7 iconic movies and shows that saved actors’ careers

Winona Ryder ruled the 90s with critically acclaimed roles in Edward Scissorhands (1990), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Little Women (1994), and Girl, Interrupted (1999). 

After she was convicted of grand theft and shoplifting, and sentenced to three years probation, as well as community service, the actress took a break from acting and moved to San Francisco, telling Esquire that she'd "checked out" after the incident. 

"There was a period when I was not in season," she told the publication. "It was like 10, 12, 15 years, and it did coincide with everything that happened [in her life] but also, if you look at the period from 2000 to 2010: wow! It was the most degrading time to be a woman. Even the cool people were participating in what felt like it should be off-limits."

Winona noted that her decision to leave Hollywood was a positive one, giving her the time she "needed" to regroup. Her momentous return came in 2016 after she was cast as Joyce Byers in the Netflix TV series, Stranger Things. 

An overnight sensation, the show broke viewing records for the streamer and bagged countless awards. Fans were delighted to see Winona back in her element, and with the actress more in demand than ever, she's continued to star in all five seasons. As of 2024, Winona has also reprised her role as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. 

Marlon Brando is revered as a Hollywood legend, with his performance as mafia boss Vito Corleone regarded as one of the most iconic in cinema history. But as it turns out, he wasn't the studio's first choice for The Godfather (1972), owing to his reputation as a difficult and toxic actor.

By the early 70s, Marlon was also considered "unbankable" after several of his films had bombed at the box office. 

None of this mattered to Francis Ford Coppola, however, who was adamant that Marlon was the right man for the job. After arranging for the A-lister to take a screen test, he showed the footage to studio execs who were undeniably impressed. 

Following Marlon's performance, he won his second Best Actor Oscar. He subsequently starred in further hits, including Last Tango in Paris (1972), Apocalypse Now (1979) and A Dry White Season (1989). 

Ke Huy Quan is recognised for portraying Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Data in The Goonies (1985). After kicking off his career as a child star, however, he decided to take a 20-year hiatus from acting, working as a stunt choreographer and assistant director. 

After realising that he missed the profession, the 53-year-old auditioned for Everything Everywhere All at Once, which went on to receive 11 Academy Award nominations. As he headed on stage to accept his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Quan thanked his wife, Echo for her ongoing support. 

"Month after month, year after year for 20 years told me one day my time will come," he said. "Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there – please keep your dreams alive."

Beloved for his roles in blockbusters like George of the Jungle (1997), The Mummy (1999), and Bedazzled (2000), Brendan Fraser was at the height of his career in the '90s and early 2000s, before stepping out of the spotlight. 

Speaking to GQ in 2018, Brendan explained that he had left Hollywood, both willingly and unwillingly for a plethora of reasons, including accusations of a horrifying sexual assault by the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk. 

"I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry… I became depressed… It made me feel reclusive," he told the publication. 

While Brendan never fully retired from acting, it was in 2021 that his career resurgence – aka 'The Brenaissance' – began. Announced as the lead in Darren Aronofsky's film, The Whale, Brendan's standout performance bagged him an Oscar for Best Actor the following year.

After becoming the talk of Tinseltown, Brendan was cast in Martin Scorsese's historic epic, Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), and he's recently signed on to Pressure, an upcoming war film starring Andrew Scott. 

During the late 1970s, John Travolta secured some of his most iconic roles to date. In 1977, he was celebrated for his performance as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever – a role which would bag him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. And by 1978, John had charmed audiences as Danny Zuko in Grease.

While roles come in thick and fast, the actor was hit by a string of box office flops in the '80s, but it was his gritty and at times comedic performance in Quentin Tarantino's cult classic, Pulp Fiction (1991) that led to his comeback. 

Bringing in further film offers, John rounded out the 1990s with roles in Get Shorty (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), Face/Off (1997) and The General's Daughter (1999).

Keanu Reeves made a name for himself in hit action movies, including Speed (1994) and The Matrix franchise, but in the noughties, he encountered something of a lull. A Scanner Darkly (2006), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) and 47 Ronin (2013) were all negatively received by cinemagoers and critics. 

Thankfully, Keanu found renewed success in John Wick, which debuted in 2014. An instant phenomenon, the film grossed $86 million worldwide, leading to three further films, a prequel television series and a spin-off series. 

"In Bruges – personally, creatively, and all that jazz – was a big turning point for me," Colin Farrell admitted. The film, which was released in 2008, gave fans and critics a glimpse of the actor's versatility on-screen. 

In the early 2000s, Colin was regarded as something of a heartthrob, but after In Bruges landed him a Golden Globe for Best Actor, he became far more established, landing meatier roles in Seven Psychopaths (2012), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). 

He is currently making waves in HBO's hit crime series, The Penguin.