Sometimes an actor nails a role so well that it completely sidetracks their career. Either this means they cannot live up to the lofty expectations set by their performance, or they’re typecast and continue playing the same part over and over. It might sound counterintuitive, but sometimes a role can be just a little bit too good.

This has happened to plenty of great actors across Hollywood history, as young stars find their defining role much too early and are never able to step outside of the shadow of their earliest success. Other times, actors gain a truly iconic part and just continually relive their glory days in a succession of worsening movie sequels and spin-offs.

While some of these actors maintained highly acclaimed careers, in all of these cases, there’s one role that changed the trajectory of their filmography forever and closed the door on potentially much more interesting opportunities. When all is said and done, it makes you wonder if they would have been better off not playing the part at all.

7

Robert Downey Jr. As Tony Stark

Iron Man (2008)

The career of Robert Downey Jr. has gone through several fluctuations, and the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe saved his career following addiction problems and even a stint in jail. However, the MCU has been both a blessing and a curse to Downey, as his cinematic performance has become inseparable from the role.

Downey managed to briefly break away from the MCU and even earn an Academy Award in 2023 for Oppenheimer, but the fact that he’s due back as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday in 2026 proves how intertwined his legacy is with the superhero genre. While Downey is a talented dramatic actor, he rarely gets the chance to broaden his horizons.

6

Shelley Duvall As Wendy Torrance

The Shining (1980)

Shelley Duvall was one of the most unique and interesting actresses of the 1970s, whose performances in Robert Altman movies showcased her as an alluring and enigmatic star. However, despite outstanding performances in Nashville, Thieves Like Us, and 3 Women, her career ended up being defined by her role in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

Duvall was initially mocked for her performance and was even nominated for a since-revoked Razzie for Worst Actress, and the out-of-touch idea that she gave a bad performance plagued her career. It was only after the damage was done that Duvall’s role as Wendy was reappraised by critics and viewers, and today it’s remembered as a masterclass horror performance.

5

Tatum O’Neal As Addie Loggins

Paper Moon (1973)

At just 10 years old, Tatum O’Neal became the youngest person ever to win a compeтιтive Academy Award for her role as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon. As a charming road comedy, there was something so engaging about the performance O’Neal gave opposite her real-life father, Ryan O’Neal, that captured the hearts of audiences and critics alike.

However, becoming an Oscar winner so young cast a shadow over her career, and O’Neal never again reached the lofty heights she soared to when she was just a child. Despite later roles in The Bad News Bears and guest appearances on shows like Sєx and the City, O’Neal would always be remembered as the feisty kid from Paper Moon.

4

Bela Lugosi As Count Dracula

Dracula (1931)

The Hungarian–American actor gained his career-defining role as Count Dracula in the 1932 classic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s influential novel. While Dracula helped turn Lugosi into a household name, it also meant that this classically trained actor spent his entire career living under the shadow of this vampiric role and spent decades starring in niche horror movies.

Lugosi had difficulties gaining roles in the latter part of his career, and his friendship and collaborations with the similarly maligned director Ed Wood were dramatized in the Tim Burton film of the same name. Before Lugosi encountered Wood in the early 1950s, he was living in near poverty and obscurity and earning his living through Dracula’s legacy.

3

Peter Lorre As Hans Beckert

M (1931)

The Fritz Lang mystery thriller M was among the most influential movies of all time, as it laid the groundwork for the procedural drama. Among the excellent cast was Peter Lorre as the child-murdering serial killer Hans Beckert, a role that meant he was typecast as creepy villains for the rest of his career.

Lorre’s short stature, bulging eyes, and unique screen presence made him highly memorable, and he would play similar roles in movies like Mad Love and Crime and Punishment. While Lorre’s unique appeal caught the attention of Alfred Hitchcock for the original The Man Who Knew Too Much, it’s hard not to feel like there was more to Lorre than menacing roles.

2

Anthony Perkins As Norman Bates

Psycho (1960)

Anthony Perkins terrified audiences as he traded in his all-American boy-next-door persona to play the troubled serial killer Norman Bates in Psycho. This role confounded audiences’ expectations and showcased Perkins as an actor capable of walking the fine line between madness and vulnerability with a character that was both chilling and tragically human.

While Perkins already had an acclaimed career and an Academy Award nomination, Psycho meant he was typecast as a disturbed loner, and Hollywood struggled to see him as anything but a soft-spoken killer. In a way, Perkins embraced this through his appearances in several Psycho sequels, although it closed the door on his chances at remaining a handsome leading man.

1

Louise Fletcher As Nurse Ratched

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

It’s hard to think of a movie performance that showcased so much potential and a career that failed to live up to it than Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. As the breakout performance of an unknown actress, Fletcher earned an Academy Award for her menacing and coldly authoritative performance.

The bar was set far too high, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest remained Fletcher’s defining performance. Despite continuing to work in film and television for the rest of her life, she never overcame her ᴀssociation with Ratched and was unable to step outside of the shadow of an Oscar win that came a little too early.