You’d think that an Oscar win for an actor/actress would the the big steeping stone to major Hollywood success. After all, now that actor will be taken seriously… be offered much better, more lucrative and challenging roles to really take off in their careers. They’ve now moved up a couple of notches on the ladder and will start appearing in better films… right? Well… not always.
I came across a neat little article in the Houston Chronicle about a phenomenon they call Post-Oscar Career Suicide Syndrome. It’s basically a medical condition where an actor/actress who wins an Oscar then goes on to really blow it by taking stupid roles in bad films and squandering their golden opportunity. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
Think Halle Berry, who followed her Oscar win in 2001 for Monster’s Ball by becoming a Bond girl (Die Another Day) and a generic horror movie hysteric (Gothika) before ascending into the POCSS (Post-Oscar Career Suicide Syndrome) stratosphere in the abysmal Catwoman.
Or Gwyneth Paltrow, who followed Shakespeare in Love in 1998 with a series of supporting roles in lackluster or just plain silly movies. Her first major part after Shakespeare was as a karaoke singer in Duets. Her most memorable role in that time was in Shallow Hal, in which she spent much of the movie in a fat suit.
At least (Charlize) Theron ameliorated the damage by having North Country already in theaters when (Aeon) Flux flopped. If she wins an Oscar nomination for it, maybe people will forget her comic-book role.
The article does go on to point out that some performers have been able to recover from bad cases of Post-Oscar Career Suicide Syndrome. Like Hilary Swank who developed a bad case of POCSS and then a few years later made a full recovery with another Oscar win for Million Dollar Baby.
It’s a fun little read, I suggest you go on over and take a look at it. Is there anyone else that you can think of that developed Post-Oscar Career Suicide Syndrome?
*Nobody* came out of “Gothika” looking good. That was a rotten, rotten film.
Arguably Marlon Brando falls into the POCSS category, depending on how you define career suicide. After winning the Oscar in 1973 for “The Godfather”, he then didn’t make another film until 1976 (and hadn’t worked for three years before that. The last nomination he’d got had been in 1958, after which he began to tank for the best part of a decade; cf. the failures of “One Eyed Jacks” and “Mutiny on the Bounty” and pretty much every other film he made up to “The Godfather”.
Halle Berry was fine in Gothika.
True, Penelope Cruz was better…
I dont buy this. The only thing that affects actors when they release turds is their ability to win more oscars. Actually I think what matters most to many actors is that they can keep getting jobs. Sure there are some stars who hold out for the big paydays like Chris Tucker, but I believe the reason oscar winning actors make bad movies is because they can. Its just another job. If all you had to do was sit around look pretty and make money off it wouldnt you? Look at Chris Walken he won an oscar decades ago and has made innumerable bad films since and his career is still thriving. I think this sort of thing matters most to a directors career. They after all are the ones responsible for the quality of a film. Actors should be judged only on their performances.
Cuba Gooding Jr. is another fine example of POCSS casualty. After winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1996 for his role in Jerry Maguire, he followed-up with poor performances in crappy movies like: Chill Factor, Rat Race, Snow Dogs, Boat Trip, Radio, etc.
It is strange that they do that. Maybe it’s not a good idea to win the naked golden boy. Maybe is’t more about money than quality work.
Donna A.
I have been thinking about this too, and it seems that more women than men are affected