Tom Cruise ruined The Mummy and killed the entire Dark Universe.

BY JACK POOLEY
MARCH 7TH, 2023

Every studio wants a card-carrying A-lister to headline their new project, because even though many believe the age of the movie star is over, audiences are far more likely to turn up for a film starring one of their faves, right?

Yet, sometimes a movie star simply can't see the wood for the trees and appreciate that, no matter how famous and popular they might be, they're not necessarily right for a specific role.

No matter how talented and beloved a performer may be, nobody is a perfect fit for every part offered their way, and it takes a major absence of ego for them to realize they're better off passing on a project.

But inspired by a recent Reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/119x5l8/what_are_some_examples_of_an_interesting_movie/) on the subject, these 10 actors - all of them male, curiously - ended up ruining movies through their sheer involvement.

Perhaps their ego-centric need to control the production (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WagTheDirector) steamrolled the creative aspect, or maybe things changed hugely behind-the-scenes once their name was attached.

Whatever the reason, and whether it was actively their fault or not, these actors were all responsible for these movies becoming demonstrably worse...


10. Will Smith - I, Robot (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?rf=homepage)

9. Kevin Costner - Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=2)

8. Christian Bale - Terminator Salvation (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=3)

7. Dwayne Johnson - Black Adam (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=4)

6. Roger Moore - A View To A Kill (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=5)

5. Sylvester Stallone - Judge Dredd (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=6)

4. Brad Pitt - World War Z (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=7)

3. John Wayne - The Conqueror (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=8)

2. Tom Cruise - The Mummy (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=9)

1. Kevin Spacey - Beyond The Sea (https://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-stars-who-ruined-their-own-movies?page=10)

So only male actors can wreck their own movies?

I thought there would be a female actress or two on the list.