Worst big-name actor working

Forgot about that one - great call!!!

Notable for two other reasons - Mariah Carey was named after one of the songs in the film "They Call the Wind Mariah," and Lee Marvin, of all people, took another song called "Wand'rin Star" to No. 1 on the British pop charts.

 

The story I heard about Die Hard was that Harrison Ford had agreed to do it and pulled out at the last minute and was replaced by Willis. I don't doubt that it was offered to a few others before it got to him.

Part of the reason I respect Willis is that the majority of the movies he makes have relatively small budgets ($40 million or so) and he gets his money on the back end.

Of course, he's had enough of these do well enough and Die Hard 4 doing better and being better than anyone imagined and now he's in a few blockbusters again.

 

Sorry to bring this thread back after two weeks, but The Family Man came on Starz this week. I DVR'd it and am watching it now. Some of you will continue to rail on Cage, but he really does a hell of a job in this flick.

 

I read somewhere that Cage went on a huge bender just to prepare for Leaving Las Vegas, to literally immerse himself in the fragmented mind of the character. Give the man some credit, he pulled off a pickled drunk without a hitch. Going to see him in anything else is detainment without probable cause.

 

Leaving Las Vegas gives Cage a lifetime pass from any worst-actor discussion in my book.

 

I agree. One of the most amazing performances ever.

 

I've decided the worst actor working is Mark Wood.

The perverts on this site will agree with me.

 

Nic Cage is a terrific actor. That Oscar happened for a reason. Birdy, Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Guarding Tess.
Maybe the Oscar was the worst thing that could have happened, because after that he started to make crap (Like Con Air) and cash checks.

 

He's also made Adaptation, The Weather Man and Lord of War among others... Three amazing low-budget films. I'm guessing he didn't get $20 million for Matchstick Men either.

 

Great point about Adaptation. He could have gotten another Oscar for that one.
Any poll about "worst actor" that includes Nic Cage is well off the mark.
Being a terrific actor does not make one immune to accepting a role to make a buck.
(And yes, he was godforsaken awful in Peggy Sue Got Married.)

 

I remember watching Bruce Willis on Larry King about 10-11 years ago and King asked him why he made "Last Man Standing"

Willis laughed and said, "They paid me $17 million, the shoot was only six weeks and they shot it a few miles away from where I live."

Actually, what I like about Nic Cage is that it's usually pretty easy to tell which of his movies are going to suck. It's not like DeNiro and Pacino where you go to all of them and never have a clue what's going to be good and what is going to be a piece of shit.

I thought it was pretty easy to tell that Bangkok Dangerous and Knowing were going to suck.

 

Mizzou:

There are these things in newspapers. (And online, of course). They are called reviews.
They can help you identify which movies are going to suck.
No need to thank me.