The Comeback Kids: Movies That Resurrected Actors’ Careers

Breaking out as a star is no easy task. And maintaining that star status can be just as daunting, even for the most successful celebrities. Fame is fickle and fleeting, and often celebrities who were once on top of the world find themselves licking their wounds after starring in a film that tanked. But luckily some of those celebs manage to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and finagle their way back into the limelight with an amazing comeback role. Here’s a list of celebrities that seemed be down for the count, only to come back even stronger than ever in some amazing films.

Rom-Com To Oscar-Winning

Matthew McConaughey was definitely working a lot throughout the early 2000s, but he wasn’t being taken seriously as an actor. When he starred in The Ghost of Girlfriends Past in 2009, it seemed as his fate was sealed as a B-grade romantic comedy actor. He decided to change the course of his career, which initially left him in a sixth-month-long dry spell. But then he starred The Lincoln Lawyer, and critics were finally beginning to take notice of his acting abilities. That followed with a string of serious roles, including The Dallas Buyer’s Club, which earned him the Oscar for Best Actor.

Coming up: someone whose career was revitalized with Game of Thrones.