“The Curse of the Oscars”: actors whose careers plummeted after receiving the award (10 photos)

Well, what actor doesn’t dream of one day receiving an Oscar for his achievements? But the path to this award, of course, can be very long and difficult. Ask DiCaprio about it. And the notorious golden figurine can become a real curse. Although we are not talking about the hard labor path to this award, but about what happens after the victory. The “Oscar Curse” is a sharp and irreversible decline in the career of an actor or actress after receiving the coveted award. It sounds a little superstitious, but the curse really exists. This has been proven by famous and talented people in this selection. So maybe... well, this is your Oscar? Nothing but problems from him!

Will Smith





Awarded for King Richard (2021).

In fact, he canceled himself by giving the legendary slap in the face to Chris Rock at the ceremony where he was awarded that same Oscar. Agree, this is most likely the last you've heard of Will Smith.

Yes, Bad Boys 4 came out in May 2024, but do you know any examples of how fourth installments of less-than-successful franchises have resurrected someone's career?

Adrien Brody



Awarded for “The Pianist” (2002).

The youngest Oscar winner in history for Best Actor (29 years old) has never even come close to winning the prestigious awards since then. And from a purely audience point of view, he can only boast of a vivid performance of the role of Salvador Dali in “Midnight in Paris” (who is in the film for 2 minutes) and several funny supporting characters in Wes Anderson’s films.

Halle Berry





Awarded for "Monster's Ball" (2001).

The career path of the only black actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role clearly does not lie through bright and memorable projects. She immediately washed away her Oscar with “Golden Raspberry” for the terrible “Catwoman”, and after that either the films were lackluster or the roles were insignificant.

The actress is consistently acting, but over the past 20 years, only “Cloud Atlas” and “John Wick 3” can be highlighted.

Roberto Benigni



Awarded for “Life is Beautiful” (1997).

More than 25 years have passed since the release of the famous military tragicomedy, and since then Benigni has only 7 projects. Two of them are the unsuccessful Pinocchio films of 2002 and 2019. Looking forward to another adaptation in the 2030s?

Kim Basinger



Awarded for “L.A. Confidential” (1997).

It’s scary to say, but before the Oscar, the actress’s filmography featured “Batman” and “Never Say Never Again,” and after that, the second and third parts of “Fifty Shades of Gray.”

Jared Leto



Awarded for “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013).

All of the actor’s projects after his success at the Oscars can be designated by the name of the series, the frame from which we chose for this point - “Didn’t Work.”

By the way, in the series we have the opportunity to look at how Jared looks without his usual beard, which takes off his twenty years. Here, the 50-year-old actor is shaved, and while he still looks like someone who might be suspected of vampirism, his age is showing.

Alicia Vikander



Awarded for “The Danish Girl” (2015).

After winning the Oscar, the rather hyped actress of the mid-2010s was noted only for her role as Lara Croft in the repeatedly unsuccessful film adaptation of the video game. The rest are box office failures and films that few have heard of.

Jean Dujardin



Awarded for “The Artist” (2011).

Together with director Michel Hazanavicius, they emerged from the obscurity of not the most popular French comedies, and after the tremendous success of their film at the Oscars, they returned to where they came from. Dujardin, on the wave of success, appeared in The Wolf of Wall Street, but then again continued to play the usual Agent 117.

By the way, the reason for returning to his native French cinema is due to the fact that Jean Dujardin does not speak English very well. That is, it turns out that “The Artist” became a partially autobiographical film for him.

Cuba Gooding Jr.



Awarded for "Jerry Maguire" (1996).

One of Oscar's surprise winners tried and failed to ride on the hype by playing a couple of good roles in war films, and quickly transitioned to being an unheard of action and comedy actor.

Ann Hataway



Awarded for Les Misérables (2012).

Yes, after the Oscar there was also Interstellar, but Anne’s hair there had not yet even grown back after her role in Les Misérables. But when they grew back, that’s it – the actress got bogged down in passable and lackluster projects of the “Didn’t Work” genre that we already know. Yes, she also played in this series, joining Jared Leto. Very ironic!