Since then, Aniston has altered her on-screen image and has turned to more raunchy roles. We saw a taste of her dirtier side in 'The Bounty Hunter' (see image), but since then the transition has been quite dramatic with the hotly anticipated arrival of 'Wanderlust' in which she is co-starring in this subversive tale of suburban counter culture, with the artist formerly known as Rachel Green by all accounts going topless, having three-way lesbian sex and indulging in some illegal narcotics. Risky stuff, but this Judd Apatow-produced slice of edginess could breathe some life back into a career fast becoming stale. Indeed she's the latest in a long line of Hollywood actresses to surprise us and relinquish their good girl rep in order to give their careers a push - though sometimes not in the right direction...
Amanda Seyfried, from Mama Mia! to Chloe
Think Amanda Seyfried and flowing blonde locks, Mediterranean beaches and earnestly hollered ABBA songs come to mind. Unless you've seen ‘Chloe’ that is. Obviously eager to subvert her doe-eyed image (reinforced by the likes of 'Dear John' and even 'Jennifer's Body'), Seyfried decided to play a duplicitous call girl who manages to seduce not only Liam Neeson's college professor but also his wife Julianne Moore as well. The performance proved that wholesomeness + naughtiness = sexy.
Lindsay Lohan, from The Parent Trap to Machete
Difficult to think of Lohan as a “good girl” admittedly, but back in 1998 she was as cute as a button in Disney's remake of 'The Parent Trap'. A ton of drugs, a few days’ prison time and a million photos of her drunkenly rolling out of nightclubs later and she's now found herself playing a bit part (which involves a gratuitous nude scene) in trashy action flick 'Machete'. 'Mean Girls' fans will find this sad; others might suggest she brought it on herself.
Natalie Portman, from Leon to Closer
From the age of 12, when she first shot to fame in ‘Leon’, Portman cultivated a brainy, nice girl image (helped by a break from Hollywood to attend Harvard). This all changed in 2004 when she went (almost) naked to play a lying stripper in Mike Newell's caustic relationship drama 'Closer'. Characteristically it was a smart move: it proved she was a talented grown-up star and almost made us forget her performance as Queen Amidala in the 'Star Wars' prequels. Almost.
Jennifer Connelly, from Labyrinth to Requiem for a Dream
Who would have imagined that, 14 years after being surrounded by puppets and staring into David Bowie's glazed-over eyes on the set of 'Labyrinth', Connelly would be shooting up smack and using a two-sided sex toy in 'Requiem for a Dream'? The seriously gritty role sealed her reputation as a cute child-star turned seriously talented adult actress, but made for rather depressing viewing all the same.
Elizabeth Berkeley, from Saved by the Bell to Showgirls
Berkeley was the object of many a teenage boy's affections having played the cute Jessie in early ‘90s high school comedy 'Saved by the Bell'. After the show wound up, this, let's say, limited actress somehow landed herself the lead role in epic mega-bucks, Vegas-set trash-fest 'Showgirls'. Berkeley had to literally bare all in the movie, most memorably in a cringe-worthy swimming pool sex scene with Kyle MacLachlan. Brief notoriety before a return to obscurity followed.
Drew Barrymore, from ET: The Extraterrestrial to Poison Ivy
Drew Barrymore knows all about being a good girl gone bad; she was the adorable child star of 'ET' who became addicted to drugs and ended up stripping for playboy. Her wild teen years are best summed up by her performance in 'Poison Ivy', where the actress played a scheming schoolgirl seductress/murderer with a fetish for older men. Luckily she was fab in the film and (after a spell in rehab) went on to enjoy a stellar adult career.
Julie Andrews, from The Sound of Music to SOB
She was the ultimate paragon of Hollywood wholesomeness after 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Sound of Music'. So imagine audiences’ surprise back in 1981 when they saw the clearly bored Andrews (at the age of 46) going topless and singing alongside erotically-attired toy soldiers in the mixed-up showbiz satire 'SOB'. She deserved points for sheer chutzpah, but the whole thing just felt plain wrong.
Kate Hudson, from How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days to the Killer Inside Me
After a killer performance in 'Almost Famous', Hudson's career appeared to be drifting into a bland rom-com-shaped cul-de-sac ('How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days', 'Fool's Gold', 'Bride Wars' etc). Perhaps an urge to discover her earlier edginess was why she signed on for controversial drama 'The Killer Inside Me', which involved graphic, spanking-heavy sex scenes opposite a murderous Casey Affleck. Actually, compared to that, a career in rom-coms doesn't sound too bad.
Anne Hathaway, from The Princess Diaries to Havoc
What better way to avoid being typecast after 'The Princess Diaries' than to play a promiscuous, crack-smoking wannabe gang-banger? Anne Hathaway did just that with a starring role in drug drama ‘Havoc’. With that out of her system, however, she went back to safer fare like 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Becoming Jane', though the odd voiceover in 'The Simpsons' and 'Family Guy' could hint at more subversive naughtiness to come.
Vanessa Hudgens, from High School Musical to Sucker Punch
When you're a former Disney starlet, it's almost obligatory to sully your former squeaky clean image with a sexy new look when you hit your 20s (Britney Spears anyone?). 'High School Musical' star Vanessa Hudgens is no exception, having swapped the musical mega franchise with a role as a mental asylum patient/high-class hooker/robot-killing ass-kicker in the upcoming 'Sucker Punch' (from understated '300' director Zack Snyder). Her tween fanbase is in for a shock.
Spotted other actresses who've gone over to the dark side? Let me know below.
No comments:
Post a Comment