For actors, making the jump from TV to movies isn’t as easy as you’d think.
It’s a huge gamble since it could either be the best decision they ever made… or the worst, with many celebs finding themselves in movie flop city.
Here are 5 actors who rose to fame after TV and, sadly, 5 who regretted it.
1. Rose to Fame: Benedict Cumerbatch
With the amount of talent the actor has, he made the jump from TV to film so smoothly.
His career truly began on the British TV series, Sherlock before finding a new home in film.
He starred in big-name movies, such as “Star Trek” and “12 Years a Slave.”
He even received an Oscar nomination for his role in The Imitation Game .
Soon, the Marvel Universe came calling, landing the actor in the iconic role as Doctor Strange.
2. Regret: Jessica Biel
It’s been decades since it stopped airing and Biel is still remembered for her role on 7th Heaven , where she played Mary Camden.
With this newfound fame her girl-next-door looks, people thought that she’d be a shoo-in for Hollywood movies.
Sadly, that wasn’t the case since she chose the wrong movies to star in.
This included Valentine’s Day , Summer Catch , and even Blade Trinity .
When she returned to TV in 2017 with The Sinner , her many award nominations proved that TV is where she belongs.
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3. Rose to Fame: Jennifer Lawrence
The very fact that most of us forget Jennifer Lawrence was ever on TV proves that she was always meant for the big screen.
Her first TV role was on Monk before she found major success in The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook , in which she won an Oscar for.
4. Regret: Katherine Heigl
It’s less the TV work Heigl regrets and more the things she said .
While working on Grey’s Anatomy , she dissed the writers of the show by opting out of the Emmy race since she said that they didn’t give her good material to work with.
While she found movie success with movies “Knocked Up,” “The Ugly Truth,” and “27 Dresses,” rumors of her being difficult didn’t help matters.
She even dissed Knocked Up after starring in it!
After a few movie flops, she returned to TV with State of Affairs , which eventually got canceled before finding a spot on Suits .
5. Rose to Fame: Chris Pratt
Before he was Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy , Pratt was simply the goofy Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation .
His dramatic weight loss transformation also had a lot to do with his success. From GOTG , he starred in Jurassic World and Passengers , among others.
6. Regret: any of the “Friends” characters
The ’90s show may have made each of the actor’s household names, but that didn’t amount to much once the beloved sitcom was over.
While Jennifer Aniston found major success in movies, such as “Along Came Polly” and “Just Go With It,” none of them were highly reviewed.
However, in the grand scheme of things, she’s been doing a lot better than her other co-stars who we haven’t seen in much lately, besides Lisa Kudrow.
7. Rose to Fame: Will Smith
Will Smith is one of those rare actors who can do it all! His first major TV role was on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990.
Thanks to his crazy likeability, he became an instant success in Bad Boys in 1995, followed by Independence Day .
8. Regret: Jessica Alba
With good looks and likeability, Alba experienced her breakout role on Fox’s Dark Angel in 2000.
Sadly, she didn’t get quite that same warm reception when it came to movies. After starring in several flops, such as Fantastic Four , she turned to business.
She now runs her own household company called Honest.
9. Rose to Fame: Tom Hanks
Thanks to his iconic roles in cinema, not many people remember Tom Hanks starring on television. But he did, with roles on Happy Days and Family Ties .
He’ll always be considered one of the greatest actors of our time with Big , Forresst Gump , Sleepless in Seattle , and 2019’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood .
10. Regret: Claire Danes
Despite My So-Called Life being canceled after one season, the actress received criticial acclaim for her role.
Spurred by this success, she moved onto movies, with roles in Romeo & Juliet , Brokedown Palace , and Terminator 3 .
Spurred by this success, she set her sights onto movies.
She starred in Romeo & Juliet , Brokedown Palace , and Terminator 3 , but most of these flopped.
She’s now returned to TV with the Showtime drama Homeland , which helped her win two Emmy awards.
