Everyone loves a good comeback story in movies and on TV, but former child actor, Ke Huy Quan, has recently managed to pull one off in real life, receiving critical and commercial praise for his role in A24's Everything Everywhere All At Once, his first film in over 20 years. Whether it be due to legal complications or the uncontrollable fade of their star power, not all actors are able to succeed in maintaining the consistency of their careers.
Every so often though, there's that one special project that comes along, revitalizing the career of a long-dormant actor and showcasing just how special their talents still are. These comeback vehicles have been noted as some of their best works and have reminded audiences exactly why they loved watching them in the first place.
Ke Huy Quan: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
After making an unforgettable debut under Steven Spielberg's direction as Indiana Jones' young ward, Short Round, in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Ke Huy Quan became one of the most recognizable child actors of the time, also starring in The Goonies and Encino Man. His disappearance from the screen wasn't due to any scandal or legal troubles, but instead a personal choice due to the severe lack of available opportunities for Asian actors at the time.
It wasn't until the success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018 that Quan finally found the motivation to get back into the business, and his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once was a comeback for the ages. If the success of the movie serves as any indication, it seems that audiences and critics worldwide are more than happy to see him gracing the silver screen once again.
Jackie Earle Haley: Little Children (2006)
Another former child actor, in the 1970s, Jackie Earle Haley was mostly known to moviegoers as bad boy Kelly Leak in The Bad News Bears film series. Starting in the early '90s, his acting career took a hiatus of nearly 13 years, and he found work as a producer and director of TV commercials instead.
His triumphant return to the big screen came in 2006, after some encouragement from Sean Penn, with a chilling performance as Ronnie, a paroled sex offender in the drama Little Children. The role earned him an Oscar nomination for Best ing Actor the following year and has since sparked a whole new career for Haley, with other memorable characters such as Rorschach in Watchmen and Grewishka in Alita: Battle Angel.
John Travolta: Pulp Fiction (1994)
With his success in films like Carrie, Grease, and his Oscar-nominated performance in Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta was one of the biggest stars in the world through the latter half of the 1970s. By the following decade, however, his success had begun to fizzle out, and he starred in a slew of critical and commercial disappointments.
the best casts of all '90s movies, but that wasn't always going to be the case. During the casting process, it took a lot for Quentin Tarantino to convince Miramax to cast Travolta in the role of Vincent Vega, but as indicated by the success of the film, it was all worth it. The role not only earned Travolta his second Oscar nomination but managed to pull him out of a decade-long slump and back into the household name status.
Betty White: The Proposal (2009)
The late great Betty White left behind quite an impressive legacy, with a career spanning nearly 70 years in both film and television. After her time with White's memorable TV guest appearances managed to keep her career going for the next two decades, but it had been years since she had landed a notable mainstream role.
That opportunity finally arrived with the unexpected box-office success of The Proposal, playing Annie, the grandmother to Ryan Reynolds' character, Andrew. What followed was a new career renaissance for White, including a new sitcom, several voice-acting roles in animation, and becoming the oldest person to ever host Saturday Night Live at 88 and half years old.
Macaulay Culkin: American Horror Story: Double Feature (2021)
Starring in films like Home Alone and The Pagemaster, Macaulay Culkin was one of the most beloved child stars of the '90s. As he got older, however, his appeal to the mainstream began to dissipate, causing his career to slow down and the actor only showing up occasionally in some overlooked indie films and a few notable TV appearances.
In 2021, the tenth season of the hit FX anthology series, American Horror Story, finally paved the way for Culkin's resurgence. His casting was met with low expectations from fans, but Culkin managed to blow his co-stars out of the water with one of the most captivating performances of both the series and his career.
Neil Patrick Harris: Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)
In his formative years, Neil Patrick Harris was widely known as the lovable and precocious titular teen doctor on Doogie Ho. M.D. After the show's cancellation in 1993, he continued to find success on several Broadway productions, but his on-screen performances became few and far between.
Harris' on-screen comeback came in one of the most hilarious and unexpected ways: playing a fictionalized drug-addicted womanizing version of himself in the classic stoner comedy, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. He not only reprised the role in the two sequels, but it paved the way for his iconic role as Barney Stinson on CBS' How I Met Your Mother, along with several other film roles and hosting gigs at award shows.
Robert Downey Jr.: Iron Man (2008)
It's no secret that Robert Downey Jr.'s personal struggles with drug addiction and serious legal issues caused a major setback to his career. He gained A-list status in 1992 with his Oscar-nominated performance in Chaplin, but his self-destructive behavior had left several damaging stains on his reputation.
While maintaining his sobriety, he landed some ing roles in films like Charlie Bartlett and Zodiac, but his comeback was truly solidified with 2008's best superhero performances of the 2010s and for good reason.
Bob Odenkirk: Breaking Bad (2009)
In the earlier years of his career, Bob Odenkirk's talent as a comedy writer and director brought joy and laughter to viewers, but his acting talents were less known. While his Mr. Show co-star and long-time comedy partner David Cross continued to achieve independent success in both film and TV, Odenkirk's acting career just wasn't able to take off in the same way.
Playing "criminal lawyer" Saul Goodman, the phenomenon of Breaking Bad reintroduced audiences to Odenkirk's quick wit. He's not only reprised the role in the prequel series, Better Call Saul, but the praise of his performance opened the floodgates for several film opportunities, including the action-comedy, Nobody.
Jennifer Lopez: Hustlers (2019)
In the '90s, Jennifer Lopez wasn't just a pop-music sensation, she also managed to climb her way to movie star status with her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Selena. Beginning in the 2000s, however, she began to fall from that climb with panned films like Gigli and declining record sales.
While she eventually managed to get her music career back on track, the quality of her film career continued to struggle until her role in the best movie performances of 2019 and landing her another Golden Globe nomination for Best ing Actress.
Jason Bateman: Arrested Development (2003)
Today, Jason Bateman is often thought of as the go-to straight man in comedy, but ever since his film debut with the lackluster sequel to Teen Wolf, he had consistent trouble getting his career off the ground. While his sister Justine enjoyed her success on Family Ties, his film career slumped and he moved to doing one-off and recurring roles in a few television series.
After nearly 15 years of struggle, Bateman finally had the chance to show off his true potential as a performer when he was chosen to lead the ensemble cast of the FOX sitcom, Arrested Development. His role as Michael Bluth not only garnered him a Golden Globe win and an Emmy nomination, but his career has since skyrocketed with success in films like Horrible Bosses and Zootopia, other TV shows like Ozark, and even directorial efforts like the 2014 comedy Bad Words.
