Hollywood has a long history of young performers becoming famous through television and film, only to face unexpected challenges as they move into adulthood. Making the transition from a beloved teen role to more mature projects can be difficult, especially when an actor becomes strongly associated with a particular character or image.
For some former teen stars, taking on provocative or controversial roles was part of an effort to demonstrate that they had grown beyond their earlier screen personas. However, these choices did not always produce the career boost they may have hoped for. In some cases, the projects attracted more attention for their controversy than for the performances themselves.
That doesn't necessarily mean a particular role was solely responsible for a career slowdown. Hollywood careers are influenced by many factors, including changing audience tastes, box-office performance, studio decisions, typecasting, personal choices, and the availability of good roles.
With that in mind, here are 11 former teen stars whose career paths changed after taking on controversial or more mature roles.
11. Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst established herself as one of Hollywood's most recognizable young performers after appearing in Interview with the Vampire. She followed that breakthrough with an impressive run of movies, including Jumanji, The Virgin Suicides, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Bring It On and Dick.
Her career continued to develop through projects such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the Spider-Man franchise. In 2011, Dunst took on one of her most mature roles in Lars von Trier's Melancholia, a critically recognized drama that included a provocative scene.
Rather than representing a career-ending moment, however, Dunst's later career demonstrated that a performer can move between commercial films, independent projects and television. Her acclaimed performance in the television series Fargo was another reminder of her versatility.
10. Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel became widely known through the long-running family drama 7th Heaven. As she grew older, Biel deliberately began pursuing roles that were very different from the wholesome character that had made her famous.
One of those projects was the 2008 drama Powder Blue, in which she played a stripper. The movie attracted attention for its mature subject matter, but it did not become the major breakthrough that might have changed the direction of her film career.
Biel continued working in movies and television and eventually built a career that extended beyond acting. Her career illustrates how difficult it can be for former television stars to completely escape the image associated with their earliest success.
9. Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes became a household name playing Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek. Her performance as the girl-next-door character helped make her one of the most recognizable young actresses of the late 1990s.
Holmes subsequently appeared in movies such as Go, The Ice Storm and Batman Begins. Earlier in her film career, she also appeared in the psychological thriller The Gift, taking on a significantly more mature role than audiences were accustomed to seeing from her.
Her career later took a different direction, with family responsibilities and high-profile personal events receiving substantial media attention. Holmes continued acting, directing and producing, demonstrating that her career was far from defined by any single controversial role.
8. Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci became famous as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values. Her unusual screen presence helped her transition from child performer to respected young actress.
Throughout the 1990s, Ricci appeared in acclaimed projects including Now and Then, The Ice Storm and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. She later accepted increasingly mature material, including roles in Prozac Nation and Black Snake Moan.
Although some of these projects were controversial, Ricci continued building an impressive career across film and television. Her later work demonstrates that a provocative role does not necessarily determine an actor's long-term prospects.
7. Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano grew up in front of television audiences thanks to Who's the Boss?. After the series ended, she faced the familiar challenge of establishing herself as an adult performer.
Her early post-teen projects included mature films such as Embrace of the Vampire and Poison Ivy II. Those movies attracted considerable attention, but they did not transform her into the major film star that some expected her to become.
Milano ultimately found considerable success on television. Roles in Melrose Place, Charmed, My Name Is Earl and Mistresses kept her in the public eye and established her as a familiar television performer.
6. Neve Campbell
Neve Campbell was one of the defining young actresses of the 1990s. Her success on Party of Five was followed by international recognition as Sidney Prescott in the Scream franchise.
Campbell also appeared in more mature movies, including Wild Things, 54 and Investigating Sex. These projects showed a willingness to move beyond conventional teen roles.
Her career later became less centered on mainstream Hollywood productions, but the Scream franchise remained an important part of her legacy. Her career is a good example of how an actor's path can change even after achieving major early success.
5. Dana Plato
Dana Plato became famous as Kimberly Drummond on the classic sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. Like many child stars, she faced significant difficulties after leaving the series and struggled to find roles that matched the success of her early television career.
Plato eventually appeared in a number of lower-budget productions as she attempted to rebuild her career. Her move toward adult-oriented projects became part of the public narrative surrounding her life, but it was only one element of a much more complicated personal and professional journey.
Sadly, Plato died in 1999 at the age of 34. Her story remains one of the more frequently discussed examples of the difficulties that can accompany life after childhood fame.
4. Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton became a major young television star through The O.C., following earlier appearances in projects such as The Sixth Sense, Notting Hill and Lost and Delirious.
After The O.C., Barton explored a variety of independent projects and more mature roles. One of those projects, Closing the Ring, attracted attention for its adult themes.
Her career subsequently became less prominent in mainstream Hollywood, although she continued to work across film and television. Her experience highlights the challenge many young stars face when attempting to turn a successful teen series into a long-term film career.
3. Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet became famous around the world as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show and later appeared in the spin-off A Different World.
Seeking to move beyond the wholesome television image associated with Denise, Bonet took on dramatically different material. Her role in the controversial 1987 psychological horror film Angel Heart represented a major departure from her television persona.
The film attracted significant attention because of its dark themes and mature content. Bonet's career subsequently followed a more selective path, with fewer mainstream appearances than many viewers might have expected after her early television success.
2. Nicole Eggert
As she moved beyond Baywatch, Eggert appeared in several movies and television projects, including the 1994 film Blown Away. The movie featured more mature material than many of the television roles that had made her famous.
Her career eventually shifted toward television movies, guest appearances and reality television. While her mainstream acting career did not reach the heights some expected, her Baywatch years remain a memorable part of 1990s television history.
1. Elizabeth Berkley
Elizabeth Berkley was already a familiar face to millions of television viewers thanks to her role as Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell. Her decision to take on the lead role in Showgirls represented one of the most dramatic departures from a television persona in 1990s Hollywood.
The 1995 movie received an NC-17 rating and was heavily criticized when it was released. Although Showgirls initially became a major critical and commercial disappointment, it eventually developed a devoted cult following and is now frequently discussed as one of the era's most notorious movies.
For Berkley, however, the film made it considerably harder to establish herself as the kind of mainstream dramatic actress many expected after Saved by the Bell. She continued working in television and film, appearing in productions including The First Wives Club, Roger Dodger and numerous television projects.
Her story is a reminder that one controversial role can sometimes become so closely associated with an actor that it overshadows everything that came before and after it.
Final Thoughts
The transition from teen star to adult performer is rarely straightforward. Some actors successfully reinvent themselves, while others struggle to escape the characters and public images that originally made them famous.
It is also important to remember that a career slowdown cannot automatically be blamed on one provocative role. Hollywood is unpredictable, and factors such as changing opportunities, audience expectations, studio decisions and personal priorities can all influence an actor's career.
Still, these 11 performers provide fascinating examples of how dramatically a Hollywood career can change when a former teen star attempts to leave an earlier image behind.