10 Actors Who Always Make Bad Movies Better

There are a lot of elements that go into making a movie great, from the screenplay, to the direction, and even the editing. It's not uncommon for the main factor to be the actors, as is the case for some of the worst movies ever made. Some of the best "so bad it's good" movies of all time have performances that are so terrible, they're somehow more memorable than some of their actors' greater roles. However, being in a bad movie hasn't stopped some actors from maintaining their reputations in Hollywood. 

As proven time and time again, actors cannot be judged by the quality of their worst movies. Some undoubtedly incredible actors have made misguided choices in their careers, whether it's a poor attempt at gaining mainstream attention or a project that just simply didn't come out they way they intended. For years, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were ridiculed for their performances in the "Twilight" movies, only for their recent careers to prove that they're actually some of the best actors of their generation. 

Some actors, try as they might, may rarely be able to turn in great performances. Meanwhile, others not only put their best foot forward every time, but in some cases, they're able to elevate the material. For these 10 actors, they may have starred in a few clunkers every now and then, but even in their worst films, they still somehow manage to blow us away.

Here are 10 actors who always make bad movies better.

It's only been ten years since Adam Driver became a household name, thanks to 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," but he's built up quite the filmography since. After a film debut in Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" and a starring role in HBO's "Girls," Driver soon became an unavoidable A-lister, hilariously hosting "Saturday Night Live" and racking up nominations for films like "BlacKkKlansman," "Marriage Story," and "Ferrari."

The past decade has resulted in some of the best Adam Driver movies, but there has been a fair share of bad ones, too. "The Rise of Skywalker," the final chapter of the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, was notably bashed by critics, though some reviews named Driver one of the few great parts of the entire film. There was also 2023's "65," a sci-fi thriller starring Driver as an astronaut that many found unimpressive, despite a committed performance from its lead. 

However, it was 2024 that gave us a legendarily terrible film in "Megalopolis," Francis Ford Coppola's big, beautiful, messy passion project (seen above) in which Driver plays a Nobel Prize-winning architect tasked with building the titular utopia. It even includes a scene /Film described where "the movie stops dead in its tracks so Driver's [Cesar] Catilina can answer a question from the audience." Other reviews of "Megalopolis" singled out Driver for being one of the few actors to take the whole thing seriously, proving he may be one of the few movie stars who could actually keep your attention for a movie like this.

Think about it: What does a bad performance from Emma Stone look like? If it exists, we haven't seen it. The actress started off in teen comedies like "Superbad" and "Easy A," but she's mastered all genres by now, including rom-coms ("Crazy, Stupid, Love"), sports biopics ("Battle of the Sexes"), Disney movies ("Cruella"), period dramas ("The Favourite"). She even won two Oscars for Best Actress, for the original musical, "La La Land" and thje genre-defying fantasy comedy, "Poor Things." 

It might seem like Emma Stone is on an unparalleled streak in terms of making great choices as an actress, but lest you forget, she was also in one of the worst films ever made. "Movie 43" (seen above) was an epic disaster, starring an ensemble of A-listers in raunchy vignettes, with Stone appearing opposite another future Oscar winner, Kieran Culkin. Even in the most scathing reviews of the film, Stone was credited for her comedy chops (if only the comedy was there to begin with) and for being "ok" in a sea of career lows.

As for Stone's other bad films, none of them are as deeply offensive to audiences, partly thanks to Stone's work. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" was hated by fans, but consistently Stone and Andrew Garfield were praised for their chemistry as Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker. The predictable rom-com "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" features Stone as the comedic high point, and even her controversial casting in the movie "Aloha" garnered the actress some praise for her likable performance. 

It seems like the past few years have seen Pedro Pascal go from an entertaining character actor to one of the industry's biggest stars, and in 2025, that'll continue with season two of "The Last of Us," Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," and Ari Aster's "Eddington." He's an actor we're always happy to see on screen, even when the rest of the film surrounding him isn't so good. Sure, you may have yet to see the best Pedro Pascal films, but you likely haven't seen some of his worst, either. 

One of Pascal's more high-profile flops was "The Great Wall," an action film with Matt Damon where the duo play mercenaries who join forces with the Chinese empire to protect the titular wonder of the world from aliens. The film got a lot of criticism, but also a fair share of reviews singling out Pascal for his performance as the wise-cracking Tovar. There's also the cheesy "Wonder Woman 1984," of which /Film called the character of Maxwell Lord "a role that played perfectly to Pascal's natural charisma." Nevertheless, other reviews found the film a huge step down from its 2017 predecessor. 

For those who are hungry for comedy about COVID-19 (a.k.a, no one), there's "The Bubble" (seen above), a Netflix exclusive in which Pascal plays an actor quarantined in a hotel while filming a big Hollywood movie. The movie's quite bad, but easily the most fun part is Pascal's flirtation with a hotel receptionist played by Maria Bakalova. 

Anyone who watched Anya Taylor-Joy's mainstream debut in Robert Eggers' "The Witch" knows just how captivating of a screen actress she is. Her projects since haven't proven otherwise, with the actress wowing television audiences in "The Queen's Gambit" and completely dominating George Miller's "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" in the titular role. And yet, even though Taylor-Joy has been quite a few bad movies, we've never been disappointed to see her. 

Take, for instance, "The New Mutants," an "X-Men" spin-off (pictured above) that was delayed for years before finally releasing in 2020 to tepid reviews, though no one could deny how perfect of a casting choice Taylor-Joy was for the character Magik. There's also David O'Russell's messy mystery "Amsterdam," in which some critics praised Taylor-Joy's comically insane Libby Voze, even suggesting her and Rami Malek's characters were more interesting than the film's plot itself. 

Most recently, Taylor-Joy starred in Apple TV+'s "The Gorge," a romantic sci-fi pulp that is a lot more ambitious than it is good, but of which we at /Film wrote, "It's no coincidence that [Miles Teller] and Taylor-Joy — two stars uniquely capable of communicating so much with their eyes and body language alone — are more than up to the task and practically melt the screen with their sizzling chemistry." Whether the film itself is great or not, an appearance from Anya Taylor-Joy is all it needs to make it worth a watch, which speaks volumes about her charismatic acting. 

Paul Rudd may not look like he ever ages, but boy, some of his movies have! The best Paul Rudd movies include a wide variety of projects, from iconic high school comedies like "Clueless" to eclectic farces like "Wet Hot American Summer." However, like any comedy actor, some things just don't really work. To prove our point, not even Rudd's "charming-as-ever" performance as Scott Lang could save the MCU's undercooked adventure "Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania," but at least he tried.  

Even less high-concept films from Rudd have failed with critics, such as James L. Brooks' "How Do You Know," even though Rudd's character (seen above) was deemed likable by critics. Some critics even felt that despite its flaws, actors like Rudd and Reese Witherspoon make for an engaging cast no matter what the film is. 

Ultimately, some of the all-time worst films starring Paul Rudd are probably ones you've never even seen, like the 2008 rom-com "Over Her Dead Body," in which Rudd plays a man whose new girlfriend (Lake Bell) is haunted by the ghost of his recently-deceased fiancee (Eva Longoria). As one critic attested for The Chicago Tribune, despite having not very nice things to say about Rudd as an actor, "[If] it weren't for Rudd and Bell bringing a few sly details to the party there wouldn't be any party at all." Whether the film's a high-budget Marvel movie, or an endearing rom-com like "Admission" with Tina Fey, Rudd can turn any bland script into a blockbuster. 

Betty Gilpin has had quite the prosperous career in TV, from her Emmy nominated run on Netflix's "GLOW" to her recent critical acclaim for "Three Women." However, thus far in film, her roles have been few and far between, especially compared to the praise she gets from any of the television shows she's worked on. Nevertheless, there's not a single one of these performances that isn't a lesson in incredible acting from the (hopefully) future Oscar winner. 

One of Gilpin's few starring roles in a film thus far was the 2020 thriller "The Hunt" (seen above), as one of eleven captives of high-class elites forced to be hunted for their entertainment. The film had the bad luck of opening in March 2020, and despite being called a lackluster gore-fest, Gilpin kicks ass, as we wrote, "Gilpin is phenomenal here, taking what could've been a mostly one-note character and applying strange alchemy to the part ... If only the rest of the movie were up to Gilpin's standards." 

Aside from Gilpin's incredibly compelling performance in an otherwise boring action movie, there's also "The Tomorrow War," a surprisingly fun sci-fi action film on Amazon Prime Video, in which Gilpin dazzles even with limited screen time as the hand-wringing wife of Chris Pratt's Green Beret. She even earned praise for her supporting roles in comedy films like "Coffee & Kareem" and "Stuber." Until Gilpin gives us a bad performance, we'll continue to show up for her future projects again and again.

Here's how you know that Harrison Ford is a legendarily great actor: He has never, in his 60-year career, cared deeply about "Star Wars," yet every performance as Han Solo was nothing short of magical. Even his cameo in "The Rise of Skywalker" was easily one of the best scenes of the entire film. With hundreds of credits to his name, of course Ford has been in some truly terrible films, but odds are he's the best part of every single one of them, whether it's the divisive "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," or CGI slop like "Ender's Game."

Most recently, Ford proved he hasn't lost his spark even in old age with "Captain America: Brave New World" (pictured above). The actor's MCU debut has received tons of criticism for its bland story, predictable twists, and what we at /Film called a safe, forgettable rehash of Marvel's success with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." And yet, Ford was consistently praised for his characterization of Thaddeus Ross, having taken over the role from the late William Hurt, bringing the gravitas and emotional depth the film lacks elsewhere.  

"Brave New World" is far from the worst film Ford has been forced to save, because "Paranoia" still exists. The 2013 thriller was criticized by many for its non-sensical plot, but at the very least it's an opportunity for audiences to see Ford reunite on-screen with Gary Oldman, who he previously starred with in the much better "Air Force One." 

There's two types of people in this world: those who believe Amy Adams is overdue for an Oscar, and those who are wrong. The greatest Amy Adams movies include some of the best movies of all time, like Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" or Denis Villeneuve's "Arrival." However, for an actor as hard-working as Adams, she's been in more than a few films that we'd prefer to forget about, even if she gives splendid performances in them. 

For instance, she notably portrayed Lois Lane in Zack Snyder's DC films, including the divisive "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice," but many critics rightly pointed out that Adams' character is way more active in the film than even Superman himself, unless Lois Lane happens to be the one in danger. Even positive reviews of "Zack Snyder's Justice League" praised Lois Lane's reunion with Superman as one of the film's emotional highlights. 

Other poor reviews of Adams' films may have done better for themselves if the films had more Adams in them, as is the case with "Dear Evan Hansen," in which her role as a grieving mother (pictured above) latching onto the promise of her son's memory might've worked better if she was as integral to the film as she is to the Broadway musical it's based on. There's also "Hillbilly Elegy," in which she earnestly plays the addict mother of *checks notes* future Vice President J.D. Vance, which even for shameless Oscar-bait drama is very, very bad, despite Adams' commendable performance. 

Denzel Washington's recent stint as Othello on Broadway with Jake Gyllenhaal has seen some surprisingly mixed reviews, yet ticket prices still reach near $1,000 a piece. It just goes to show that, as Washington once said in "Training Day," King Kong ain't got s*** on him. It's not a hot take to say that Denzel Washington is the best actor ever, but if Michael Jordan could be bad at baseball, then Washington can have a few bad eggs in his filmography. 

Most recently, a scene-stealing Denzel Washington in "Gladiator II" may have been the only saving grace for Ridley Scott's film, as we at /Film wrote, "Washington never goes over the top here, and there's such fun to be had from his performance ... It's genuinely thrilling to see him up on the screen." One could argue, despite strong box office performances, "The Equalizer" trilogy would've never made it past one film without Washington leading the franchise. 

Lackluster reviews for a film like "The Book of Eli" also couldn't keep audiences away from the sheer screen presence of Denzel, even as critics predicted the opposite. For a truly bad film from Washington, you'll have dig deep into his filmography from the pre-"Malcolm X" years, such as when he starred in "Heart Condition" with Bob Hoskins, though even there Washington's charisma is on full display. The actor recently claimed to have only a few films left in him, so he's not gonna start phoning it in anytime soon. 

There's a reason why Meryl Streep's name has become synonymous with good acting. Just take a look at the best Meryl Streep movies, and you'll see that it doesn't matter what director, genre, co-star, or setting you put her in, when you cast Streep, you're casting one of the greatest actresses of all time. The woman has three Academy Awards, one of them being for "The Iron Lady," in which she plays Margaret Thatcher. The catch? "The Iron Lady" wasn't even that well-reviewed, with many feeling it overshadowed the film itself. 

"The Iron Lady" isn't an outlier in Streep's filmography, either. One of her lowest-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes, "Lions for Lambs," had an incredible amount of talent behind it, including Tom Cruise co-starring, Robert Redford directing and even a young Andrew Garfield making his film debut. Yet, what sounds like a great idea on paper (having Streep come to verbal blows with Cruise) left a lot to be desired in execution. 

Even the unremarkable can be made remarkable just by having Streep flex her acting chops. For Nancy Meyers' "It's Complicated," Streep earned lots of praise (as usual) for her deeply committed and likable performance as a middle-aged woman in the midst of a love triangle, while the film itself was criticized for being too predictable and sappy. Yes, Streep is one of the best actors ever, but let's not act like she hasn't been in mediocre films, instead accept the truth that she's still good in them.