Ranking the Worst Actors of All Time
We’d love to say that all of our favorite actors were perfect. However, some don’t have the shiniest background with the critics. The worst-reviewed actors can also be the ones that are most beloved by fans. Let’s take a look at the actors who the critics didn’t love and their reasoning. Plus, maybe we’ll defend them with the “fan perspective.” Ultimately, you’ll have to make your final decision on your own. After all, what do film critics actually know?
50. Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf’s name carries with it a long history of method acting. In fact, he’s known for removing a tooth for his role in Fury (2014). He also got chest tattoos for when he took on a role in The Tax Collector (2020). Typically, actors just let their makeup artists handle that, but we guess that’s Shia’s choice. Nonetheless, these weird extremes have not stopped critics from thinking he is terrible. Particularly, they really didn’t like Eagle Eye (2008) and his role in Dumb and Dumber (2008).
49. Kristen Stewart
Let’s chat about Kristen Stewart. Critics hated her. The major criticism for her role in Twilight was her “awkward” performance and stale face. What fans argue is that this is just how the character in the books was written, therefore she was doing a great job at executing that. Nonetheless, critics still complained about her time and time again. That is until when she absolutely shined in 2021’s Spencer where Kristen played Princess Diana. Her performance was universally loved by both fans and critics alike.
48. Sarah Jessica Parker
This one is going to be really controversial. Our apologies in advance. Sex and the City is one of those shows that you either love or hate. If you hate it, then you probably don’t care much about Sarah Jessica Parker. If you love it, then she is your entire world and inspiration. Outside of this show, though, she’s had other work that critics hated. Particularly, they hated Dudley-Do Right (1999). The movie has long been forgotten by most, but critics will probably never let how terrible it was go.
47. John Travolta
Every indie film fan is forever going to be obsessed with Pulp Fiction (1994). Thus, they will also love John Travolta for his role as Vincent Vega. Turns out, though, that film fans aren’t the same as film critics with plenty of credentials. Battlefield Earth (2000) is actually the movie that these critics tend to take issue with. It earned multiple “Razzie” awards which isn’t really a good thing at all. Whether or not this movie is a testament to John Travolta’s skills or it’s just an outlier is up for debate.
46. Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen went through a tumultuous era in the public eye in 2011. It created a whole pop culture moment, but the critics aren’t judging him based on that. Instead, they’re much more concerned with how terrible Scary Movie 3 (2003) actually was. Plus, they can’t forget Deadfall (1993). Basically, his career isn’t the most perfect one, but he did make America laugh for awhile. The show Two and a Half Men is engrained in television history forever.
45. Robert Pattinson
Can you truly ever hate someone who hates his own work and doesn’t care what you think? Robert Pattinson is the perfect example of indifference. While he’s not on social media and typically distant from the public eye, he has curated a very dedicated fanbase. It started when he played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). From there, he moved on to a role that critics hated: Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga. His bad reviews for this film carried with him, but his stardom spoke for itself. Now, though, he starred in The Batman (2022) and finally earned some positive reviews that are long overdue.
44. William Shatner
When you think of William Shatner, you usually think of how he is a beloved actor. With a household name, you’d expect him to have phenomenal reviews from critics. Unfortunately, it’s quite the opposite. He pops up in the movie American Psycho 2 (2002) which you may think is a good thing. However, notice how this is only the sequel. While the first movie did really well, the second couldn’t even come close. It’s not even like he was in the first one. He was in Miss Congeniality (2000) and its sequel, but this series was overall disliked by critics. Was it his performance or the terrible roles that he has had plaguing his career? It is hard to say.
43. Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba has had a long and iconic acting career. After all, she literally takes on the superhero role of Sue Storm in the Fantastic Four series. She’ll forever be engrained in fans’ hearts in this way. However, critics actually hate her more so for her role in The Love Guru (2008). In this comedy, she stars alongside Justin Timberlake who also doesn’t have a great acting history. We also can’t forget her role in Little Fockers (2010) which had fans laughing and critics absolutely cringing.
42. Jennifer Love Hewitt
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) was highly criticized for poor writing and a boring plot line. Jennifer Love Hewitt was actually probably the high point of the whole thing, but she got caught in the dumpster fire that the critics lit. After that, though, Jennifer continued to get criticized including for her brief time on the show Criminal Minds. Maybe her best performance wasn’t truly acting at all, but rather her appearance in boyband LFO’s music video for “Girl on TV.”
41. Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner has a very diverse background in acting, tackling a variety of different roles. Fans in recent years have gushed over her motherly role in Love, Simon (2018) and the impactful message it has had about LGBTQ+ youth and acceptance. Critics just can’t get over some of her less-than-savory roles, though. One of the most notoriously bad movies would be Mr. Magoo (1997). In essence, critics weren’t impressed by the film or by her performance in it.
40. Zac Efron
Starting out in a preteen movie sensation can make it really hard to have a stellar acting career thereafter. Zac Efron was the teenage heartthrob Troy Bolton in Disney’s High School Musical (2006). He instantly curated a dedicated fanbase that would grow up alongside him. However, once the series ended, his career became a bit wonky. He starred in 17 Again (2009) and then Neighbors (2014) as a frat brother. Basically, he wasn’t exactly handed the most complex roles to be judged by. This doesn’t really matter to critics, after all. They really only care about your performance and, ultimately, they didn’t like his very much.
39. Demi Moore
Some people think that the critics are overly hard on Demi Moore. However, you have to admit that Happy Tears (2010) is certainly not the most masterful film you’ve ever seen. Critics hated it and fans struggle to defend it. What fans will advocate for is Demi’s role in G.I. Jane (1997). While the fans who saw it mostly liked it, critics sank it before it could flourish at the box office. It is typically seen as a financial failure, and even won a few Razzie awards.
38. Sylvester Stallone
When you have had as extensive of an acting career as Sylvester Stallone has had, then there’s bound to be a role or two that critics don’t vibe with. Sylvester is most known for his starring role in Rocky (1976). This role ended up carrying his career as he continued to make pop-up appearances in other films and video games based on this character. Nonetheless, critics still have an issue with his performance. No, not the Rocky performance, but rather his roles in movies like Reach Me (2014) and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992).
37. Steven Seagal
This actor may have too many bad movies to list all of them. In fact, most of his movies typically go forgotten and will surely fade into the void of meaningless films. Critics, though, hated a few specifically more than others. His performance in On Deadly Ground (1994) received bad review after bad review. Most of what was being criticized was Steven Seagal’s dialogue. Whether this was bad writing or Steven’s bad acting didn’t seem to matter at the end of the day. The film will continue to be a stain on the actor’s career.
36. Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose’s popularity is surely fleeting. She rallied a huge fanbase when she was playing Stella Carlin on Orange is the New Black. After that, she seemed to fizzle out in the public eye. She ended up becoming Batwoman in her own TV show, but even that was highly criticized. When it ended in 2020, it didn’t have the sort of pop culture impact that the creators were really hoping for. Many attribute this to Ruby Rose’s rough performance of the iconic comic character.
35. Katherine Heigl
Plenty of little romcoms often come to mind when we think of Katherine Heigl. Romcom actors and actresses are truly their own specific niche of acting. Critics often take this into account when deciding where to rank them. Nonetheless, they still have their qualms with her. Caffeine (2007) is definitely not a fan-favorite film. The critics didn’t really like it, either. One movie that fans did find incredibly funny was 2007’s Knocked Up. Plus, people started liking her more when she took on a role with Grey’s Anatomy. That show particularly is very divided among critics, leaving Katherine Heigl in a middle ground situation.
34. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Is he a politician or an actor? It really depends on who you are and how you choose to remember him. Arnold Schwarzenegger is definitely always going to be a divisive figure in both of the fields he worked in. After all, he was the California governor and also the Terminator. Outside of the two things that have engrained him in history, critics really weren’t a fan of his acting. Hercules in New York (1970) was not impressive to anyone at all and Schwarzenegger’s acting was mediocre at best.
33. Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher has had a phenomenal impact on humanitarian work. He is one of the founders of Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children which focuses on ending child trafficking. He’s often regarded as an impactful activist. However, film critics don’t really care about that when making their opinions on his acting career. One of his worst movies is Down to You (2000). Critics hated it. Fans, though, stand by Ashton especially because of his role in That ‘70s Show where he played fan favorite Kelso.
32. Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco has had a rather strange career. Most of us know her from The Big Bang Theory. When this show came out, critics were unimpressed. Fans rallied together to keep the show on air and it ended up having a long 12 seasons. Outside of the show, she took on some other odd roles in movies like Bratz (2007) and Alvin and the Chipmunks (2015). Critics don’t have the most deep roles to judge Kaley off of. So, ultimately, they only have these superficial roles to judge her by. While we may love her witty humor, they did not.
31. Madonna
Madonna isn’t necessarily known for her acting roles, but instead for her wonderful pop music. The “Queen of Pop” should have considered staying in her lane, though. Critics have hated when she’s branched out into acting. Shanghai Surprise (1986) literally caused Madonna to get a special award that was dedicated to bad acting. The reviews for this film and Madonna’s roles just didn’t meet the hype that her fanbase has for her. Specifically, this film tanked.
30. Nicolas Cage
We love National Treasure (2004). Who doesn’t? It’s one of those movies that you can always put on and please pretty much any crowd — even the sequel is relatively enjoyable. However, critics don’t seem to care much about that movie. They actually just focus on Deadfall (1993) and Left Behind (2014). Critics both thought that these movies were abysmal and believed that Nicolas Cage was largely at fault for how bad they turned out. While we’re at it, Grand Isle (2019) wasn’t that good, either.
29. Megan Fox
This one is going to be a real doozy. Critics have despised Megan Fox for a long time and fans, generally speaking, can’t seem to understand why. The dislike for her started with Jennifer’s Body (2009). At the time, the film didn’t do too well. What was strange, though, is the way it shot back up in popularity years later. This didn’t change critics’ opinions, but it did curate a dedicated fan base. Other than that, Megan is also known mostly for her role in Transformers (2007). Everyone loved the action-packed film, but some critics were skeptical. Eventually, it would go down in film history though.
28. Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider has definitely taken on some odd roles. Especially odd roles that critics were not thrilled by. For example, The Hot Chick (2002) was very disappointing to film critics. Plus, they hated Knock Off (1998). Fans actually have mixed feelings about these movies. What fans really love about Rob is his time on Saturday Night Live. Their audience is full of incredibly dedicated fans who don’t care about those terrible critical reviews, but rather the comedic “genius” of Rob Schneider.
