Breakthrough and What Were You Thinking Roles...

[BorderEevilIII]

I was reading an article in Planet Out That inspired me to create this thread.
Actors who REALLY shined overall in a given role and a the what were you thinking....

I could not find the article directly to paste here but it mentioned actor

Mark Ruffalo


Breakthrough - You Can Count On Me

What Were You Thinking? - In The Cut


Any schmoes can name any actors like this?

[Hannibal21]

Nicole Kidman
BREAKTHROUGH: To Die For
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? - Practical Magic

Robert De Niro
BREAKTHROUGH: Mean Streets (his best performance was in Taxi Driver, but this was his real breakthrough)
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? - The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (and pretty much all the comedies he's been doing in this here decade)

[Tayzlor]

Jack Nicholson
Breakthrough: Easy Rider
What were you thinking?: Mars Attacks! and Anger Management

[FilmBuff84]

Mark Wahlberg
Breakthrough: Boogie Nights
What Were You Thinking?: The Truth About Charlie

Katie Holmes
Breakthrough: Go
What Were You Thinking?: Abandon

Halle Berry
Breakthrough: Monster's Ball
What Were You Thinking?: Catwoman (Even though I haven't seen it, but I imagine..)

[Ted Pikul]

Tom Hanks

Breakthrough : Bachelor Party

What were you thinking? : Road To Perdition

Steve Guttenberg

Breakthrough : Police Academy

What were you thinking? : Not appearing in Police Academys 5-7

[DareDevil]

Originally posted by Ted Pikul
Tom Hanks


What were you thinking? : Road To Perdition



Nah man the volcano movie

[BorderEevilIII]

Originally posted by DareDevil
Nah man the volcano movie



would that be Joe Versus The Volcano?

Perdition was a good movie, I just did not agree w/ the outcome of the film.
:confused: :mad:

[Ted Pikul]

Joe Vs The Volcano, Turner & Hooch, The Money Pit, Dragnet, Volunteers etc. are all timeless masterpieces of cinema compared to Road To Perdition.

I doubt if any film was more aptly named than that one.

Any way getting back on topic.

David Caruso

Breakthrough : NYPD Blue

What were you thinking? : Quitting NYPD Blue

Kurt Russell

Breakthrough : Escape From New York

What were you thinking? : Dark Blue (& I've seen Captain Ron)

Alicia Silverstone

Breakthrough : Clueless

What were you thinking? : Fatgirl sorry Batgirl

[Squid Vicious]

Johnny Depp

Breakthrough: Edward Scissorhands
What were you thinking??: The Astronaut's Wife

Edward Norton

Breakthrough: Primal Fear
What were you thinking??: Death to Smoochy

Samuel L. Jackson

Breaktrough: Pulp Fiction
What were you thinking??: XXX

Ralph Fiennes

Breakthrough: Schindler's List
What were you thinking??: Maid in Manhattan

[ComeNightfall]

Meg Ryan

Breakthrough Role: When Harry Met Sally
What Were You Thinking? In the Cut & Against the Ropes

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Breakthrough Role: The Terminator
What Were You Thinking? The Last Action Hero

Kevin Spacey

Breakthrough Role: The Usual Suspects
What Were You Thinking? Life of David Gale

Tom Cruise

Breakthrough Role: Risky Business
What Were You Thinking? Far and Away

Angelina Jolie

Breakthrough Role: Gia
What Were You Thinking? Taking Lives


Ewan MacGregor

Breakthrough Role: Trainspotting
What Were You Thinking? A Life Less Oridinary

Jim Carrey

Breakthrough Role: Ace Ventura
What Were You Thinking? The Majestic

[Hannibal21]

Liam Neeson
BREAKTHROUGH: Schindler's List
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Leonardo Dicaprio
BREAKTHROUGH: This Boy's Life
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? The Beach

Kirsten Dunst
BREAKTHROUGH: Interview with the Vampire
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Any teen movie she's ever done

Jon Voight
BREAKTHROUGH: Midnight Cowboy
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Anaconda

Bruce Willis
BREAKTHROUGH: Die Hard
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? North

Christopher Walken
BREAKTHROUGH: The Deer Hunter
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Joe Dirt & Kangaroo Jack

Al Pacino
BREAKTHROUGH: The Godfather
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Gigli (haven't seen it, but there's no explanation needed here...)

Joe Pesci
BREAKTHROUGH: Goodfellas
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Gone Fishin'

Sharon Stone
BREAKTHROUGH: Basic Instinct
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Cold Creek Manor

[Ted Pikul]

To Kevin Spacey's what were you thinking list you can also add The Shipping News & Pay It Forward.

Has any actor sabotaged a career so spectacularly in recent years.

[Hannibal21]

Kathy Bates
BREAKTHROUGH: Misery
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? The Waterboy

Brad Pitt
BREAKTHROUGH: 12 Monkeys
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? The Mexican

Tim Robbins
BREAKTHROUGH: Jacob's Ladder
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Anti-Trust

Julianne Moore
BREAKTHROUGH: Boogie Nights
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING: Psycho

[gallofree]

hnny Depp

Breakthrough
Benny and Joon

What were you thinking
Once upon a time in Mexico


Mike Keaton

Breakthrough
Johnny Dangerously

What were you thinking
Batman


A special what were you thinking to
All the people who acted in Dragonheart2
after reading the script.

[brodeurnumber1]

Jon Voight

Breakthrough: Midnight Cowboy
What Were You Thinking?: Super Babies: Baby Genuises 2(haven't seen it but good god)

[Raging Bull080]

Originally posted by Hannibal21
Robert De Niro
BREAKTHROUGH: Mean Streets (his best performance was in Taxi Driver, but this was his real breakthrough)
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? - The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (and pretty much all the comedies he's been doing in this here decade)

I don't like the knock on my idol, but the truth hurts. However Meet the Parents (2000) was a good movie and a nice role. Also De Niro's best acting was in Raging Bull, not Taxi Driver.

Also every single major actor had a breakthrough and probably multiple what were they thinking roles. You could list those for just about everyone if you thought about it.

[Hannibal21]

Kevin Costner
BREAKTHROUGH: Dances with Wolves
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? 3000 Miles to Graceland

[BorderEevilIII]

Deniro can act in comedy roles....
Just depends if the material he is working with is funny or not...

Meet The Parents is one good example and the flick he did w/ Billy Crystal. The sequel was TERRIBLE!