MovieChat Forums > Rocky (1976) Discussion > How come Carl Weathers never became a bi...

How come Carl Weathers never became a bigger star post-"Rocky"?


And before you bring it up, yes I know that he's now on The Mandalorian and he as a whole, been a steadily working actor for 40+ years. Following his final appearance in the Rocky franchise in the fourth movie, he was the second billed star in Predator behind Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the lead in the Joel Silver produced Action Jackson. Instead, his resume over the last 30 years is mostly TV (such as Street Justice and In the Heat of the Night) and low budget movies (and Happy Gilmore).

https://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/554958-what-actor-you-surpised-isnt-bigger-star-36.html

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It's a mystery. I've wondered about this from time to time myself. I've always thought he was outstanding in Rocky, and he was almost too good for Happy Gilmore. So I'm guessing he's picky with his roles. But I can't say for certain.

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Racism

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If you're comparing him to Arnold or Sly, then yeah he didn't become a super duper mega star. But very few actors do. But if you look at his career as a whole, he was incredibly successful. Especially when you consider he wasn't traditionally trained as an actor. He actually played in the NFL, then got into acting when that ended. Most actors.... of all races..... would kill to have a career like his.

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critics trashed Action Jackson. Vanity was slammed for being a terrible actress. i remember seeing the commercial constantly on tv. apparently the movie was financially successful (not mega). i guess this one was his chance to go next level and the critics killed it?

it kinda reminds me of Richard Grieco. "If looks could kill" was trashed by critics. publicly it seemed like Grieco was destined to follow Johnny Depp out of 21 jump st. but this movie was a financial flop compared to action jackson. so at least money could explain this one.

both these movies seemed exceptionally hated by critics at the time

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Your bringing up Action Jackson and If Looks Could Kill in one post makes me think we may be best friends.

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lol, perhaps. i liked both. i saw both of them in the theaters. nothing ground breaking and a lot of corny stuff as most action movies were. but people treated those movies like they do 'Gigli' (which i never seen, but i hear is terrible).

vanity got trashed like JLo did. it was water cooler talk at the time how terrible an actress she was. it wasnt "Hey, they jumped 3 stories from a building and walked away". it was always silly to me. just a couple of fun popcorn flicks.

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Carl Weathers has been extremely successful. He's stated in interviews that he likes the way his life has turned out. Unlike Stallone & Schwarzenegger he's satisfied with his career and the comfort it brings him. He doesn't feel the need to be the "Ultimate" success story.

Another good example is Tracey Walters. He's been working steady for decades. His best friend is Danny DeVito so he has the connections. He likes the idea of only having to work once or twice a year and still be comfortable.

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Wasn’t that the actor who played Bob the Goon in Batman?

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Correct

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What's funny is that when you go through an actors filmography you realize, they are famous for certain rolls and just overall likeable. Please look at at Sylvester's filmography, he has more quantity than quality. This coming from someone who Loves Demolition Man, Cobra, Tango and Cash, Cliffhanger.

I think Carl Weathers has done fine.

But seriously, I can't remember which actor, but going over their filmography it really disappointing.
???You Command this amount of money per film , based on your success of 3 movies?

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Bruce Willis is kinda like that.

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Dwayne Johnson. That guy makes huge money and apparently so do the films he's in. But none of them are iconic or classic.

Stallone has Rocky and Rambo. Arnie has Terminator and Predator. Dwayne has nothing of the sort.

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Nothing he has started, anyway. He has been in everything from Fast and and the Furious, Jumanji, and soon Black Adam but all parts of already successful franchises. He needs to start a new franchise that is not connected to anything.

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I mentioned this on The Rocks page here. hes done nothing but tag into established franchises. Partially to blame is the creatively bankrupt Hollywood we live in (where everything Is either a comic book movie or a sequel to a nostalgic movie from a bygone era).

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It could be that Carl was happy working, be it in movies or TV. Not every actor WANTS to be a leading actor or actress. They just want to work at something.

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You could say that about a lot of actors. Michael Clarke Duncan comes to mind. After The Green Mile, he did Daredevil in which he was very good. Definitely had the size and voice for a character like the Kingpin. Too bad the movie sucked. He ended up doing TV too.

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