subject: Will the Oscar Curse strike again…? [print this page] Will the Oscar Curse strike again? Will the Oscar Curse strike again?
With the cinematic awards season upon us, celebrity news sources are in full swing speculating who will be the big winner of this year's Oscars, it can be easy to guess who will be the big winners of the night. As we already saw with the BAFTA's earlier on this month, the battle between The Kings Speech, The Social Network and Inception was quite a tough one, but Colin Firth's stunning portrayal of a Monarch overcoming his speech impediment won the hearts and minds of the public and his fellow peers.
These awards also help actors make a name for themselves in one of the increasingly competitive industries. With some riding the success of being named an Academy Award Winner, or simply using the fact of their nominations to pursue roles which their like, it can be an overall boost to their careers winning this prestigious award. But the inverse can also happen to these Hollywood stars, disappearing into obscurity after starring in one critically successful film, and becoming a staple of many notorious celebrity gossip bloggers website's posts.
Halle Berry
After having starred in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, she made a name for herself appearing in the critically acclaimed Monster's Ball alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger. The movie was loved by the critics and lead to Halle being nominated and winning the Best Actress Academy award in 2001. She also made history by becoming the first African-American to win the award. Later films she starred in included the X-Men franchise of movies and starring as a Bond girl in Die Another Day alongside Pierce Brosnan. Her career low came when she starred in the critically panned Catwoman in 2004, which also earned her the Golden Raspberry award for the Worst Actress that year.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
After starring in his career defining movie Jerry Maguire, alongside Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger in 1996, shouting the ubiquitous catchphrase, "SHOW ME THE MONEY!", Gooding Jr. was destined for Hollywood stardom after winning an the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role, But it seemed the outlook for him was quite bleak after winning the award. Hoping to ride the success of winning an Oscar, Gooding Jr. decided to appear in a line of highly debatable roles, firstly in the critically panned adaptation of the events of Pearl Harbour, then appearing in what was perceived to be a highly insulting film, Boat Trip.
Geena Davis
Davis rose to popularity after starring in a small role in the 1980's comedy, Tootsie. She eventually won a role in The Accidental Tourist alongside Hollywood icons William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. The film also earned her the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year. It seemed for a while that she had managed to buck the trend of the Oscar Curse when she signed to star in a film that was one of her landmark appearances, alongside Susan Sarandon in 1991's Thelma and Louise. Though extremely successful, both critically and financially, it seemed Geena was unable to escape the curse, when in 1995, she stared in the box office bomb, Cutthroat Island. The film was so unsuccessful, it singlehandedly bankrupted the movie studio that created it.
As we can see, these stars are just a selection of a wide range of actors who have suffered from the Oscar Curse'. But the proof shall indeed be in the pudding come the 27th February when the Academy Awards plays out. And expect all the celebrities' news to be posted as it happens online.
