Once upon a time there was a young actor named Nick Stahl and he was really going places. He had the look, he could act reasonably well, and he was being cast in movies that people cared about and that provoked a great deal of thought as they entertained the masses. Then something happened and his career started taking a nosedive, though no one seems to know why. He’s been acting since he was about 4 years old, though he started out in small theater productions. By the time he finally got to the big screen he was on a role, his career was taking off and he was becoming a big star. But somewhere along the line, between becoming at big time actor and cementing his legacy, he somehow tripped and found himself taking on roles in movies that few if any people were really interested in. His career started to plateau and then began to experience a downward slide that was hard to understand. There was a time when he was great, but it seems to have passed him by some time ago.
Here are a few examples of the rise and fall of his career.
Tall Tale
Back when this came out it was a fun and engaging movie that kids absolutely loved. After all it brought together three of the most famous tall tales that people had ever heard and was something special to see on the big screen. It didn’t last too long however and was out of the theaters before anyone had ever really gotten the chance to give it a thumbs up or down. Now it’s a nice bit of nostalgia to think about and a genuine surprise to many people when they see Nick Stahl in it. He played the young boy that was trying to find a solution that wouldn’t involve his family having to give up their land in order for a railroad to come bustling through. It’s a touching story that incorporates the old tall tales with a flourish that’s kind of impressive really.
The Man Without a Face
Stahl plays a young man that lives with three women and is constantly told that he’s not nearly as smart as he needs to be. When he meets a reclusive gentleman that was once a teacher he asks the man to tutor him, and embarks upon a life lesson in how to see people for who they truly are. While the man is missing half of his face due to a car accident he is shunned and scorned by the town largely because nothing is known about him. He’s even thought to be a pedophile since the other victim in the car crash was a male student of his. When it’s determined that he can no longer be Chuck’s tutor he steps aside, but teaches Chuck not to rush to judgment about people.
Disturbing Behavior
Everyone wants the perfect kid, right? Well the unfortunate part about perfection is that it does have to come with a price just as anything else does. The kids in this film are engineered to be polite, well-behaved, and well-mannered, but the repressed emotions that they no longer feel tend to come out in fits of rage that force them to act in an overly aggressive and psychotic manner that causes them to act like rabid animals. When it’s discovered that a scientist has been altering the behaviors of these kids the newest kid in town seeks to put a stop to it however he can. It’s kind of a sad commentary on the youth of America in a way, but it’s also an explanation why being perfect isn’t always the best idea.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
It’s hard to say out of all the Terminator movies that have come since part two just which one is more reviled, but this one would definitely be up there. Rise of the Machines was not Stahl’s finest moment as he looked to be in a state of confusion for most of the movie and was less than convincing for the rest of it. At this point his career was kind of heading into its downward spiral it seems and it was just a short hop, skip, and a jump towards straight to DVD movies.
Sin City
He was easy to recognize when he was acting as himself, but when he put on the yellow suit and makeup it became a little more difficult. Stahl doesn’t seem like he was made for roles like this, as it it seems that he might be overplaying the role just a bit. But he did create a very despicable villain that people were glad to see gone, so he did something right. As for the rest of his career it seems that he’s taken a break from acting since 2017, so maybe there’s a chance we’ll see a resurgence eventually.
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