A bad actor consistently in great films:
How do you know it’s a great film and not merely a really good film or a well-liked classic? It’s hard to say. But we can rely on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes to find some well-received motion pictures in search of their worst actors.
But what separates a bad actor from a mediocre actor? And who among these has defied the odds, finding themselves in a long string of impressive movies over a lifetime? We’ll have to scour online lists touting the most disliked thespians, seeking those who keep finding roles in worthy movies.
With the question’s wording “in great films” and not necessarily “appearing in great films,” I’ll include voiceovers in animated movies.
Bad acting
You’ve got Will Ferrell, an overrated actor who’s constantly in annoyingly childish movies. But that’s not a bad actor in great films. There’s Rob Schneider and Adam Sandler, listed on Vox as the only two mainstream actors whose movies maintain an average metacritic score lower than 37. But that won’t answer the question either.
So I scanned through various Internet lists of worst actors. Most of them appropriately had an endless filmography of pathetic films, the scripts being on par with their ability. And then … there is the anomaly of Nicolas Cage.
Nicolas Cage
Jeff Rindskopf of CheatSheet ranked him the 7th worst actor in Hollywood history. Rhys McKay of Who Magazine ranked him 4th worst. New Idea magazine ranked him 10th worst. Cage notched five Worst Actor Golden Raspberry nominations from 10 different films in the span of nine years, the 5th worst total among Hollywood actors. And the embarrassing accolades keep coming. But he also won an Oscar for Best Actor. This guy is a conundrum!
Filmography
So Cage ranks among the worst actors according to a number of critics, at least when it comes to scripts that weren’t complementary to his acting style. But does Cage consistently find his way into great films? Absolutely! Perhaps this total enigma of a man is the perfect answer to the question!
The average metacritic score for his movies is a 47, so that’s not looking so good. Taking any part he can get while dealing with alleged a mountain of debt might have affected that somewhat. But consider the following films that exceed a 7.0 rating on IMDB (I’ve included the Rotten Tomatoes audience score as well). This list illustrates 21 acclaimed movies, steadily and consistently released throughout Cage’s career, featuring a healthy mix of starring roles, cameo appearances, and voiceovers for one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood (listed in reverse chronological order).
2019 Love, Antosha (8.1, 95%)
2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (8.4, 93%)
2017 Dark (7.1, 95%)
2016 Snowden (7.3, 70%)
2013 The Croods (7.2, 77%)
2010 Kick-Ass (7.6, 81%)
2007 Grindhouse (7.5, 87%)
2005 Lord of War (7.6, 84%)
2003 Matchstick Men (7.3, 74%)
2002 Adaptation (7.7, 85%)
2001 Spaghetti Requiem (7.3, -)
2000 Bel Air (7.3, -)
1997 Face/Off (7.3, 82%)
1996 The Rock (7.4, 85%)
1995 Leaving Las Vegas (7.5, 85%)
1990 Wild at Heart (7.2, 81%)
1987 Raising Arizona (7.3, 85%)
1987 Moonstruck (7.1, 81%)
1984 Birdy (7.3, 84%)
1983 Rumble Fish (7.2, 80%)
1982 Fast Times at Ridgemont High (7.2, 80%)
Cage appeared in his first feature film Fast Times (above) as an 18-year-old using his birth name Nicolas Coppola (yes, the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola). Since then, he’s never gone more than three years without another well-received movie as seen above (except that one five-year span from 1990 to 1995), proving his consistency.
I cannot imagine anyone else in Hollywood who is frequently mentioned on lists of worst actors while consistently landing roles in movies ranked higher than 7.0 on IMDB decade after decade for 37 consecutive years.
These movies have made Nicolas Cage a multimillionaire and a recognizable face throughout a multitude of generations. And admittedly, the guy is unique and pretty entertaining.
Runner-up: My case for Kadrolsha Ona Carole
Kadrolsha is known more as the “Queen of the Paranormal” than as a Hollywood actor, likely unknown to many of you (unless you’re a comic book fan). She’s assembled an unusual career with uncredited bit parts in some of Hollywood’s biggest movies. In fact, she’s tied with Scarlett Johansson with the most billion-dollar movie appearances! But she is certainly not an exceptional actor.
From 1973 to the present, she’s been an extra in such films as Joker (8.5), 12 Years a Slave (8.1), The Exorcist (8.0), X-Men: Days of Future Past (7.9), Captain America: Civil War (7.8), Straight Outta Compton (7.8), 1900 (7.7), Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (7.6), Creed (7.6), John Wick: Chapter 2 (7.5), John Wick: Chapter 3 (7.4), Labyrinth (7.4), It (7.3), Lost in La Mancha (7.3), Iron Man 3 (7.2), King Kong (2005, 7.2), The Post (7.2), Anchorman (7.2), Meet Joe Black (7.2), and Highlander (7.1).
If you lost count, that’s 20 films exceeding a 7.0 rating on IMDB over the span of 47 years with at least one of those in each of the last six decades! Her hit movie appearances aren’t nearly as consistent as Nicolas Cage’s. But she’s proved longevity, dependability, acting talent sufficiently lacking to the extent of never nabbing a prominent role in Hollywood, and an unbelievable knack for acquiring minor roles in some of the most popular movies.
She even found her way into popular series such as Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, Supernatural, Modern Family, The Walking Dead, NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, The Rookie, and Stranger Things, all in uncredited roles.
Forget the paranormal Kadrolsha! You are apparently the Queen of Extras.
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