Alongside Jon Bernthal and Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira has had one of the most successful film careers following a prominent role on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
However, not every actor can seamlessly transition from the small to big screens, whether it was due to poor script choices or bad timing, with very few hits in between. s of Reddit have spoken about which popular television actors didn't have the most successful secondary film career, with some even returning to television.
Mary Louise Parker
Reddit Weeds film career. The Emmy Award-winning actress played marijuana entrepreneur Nancy Botwin on the Showtime dramedy for six seasons.
Following Weeds' ending in 2012, Parker's 2013 releases of R.I.P.D. and Red 2 (a sequel to the popular 2010 film Red). Her last on-screen film appearance was in the 2018 spy thriller Red Sparrow starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton.
David Duchovny
Reddit The X-Files and complex writer Hank Moody on Californication.
Between his two hit shows, Duchovny didn't have much of a leading man film career, primarily known for initial failures that gained fanbases over time like Evolution and Connie & Carla, or smaller roles in bigger movies like Zoolander. Duchovny would reprise his iconic role in The X-Files reboot from 2016 to 2018.
Kaley Cuoco
Reddit The Big Bang Theory.
Cuoco’s film career hasn’t had the brightest of shines, primarily voice-over roles or forgettable rom-coms. However, Cuoco would return to television with a splash, starring in and serving as executive producer on both the multiple Emmy Award-nominated Harley Quinn.
Jon Hamm
This Mad Men's seven-season run came to an end. Hamm played the dapper Don Draper in the period piece drama, winning the primetime Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series in the show's final year of contention.
After Mad Men took its final bow, Hamm was typically seen in ing roles in such films as 2017's Baby Driver and one of 2022's best films. Luckily, Hamm's leading man role in 2022's Confess Fletch sequel earned positive reviews.
Jessica Biel
"Attempted movie star and future hard Jeopardy question Jessica Biel" was one Bojack Horseman fan's pick for an actor primarily known for television over the big screen. Biel first rose to prominence as oldest daughter Mary Camden in the family drama 7th Heaven.
Following the show's end, the actress was mostly seen in forgettable action movies and tepid comedies. However, Biel managed to find her niche within the crime thriller miniseries genre, as seen with 2022's Candy and 2017's anthology series The Sinner, the latter of which she produces and received an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries Emmy nomination in 2018.
Charlie Hunnam
Reddit Sons of Anarchy, inspired by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Following the biker drama’s final ride, Hunnam is best known for being cast as the original Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey film trilogy, later dropping the role due to scheduling conflicts (via Vanity Fair) and having a slew of box office flops. Hunnam’s most successful film role would be in 2019’s The Gentleman, preceding his return to television in 2022 with Shantaram.
Nina Dobrev
Reddit The Vampire Diaries in one of the best TV villain arcs. A Degreasi: The Next Generation alum, Dobrev departed from the vampire drama in its antepenultimate season.
Despite a nuanced potential, Dobrev hasn’t made much of a transition from television to film due to a lack of intriguing stories, with a ing role in 2017’s XxX: The Return of Xander Cage being her biggest box office success. Her last major movie role was in the 2021 Netflix holiday rom-com Love Hard.
Josh Radnor
Josh Radnor became a household name alongside the rest of the cast of How I Met Your Mother. Although, he is an actor more commonly associated with television roles rather than big-screen characters, with Redditor sancti saying "I don't think I have seen him in anything else."
Once the show ended in 2014, Radnor's film career was rather sporadic with forgettable independent films suffering from limited releases, which ultimately resulted in the actor returning to television in 2018 with the short-lived musical drama Rise. He currently plays actor Lonny Flash on the Amazon Prime series Hunters.
Topher Grace
Reddit That '70s Show.
Grace left the show before the final season, and while he achieved some success with smaller roles in films such as Interstellar and BlacKkKlansman, he isn't regarded as much of a leading man despite his immense potential. Topher Grace has since returned to television with Home Economics and the That '90s Show.
Aaron Paul
Having minor roles in popular shows and teen movies, Aaron Paul's breakout role would be that of intriguing deuteragonist Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad. Even though he garnered three Primetime Emmys for his portrayal, Redditor JurassicBassett picked "Aaron Paul" as a popular television actor with an unpopular film career.
While Paul did land roles in films with impressive casts, the movies failed to make a significant impact due to lackluster stories and waning character versatility. Fortunately, Aaron Paul has comfortably returned to television with The Path, Bojack Horseman, and Westworld, along with being cast in Black Mirror's sixth season (via Variety)