Perhaps they grew up, perhaps they just made some bad career choices, or perhaps that bully known as time took it’s toll. Regardless of the reasons, some celebrities just seem to vanish off the face of the earth, leaving us to go “Hey, I really liked that guy!” Going from a life of riches and extravagance to simple obscurity, Destination Luxury present the celebrities Hollywood needs to give another chance. Child actors, iconic actors, and plenty of “those guys” are totally fair game.
ALLY SHEEDY
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
The Basket Case of The Breakfast Club and the romantic interest in WarGames, Ally Sheedy brought a demure and quirky aesthetic that Hollywood desperately needed in the 80s. While she was part of the famous “Brat Pack”, starred in some Sci-Fi classics like Short Circuit, Ally seemed to step away from the spotlight around the late 80s and early 90s to focus on her family and personal life. While she’s had some television work in the past decade (like Kyle XY and Psych), it would be fantastic to see the original Basket Case back on the silver screen.
SHANNEN DOHERTY
Photo courtesy of CNN
Playing a “mega-bitch” in the 1988 cult classic Heathers managed to rocket young Shannen Doherty to stardom, getting her the starring roles on the hit Beverly Hills 90210 and the witch-centric Charmed. While a new reality show is planned for her with former Charmed co-star Holly Marie Combs, her talent seems to be lacking in major Hollywood fair as of late. With Hot In Cleveland proving that people never stop loving their favorite television personalities, why not make a new drama vehicle for the multifaceted actress?
COREY FELDMAN
Photo courtesy of Huffington Post
Goonies never say die! This 80s Child Star, ranging from classics such as Gremlins, Stand By Me, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Dream a Little Dream, The ‘Burbs opposite Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher and Lost Boys to name a few. It seemed like Feldman was everywhere back in the day and on every teenage girl’s wall. Having been a successful actor since the age of three, he appeared in over 100 television commercials and on 50 television shows. Although he still continues to act, the now 43 year old actor really deserves a non-ironic, genuine return to the big screen. And no, jokingly playing himself doesn’t count. Perhaps for that often-rumored sequel to Goonies 2.
AMANDA BYNES
Photo courtesy of People Magazine
Funny and captivating, this former Nickelodeon starlet has just recently returned to Twitter after a very public meltdown. While she is doing much better and is in talks about attending USC to be a psychology major, which this particular blogger is quite happy to hear, Amanda Bynes had a personality and charm to her that not many comedians could muster from an incredibly young age. DLX wishes nothing but the best for her, but we do hope to see her return to the screen someday.
LINDSAY LOHAN
Photo courtesy of CNN
From one meltdown to another, we have to talk about the poster-child for Disney “fallen starlets.” After back-to-back DUI incidents in 2007 and at least three rehab trips between 2010 and 2013, Lindsay Lohan’s fall from grace was very public and very troubling. However, her 2010 appearance in Rodriguez’s Machete and a starring role in the 2013 independent production Canyons, along with a docu-series on OWN (titled Lindsay, of course), perhaps the time is right to bring her back as a featured starlet?
HALEY JOEL OSMENT
Photo courtesy of The New Yorker
From the cult video game series Kingdom Hearts to the seminal horror classic The Sixth Sense, one upon a time Haley Joel Osment was all over the place. Starting at a very young age with Forrest Gump, this child actor was set up for super-stardom before vanishing in the mid 2000s to focus on his education. Coming out of retirement around 2013, and starring in smaller fare such as Alpha House or the Kevin Smith vehicle Tusk, I think most people would be willing to give this former kid star a second chance.
SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR
Photo courtesy of Pinterest
The Buffy Starlet hasn’t exactly “vanished” from the cultural zeitgeist, with the 2011 hour-long drama Ringer and the 2013 sitcom The Crazy Ones with the late Robin Williams, but it’s been a while since Sarah Michelle Gellar was given material to match what made her so beloved on Joss Whedon’s first major success. An accomplished gymnast and karate expert (I’m noticing a pattern here…) there’s no reason not to give her something juicy. Maybe the Marvel cannon?
MACAULAY CULKIN
Hard to think of the 90s without thinking of the modern Shirley Temple. Hailed by both VH1 and E! Entertainment as one of the best child actors of all time, some less-than-stellar films and some serious family issues (the very public emancipation from father Kit Culkin being the most obvious one) had him retiring from acting at the ripe old age of 14. Known for Home Alone, Richie Rich,The Good Son and Party Monster to name a few. While he does the scant indie appearance – the most recent being 2011’s The Wrong Ferarri – the former child star would probably be welcomed back to the public with open arms. If he was so inclined, that is.
MOLLY RINGWALD
Photo courtesy of The New Yorker
The ginger-haired starlet of Brat Pack fame, this 80s everygirl has stayed in the collective unconscious thanks to her roles in such classics as 16 Candles, Pretty in Pink, and the much-beloved The Breakfast Club. Funny and charming at such a young age, Molly Ringwald managed to embody 80s anxieties and hopes with an effortless air. Now, thirty years later, it’s just a mystery why she didn’t become a bigger name in Hollywood. Seeing her in some down-to-earth fair (Perhaps the often rumored 32 Candles?) would be a blast for movie-going audiences.
CYNTHIA ROTHROCK
Photo courtesy of Cynthia Rothrock
While Steven Segall and Chuck Norris have become memetic (and infamous) in the past decade or so, there is one straight-to-video Kung Fu star that hasn’t received this bizarre meta-ironic comeback: Cynthia Rothrock. Unlike Chuck Norris who proved to be a homophobic bigot or Steven Segall who proved to be Steven Segall, Cynthia Rothrock is an actual Karate Champion (five times, no less), a decent person, and genuinely likes her devoted – if not small – fanbase. Her major roles were such “classics” such as China O’Brian and the straight-to-DVD Mercenaries in 2014. Always more of a stunt woman than an actress, anyone who has suffered through an Expendables film can attest that when it comes to action stars, we’re rarely in it for the pathos and craft. Perhaps for ExpendaBelles?
LUCY LAWLESS
Photo courtesy of Emmys
The New Zealand starlet became a house-hold name with her “aie-aie-aie-aie” scream and ability to look really cool beating up bad guys as Xena: Warrior Princess. Lucy Lawless (aka Lucille Frances Ryan) is another action actress who deserves a comeback, doubly so if we’ll give it to Jean-Claude Van Damme or Dolph Lundgren. While she’s had a pretty decent comeback with SyFy’s Battlestar Galactica and Starz’s Spartacus, we’d give good money to see her take up a sword again for a main starring role.
Celebrities are celebrities after all.
