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Steep downside of Oscar
March 8, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
HERE'S a question for Sean Penn, Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz: does receiving an Oscar impair your judgment?
Apparently not, because numerous Oscar winners have followed their wins with other deserving films, often winning another Oscar or even two - or another three, if you're Katharine Hepburn or John Ford.
Nonetheless, in recent years a surprising number of Oscar winners have turned their big victories into ... not much.
Here are five Oscar winners who probably wish they could hit the rewind button on subsequent choices. Some cashed in, and quickly lost artistic credibility in exchange for a few big paychecks.
Others took the risks that critics say actors should take - and flopped off the high board.
In these cases, their big Oscar night looks like a career high point. This year's winners can afford to bear that in mind.
Halle Berry
Oscar: Best Actress for "Monster's Ball" (2001)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "Gothika" (2003) and "Catwoman" (2004)
What went wrong: three years after collecting her Oscar, Berry won another award: a Razzie as Worst Actress of the Year for "Catwoman." Things haven't improved much since.
Jamie Foxx
Oscar: Best Actor for "Ray" (2004)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "Stealth" (2005) and "Miami Vice" (2006)
What went wrong: it's never a good thing when a robot plane not only kills you but also upstages you, which is what happened to Foxx in "Stealth." He still has some clout left from his performance as Ray Charles, and was excellent in "Dreamgirls" (2006). The upcoming "The Soloist" may get him off this list.
Susan Sarandon
Oscar: Best Actress for "Dead Man Walking" (1995)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "Stepmom" (1998) and "Anywhere But Here" (1999)
What went wrong: Sarandon has been left behind by contemporaries, Annette Bening and Meryl Streep, in finding choice roles.
Kevin Spacey
Oscar: Best Actor for "American Beauty" (1999)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "K-Pax" (2001) and "The Shipping News" (2001)
What went wrong: "K-Pax" says it all, but throw in a terrible Lex Luthor impression in "Superman Returns" (2006) and most things went sour for Spacey, who focuses on theater in London.
Robin Williams
Oscar: Best Supporting Actor for "Good Will Hunting" (1997)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "Patch Adams" (1998) and "Jakob the Liar" (1999)
What went wrong: his Oscar seems to have convinced Williams that sentimental melodrama is what people want from him, with maudlin "Patch Adams" and tasteless drama "Jakob the Liar" prime examples. However, he owns the screen when he plays a psycho.
Apparently not, because numerous Oscar winners have followed their wins with other deserving films, often winning another Oscar or even two - or another three, if you're Katharine Hepburn or John Ford.
Nonetheless, in recent years a surprising number of Oscar winners have turned their big victories into ... not much.
Here are five Oscar winners who probably wish they could hit the rewind button on subsequent choices. Some cashed in, and quickly lost artistic credibility in exchange for a few big paychecks.
Others took the risks that critics say actors should take - and flopped off the high board.
In these cases, their big Oscar night looks like a career high point. This year's winners can afford to bear that in mind.
Halle Berry
Oscar: Best Actress for "Monster's Ball" (2001)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "Gothika" (2003) and "Catwoman" (2004)
What went wrong: three years after collecting her Oscar, Berry won another award: a Razzie as Worst Actress of the Year for "Catwoman." Things haven't improved much since.
Jamie Foxx
Oscar: Best Actor for "Ray" (2004)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "Stealth" (2005) and "Miami Vice" (2006)
What went wrong: it's never a good thing when a robot plane not only kills you but also upstages you, which is what happened to Foxx in "Stealth." He still has some clout left from his performance as Ray Charles, and was excellent in "Dreamgirls" (2006). The upcoming "The Soloist" may get him off this list.
Susan Sarandon
Oscar: Best Actress for "Dead Man Walking" (1995)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "Stepmom" (1998) and "Anywhere But Here" (1999)
What went wrong: Sarandon has been left behind by contemporaries, Annette Bening and Meryl Streep, in finding choice roles.
Kevin Spacey
Oscar: Best Actor for "American Beauty" (1999)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "K-Pax" (2001) and "The Shipping News" (2001)
What went wrong: "K-Pax" says it all, but throw in a terrible Lex Luthor impression in "Superman Returns" (2006) and most things went sour for Spacey, who focuses on theater in London.
Robin Williams
Oscar: Best Supporting Actor for "Good Will Hunting" (1997)
Terrible post-Oscar career choices: "Patch Adams" (1998) and "Jakob the Liar" (1999)
What went wrong: his Oscar seems to have convinced Williams that sentimental melodrama is what people want from him, with maudlin "Patch Adams" and tasteless drama "Jakob the Liar" prime examples. However, he owns the screen when he plays a psycho.
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