A while back, we took a look at some of Hollywood’s most overrated actors. The nature of the film industry is that there are so many actors working whose success isn’t entirely proportionate to the actual talent that they possess. Casting decisions aren’t always made based on actual acting ability, but also on various external factors: looks, public image, status, and visibility all play into casting for essentially every blockbuster, and that sometimes results in actors becoming overhyped despite not generally possessing the acting talent to back it up.
That isn’t to say that these actors aren’t talented. Quite the opposite, in fact: most of them are talented at specific things – comedy, action, quirkiness, and creepiness aren’t always easy to carry off – but the fact is that some actors are reputed to be better than they really are. Looking at an actor’s wider career often reveals that their skillset is somewhat limited, but that doesn’t always stop them from becoming Hollywood’s latest big deal.
It’s not easy to label someone overrated and still communicate that it’s not intended to be mean-spirited. Every single actor on this list has credits to their name that can be considered genuinely good, and no one is saying that the individuals in question aren’t talented. However, they all have garnered reputations that they don’t necessarily deserve, so let’s take a look at some more of Hollywood’s most overrated actors.
8. Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel isn’t the most accomplished or prolific actor on this list – far from it, in fact. She has found success as part of the musical duo She & Him, but she’s primarily known as the star of the sitcom New Girl. She was also the female lead in 500 Days of Summer, The Happening, and Elf, and has appeared in supporting roles in various other movies and TV shows.
Her distinct look and style have contributed to her success, but she’s actually pretty overrated. Her acting talents are primarily limited to deadpan comedy and relentless quirkiness, some combination of which has been woven into essentially every one of her most successful roles. Deschanel’s more dramatic roles have been far less memorable: she was incredibly unlikeable in 500 Days of Summer, and The Happening was little more than a cinematic disaster (making it unintentionally hilarious for a horror movie).
Her reputation seems to mostly stem from the fact that she’s appeared in a number of beloved movies, but she’s rarely the one that makes them successful. In fact, in all of her most successful films, she was overshadowed by her co-stars, and the painful truth is that she’s really only good at playing a very specific type of character. Though her general career success isn’t undeserved, she isn’t anywhere near as talented an actor as her list of credits suggests.