?

Sadly, she's done very little of note since Supergirl, other than appearing in knowing reference roles in Smallville and CW's Supergirl.