The 2025 film awards season is in full swing. As in most years, some good performances will get loads of buzz, while others will be overlooked. People will argue about who deserved which award and who had no business even being nominated.
Online, people are getting into a conversation about films, too, but from a different angle. Recently, one netizen wanted to know which actors people think are way too underrated. So, they asked: “Who is such a gifted actor who was absolutely wasted in their acting role?”
And folks had a lot of names to share—from well-known actors who didn’t quite fit one role or another to thespians who might’ve disappeared into obscurity after one convincing but unpopular role. See people’s opinions below, and don’t forget to share the talented actors you’d like to see in more roles!
Bored Panda also got in touch with the netizen who posted this thread, u/sheerduckinghubris. We chatted about why some actors get pigeonholed into certain roles and discussed the actors who managed to get out of this curse. The Redditor also shared which recent performance by an actor surprised him with its range. Read our conversation below!
#1
Henry Cavill was so wasted in the Witcher series. Man was born to play that role but the stupid writers who thought they knew better wasted him.
#2
John Leguizamo as Tybalt in Romeo + Juliet (1996). He outshone every other actor in any scene he was in. And compared to the utterly wooden performances of DiCaprio and Danes, it was a stark contrast.
Image source: One-Warthog3063, IMDb
#3
Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor are actually two very good actors who tried their very best during the Star Wards prequel trilogy but were given scripts so bad that it felt like it was written by a an 8 year old going through dementia lol.
Image source: thebriss22, IMDb
#4
Raul Julia in Street Fighter, he had just been diagnosed with cancer when he was offered the role, and since his children loved the game, he accepted as a last gift for them. So far so good, but the problem is he was the only person treating the movie and his role with any respect. He was bending over with pain between takes, and still playing his role like it was Shakespeare, while Jean Claude Van Damme was snorting coke and arriving 8 hours late for filming, and nobody confronted him about it cause he was the “big name” attached to the movie.
#5
I wish Henry Cavill had been allowed to play Superman in any other live-action continuity that wasn’t the DCEU.
Image source: thunderchild120, IMDb
#6
Peter Capaldi in Doctor Who
Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who
Both were *fantastic* at their craft and both were enormously let down by writing and direction. Both manage to take some of the dreck they were given and actually make a meal out of it but if they had gotten better scripts those performances would be as iconic as Tenants.
Image source: SpecialistSix, IMDb
#7
Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest. The man played Hamlet!
Image source: Polymath_Father, IMDb
#8
I’d say many of the A-list actors in *Cats*. Judy Dench, Ian McKellen, Idris Elba just to name a few.
#9
Christian Slater was on his way to greatness. And then he decided that Jack Nicholson was the greatest actor ever, and from that point on, all he did was Jack Nicholson impersonations.
Image source: twinkieeater8, IMDb
#10
Matt Smith can act, it’s just that every-time he tries to become a bigger name by being in a blockbuster movie he’s gotten stuck with roles where he can’t really do his thing or is barely present to do anything, and it’s mostly in movies with no hype behind them or they end up being forgettable.
#11
A lot of international actors get typecast in typically villainous or stereotypical roles. I think of Mads Mikkelsen or Antonio Banderas or Hiroyuki Sanada or Marion Cotillard. When you see the work they do and the kinds of roles they get in their native languages, you realize just how much Hollywood wastes them.
My number one actor for this kind of thing is always Hong Chau. Chameolonic, tremendously talented and she’s always in like 5 minutes of a movie. Drives me crazy.
#12
Steve Buschemi on every Adam Sandler movie.
Image source: Notsoobvioususer
#13
The fact that Alyson Hannigan never did drama after Buffy is truly wild. I think it was her choice, as she much preferred working on sitcoms, but she was a devastatingly incredible serious actor. NO ONE can cry like Alyson Hannigan can cry.
Image source: gluten_gluten_gluten, IMDb
#14
I think John Boyega got s***wed in the sequel movies as Finn.
#15
Robin Williams was far, far better as a serious actor than a comedian.
Image source: Mynameismikek, IMDb
#16
John C. Reilly in basically every project he’s ever done with Will Ferrell. He’s basically a case study in being too good but not taking yourself seriously about it.
Image source: OpticalInfusion, IMDb
#17
Alexander Siddig as Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne in Game of Thrones
Utterly wasted in one stupid plot line and then disrespectfully [ended] by another character butchered by horrible writing in another stupid plot line.
Image source: Altair1192, IMDb
#18
I’m consistently amazed at the number of s**t movies that Sir Ben Kingsley signs on to.
Image source: ShotSkiByMyself, IMDb
#19
I always feel bad watching Teri Garr playing such a nothing role in Dumb and Dumber. You’re talking about one of the biggest and most talented stars of the 80s, and she plays the old stepmom who has like two throwaway lines.
Image source: mariojlanza, IMDb
#20
I feel bad that Sean Williams Scott played Stiffler ***so f*****g well*** that he was only ever allowed to play that role with another name.
Image source: KhaosElement, IMDb
#21
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is the most obvious one I can think of.
Absolutely brilliant actor, f*****g horrible directing and screenwriting.
Image source: Taervon
#22
James McAvoy has been largely wasted in his career, I think. I was impressed by his performance in SciFi’s *Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune* miniseries, and he’s gone a good job playing Professor Xavier, but that role didn’t utilize him fully.
Image source: Melenduwir, IMDb
#23
Sarah Michelle Gellar in everything that’s not Buffy. Someone give her a good role in a continuing show! (I know she’s in the Dexter prequel right now, but haven’t heard anything positive about the show).
Image source: rebel_stripe, IMDb
#24
Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man.
So many bad creative decisions in those movies, but Andrew Garfield is an amazing actor.
He was my favorite of the three Spider-Men in No Way Home.
Image source: remnant_phoenix, IMDb
#25
Both Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich in Eragon.
#26
Richard Burton, albeit his wasted talent was down more to his chronic alcoholism.
Bela Lugosi was a very talented actor who got typecasted in horror roles and abused by the studios
Harry H Corbett was considered Britain’s Marlon Brando, yet after Steptoe was typecast as Steptoe like characters.
Image source: Neat-Butterscotch670
#27
Jeremy Irons in the 2000 Dungeons and Dragons movie.
Image source: this_is_not_the_cia, IMDb
#28
Adam Sandler was great in the few serious roles I’ve seen him in, but the general public doesn’t want serious Adam Sandler so he just gets paid $20 million to film movies in exotic locations with his best friends. I would do the same.
Image source: CreamyLinguineGenie, IMDb
#29
Gary Oldman in The H****n’s Bodyguard
He is given like 1 good scene to really portray his character and its great but then he’s just a background piece the rest of the movie
Complete waste of Gary Oldman right there.
Image source: _SwiftDeath, IMDb
#30
Rufus Sewell in Man in the High Castle. He was exquisite in his role, but the show as a whole was pretty bad.
Image source: spectacleskeptic, IMDb
#31
Christian Bale in “Thor: Love and Thunder”.
Demon4SL: The mood whiplash was ridiculous. One scene played by Christian Bale in a super tragic and dramatic tone, followed up by screaming goats in the next scene.
They tried too hard and couldn’t get the right balance of drama and lighthearted that Ragnarok had.
Image source: David_Wisenheimer, IMDb
#32
Lee Jung Jae in The Acolyte.
The guy tries his hardest but if you get a trash script, there is not much you can do. Still can’t believe they had this Squid Game superstar on hand and didn’t do anything with him, just randomly [ended him].
#33
Cate Blanchett in Borderlands. She’s won multiple Oscars for drama and now at 55 they want her to be an action star??? WTF.
#34
I was really looking forward to seeing Wes Chatham in Ahsoka because he was so good in The Expanse and then he was not only barely in it, he was stuck inside a helmet.
Image source: MajorNoodles, IMDb
#35
Zendaya in the Spiderman movies. Like please give the girl something to work with.
Image source: WildSunflour, IMDb
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