Bad actors are timeless, aren't they? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the actors that definitely lacked in their craft in the 90s (and beyond - let’s be honest!)
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00:00I'm here to do business. If you don't like that, then I'll take off, alright?
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the actors that definitely lacked in their craft in the 90s.
00:09And beyond, let's be honest.
00:11Lookie, lookie, lookie, and cat's black bookie.
00:17Number 10, Carrot Top.
00:19A movie with a poster featuring prop comic Carrot Top surfing through an office can't be that bad, can it?
00:24Yes. Yes, it can.
00:28Tennis, anyone?
00:30You're wearing a skirt.
00:32You must admit I've got the legs to pull it off.
00:35Carrot Top stars as an inventor named Edison.
00:37Get it? He-he.
00:39Whose inventions end up lending him a position at a large invention corporation.
00:43Oh, and he's also a surfer.
00:44Get it? Chairman of the board?
00:47All of this is clearly comedy gold.
00:49Ah! Don't scramble it all in one place.
00:51Have a go, my buddy.
00:53However, the point is, no one asked for Carrot Top to embark on a short-lived acting career.
00:57Nor did anyone ask for Chairman of the Board.
01:00Also, is it in any way believable that Top would romantically score Courtney Thorne-Smith?
01:05No. No, it is not.
01:06An old-fashioned sleepover?
01:07A little breakfast burritos in the a.m.?
01:09What do you say, 8 o'clock?
01:11Oh, hell has a better chance of freezing over.
01:16Number 9, Tom Arnold.
01:18Oh, no, the truck.
01:20It's gone.
01:22I've lost it.
01:23Now it could be anywhere.
01:24One actor who just never really goes away is Tom Arnold.
01:27He began as a writer on the original Roseanne sitcom,
01:30then wrote himself into the show,
01:32and, unfortunately, never looked back.
01:34Nancy's driving me crazy, Dan.
01:36All couples argue, Arnie.
01:38It's different, though. When we were dating, the only fight we ever had was who drives and who moons.
01:41We wish he had.
01:42Despite his lack of acting chops, Arnold's filmography is extensive,
01:46with around 20 movie credits to his name in the 90s alone.
01:50The most recognizable is 1994's True Lies,
01:52although it's tough to really gauge his talents alongside classically-trained thespian Arnold Schwarzenegger.
01:57Stop cheering me on!
02:01Tom Arnold graced the big screen with his presence in such classics
02:05as 1996's The Stupids and 1998's National Lampoon's Golf Punks,
02:09which we all remember fondly, right?
02:12Please hold your applause.
02:13Number 8, Elizabeth Berkley.
02:15I'm drinking coffee to stay awake.
02:17I've been up half the night studying for geometry, and I still don't get it.
02:21The role of Jessie Spano in Saved by the Bell is what Elizabeth Berkley is best known for,
02:25yet we can all agree that the show did not require superior acting talents.
02:29Jessie's caffeine pill breakdown wasn't exactly the Emmy clip they might have envisioned.
02:33Yes, I can! I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so... scared!
02:44However, Berkley finds herself on our list due to the box office disaster that was Showgirls.
02:49She played the lead role of Nomi Malone, and showed us parts that Jessie wouldn't dream of exposing.
02:54I like having them in a nice dress, or a tight top.
03:02You like to show them off.
03:04The film was harshly panned, as was Berkley's performance.
03:07Her subsequent career resulted in guest appearances and minor roles,
03:11as well as a Hallmark Channel movie called Lucky Christmas.
03:13The latter channel we could call a sort of graveyard for former sitcom actors.
03:19From her first 1983 album release to present day, it feels like Madonna has just always been around.
03:25We're not denying her musical talents, nor are we overlooking the commercial successes of A League of Their Own and Evita.
03:39We are, however, saying that acting is perhaps just not her thing.
03:43She appeared in several films in the 90s, and though some were decent entertainment,
03:47none really gained Madonna critical acclaim for her acting.
03:50Answer the question, Miss Carlson. Succinctly, please.
03:55I never hurt him.
03:57Did you humiliate him?
03:59I never humiliated him, either. He picked the games.
04:03It's no wonder she retired from acting after 2002.
04:05The Guardian refers to her Razzie-winning performance in Body of Evidence
04:09as flat as a cycling holiday in the Low Countries.
04:12I felt betrayed. I couldn't handle it, so I left.
04:16Madonna's 90s roles were more reliant on her reputation as a sex symbol than on any actual acting talent.
04:24Hence, like a virgin.
04:26Some people should just stay behind the camera.
04:29Quentin Tarantino is a great director and screenwriter, best known for his stylized violent sequences.
04:34He's been acting for longer than directing, if you can believe that.
04:37Did you know he had a small role on The Golden Girls in 1988?
04:47Let's focus on the 90s, however.
04:49Directing himself in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction,
04:52Tarantino repeatedly found himself in the presence of superior actors
04:55who could make his over-the-top dialogue sound natural.
04:58Coming out of Tarantino's mouth, though, it sounds like an actor reading from a script.
05:10Tarantino's forced acting almost has a grindhouse feel to it,
05:14which might have been the point the more we think about it.
05:16Bad acting is still bad acting, however.
05:27If we say Academy Award, which face comes to mind?
05:30Is it Jean-Claude Van Damme?
05:40No.
05:41Van Damme is from the select group of quote-unquote actors
05:44who rely entirely on their other talents, in this case, martial arts.
05:48He is a master of mainly Shotokan karate and kickboxing, among other accolades.
05:53He appeared in almost 20 films throughout the 1990s,
05:56most of which feature him making the exact same threatening face on their posters.
06:00All of them rely on showcasing fight scenes without wasting time on pesky dramatic acting.
06:05It's really all fight-fight, wooden acting, fight-fight.
06:08That awesome dance scene is from the 80s, by the way.
06:10So there are arguably no redeeming qualities to his 90s work.
06:23Another name synonymous with Razzie Award is Pauly Shore,
06:26whose acting career is, slash, was, definitely a glitch in the Matrix.
06:30His on-screen debut was as an MTV VJ,
06:32which is arguably the most fitting position for Mr. Shore.
06:35Though he had previously done some bit parts on a few productions,
06:38his first somewhat successful feature film was 1994's Encino Man.
06:52The thing is, early on in his showbiz career,
06:54Shore created a character for his stand-up routines called The Weasel,
06:58basically a surfer dude with a likely penchant for herbal remedies.
07:09He never let this go, playing the same character in a number of 1990s film productions,
07:14such as Biodome, Son-in-Law, and Jury Duty.
07:17Remember that movie with Sinbad as a genie called Shazam in the 90s?
07:20Well, it didn't exist.
07:22But, Kazam, starring Shaquille O'Neal, did exist, unfortunately.
07:35The film was a little different.
07:37It was a lot more about the story,
07:39and it was a lot more about the character,
07:41and it was a lot more about the process.
07:43exist. But Kazam, starring Shaquille O'Neal, did exist, unfortunately.
07:56This was because in the 90s, some athletes became so popular that we thought they could
08:00star in movies and it would be great. It was not. There's a reason Shaq's filmography
08:04boasts many himself entries in the cast lineup. The entire narrative can be summed up as such.
08:16Kazam the genie emerges from a boombox, yes, a boombox, and helps little Max with his daddy
08:21issues. Shaq is exactly how you would expect him to be as a genie. He's Shaq. Oh, and
08:25he raps. It's also bad. Almost as bad as his foray into superheroes. Steal.
08:36Number two, Sofia Coppola. Here's an example of nepotism at work. Sofia Coppola has definitely
08:47made a name for herself as a writer, director, and producer of major motion pictures. Her
08:51start in the business, however, was thanks to her parents, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola.
08:55Sofia first appeared on screen in 1972's The Godfather as an infant, which she played
09:00perfectly. After a handful of smaller roles, her father cast her as Mary Corleone in 1990's
09:05The Godfather Part III. Critics focused heavily on her lackluster performance, with at least
09:19one calling her presence a near-fatal flaw. The role was originally set to go to Winona Ryder,
09:23but she dropped out at the last minute, prompting the emergency casting.
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09:50Number 1 – Steven Seagal
09:52Steven Seagal is… an interesting character. His actual history is difficult to track down,
09:58as he is reportedly a liar. For example, claiming he trained under Aikido master Morie Ueshiba when
10:04Ueshiba died years before Seagal moved to Japan. But one thing is for sure, he's not a trained actor.
10:09Seagal did star in some commercial successes, such as 1992's Under Siege. Despite being
10:21considered an upcoming action star at the time, Seagal's career was primarily directed video
10:25from 1998 on. That, kids, is when movies don't even play in movie theaters. He guest-hosted
10:37SNL in 1991 and has been called the worst host in the history of the show. His wooden performances,
10:43subpar fighting skills, and difficult personality are notorious. Is acting not so much?
10:55Who do you think is the worst actor of the 90s, or even all time? Let us know in the comments.
11:07And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.