He was headed in the direction of Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Luckily, Lee Daniels's The Butler has helped salvage Forest Whitaker's career.
I was afraid that Forest Whitaker was gonna languish in the direct to video/DVD market much like Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Coincidentally, Cuba also had a supporting role in Lee Daniels's The Butler and he was singled out for his performance in that movie. Word has it that Lee Daniels's The Butler could potentially launch Cuba's comeback to the big screen.