The stars who were meant to be Hollywood’s next leading man
There are several actors pegged to be Hollywood’s next big thing but just sadly never quite made it.
Hollywood is simply overrun with talent with breakout stars including the dashing Paul Mescal who came to fame in 2020 after appearing in Normal People.
Hollywood’s favourite leading men of the moment include the likes of Jacob Elordi, Leo Woodhall, Timothee Chalamet, Tom Holland and Nicholas Galitzine.
But there are plenty of potential leading men who never quite made it big.
From teen heartthrobs to one-hit wonders, there are so many actors who had all the potential to be the next leading man of Hollywood, but for some reason or another fell short of breaking through.
Here’s a rundown of some of the actors that fans had major hopes for – but just didn’t quite cut the mustard.
Regé-Jean Page
After appearing as Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings, in Bridgerton fans were drooling over Regé-Jean Page, 36, and expected the actor to be the next big star.
The actor went on to host SNL and quit the popular Netflix series with rumours even suggesting he could be the next James Bond.
However, apart from appearing in the 2022 film The Grey Man and a 2023 Dungeons and Dragons movie, the star hasn’t been seen since, leaving a lot of fans disappointed that he stepped away from the Netflix series so quickly.
Alex Pettyfer
Alex Pettyfer, 34, was a heartthrob of the noughties who captured hearts with his appearances in Wild Child, I Am Number Four, Magic Mike, and Endless Love.
Despite having legions of teenage fans and continuing to appear in a number of films, the actor was unable to replicate the success he had in his early career.
The star isn’t lacking in talent and is still busty, appearing in four films in 2024. He recently appeared alongside Henry Cavill in Guy Ritchie’s box office bomb The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
Taylor Lautner
Following his role as Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga, fans expected Taylor Lautner to have a career echoing the success of his co-stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.
Although he appeared in the films Valentine’s Day in 2010 and Abduction in 2011 while the Twilight films were being released, once the franchise was over in 2012 the actor only appeared in a handful of films.
Taylor did appear on TV shows Cuckoo and Scream Queens, but his success in later life did not match the extreme excitement surrounding the actor when he appeared as the heartthrob werewolf.
Josh Hutcherson
After appearing as a child in The Bridge to Terebithia, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and The Kids Are All Right, the actor was successful early in his career.
But his real break came as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games franchise when the 32-year-old actor was supported by a huge fanbase who eagerly awaited his next move.
Following the dystopian action franchise the actor appeared in a variety of films including 57 Seconds and Burn, many of which were met with middling success.
Since The Hunger Games, the actor is best known for his Hulu TV role The Future Man, in which he starred as the main character from 2017 until 2020.
Logan Lerman
Logan Lerman, 32, had huge success in the early 2010s in the Percy Jackson franchise as the eponymous character, and as Charlie Kelmeckis in the critically acclaimed The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
The actor has infrequently appeared in blockbusters such as Fury and Bullet Train and appeared in the TV series Hunters from 2020 to 2023.
Although he is still a busy actor, he has yet to replicate the success from just over a decade ago and has not quite become the leading man fans may have hoped.
Nonetheless, the actor still has a loyal fanbase who swooned after seeing his grey long locks and was dubbed the internet’s favourite ‘white boy of the century’.
Jesse Metcalfe
Jesse Metcalfe set hearts racing as the eponymous character in 2006’s John Tucker Must Die and as John Rowland in Desperate Housewives.
While fans may have loved him as the cheeky gardener ploughing more than just the lawns at Wisteria Drive, the actor didn’t have any other major roles after bursting onto the screens in the noughties.
Notably, the actor appeared in TV shows Chase, Dallas, and Chesapeake Shores. In 2022, the actor also appeared in The Masked Singer as an astronaut.
Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray was the man of the moment after appearing in Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, A Cinderella Story, and Freaky Friday.
Despite capturing the hearts of teen girls across the globe, the actor went on to appear in a few films that were critically panned or low-budget and didn’t set the actor apart from the pack.
In recent years however the star has had a bit of a resurgence after appearing in Netflix’s Merry Gentlemen and Mother of the Bride. The star is also set to appear in a Freaky Friday sequel with the original cast, set to be released in 2025.
Ed Westwick
Ed Westwick’s success was huge after he appeared in Gossip Girl as Chuck Bass. While appearing in the series he also appeared in star-studded films including Chalet Girl and J Edgar.
Expectations were high for the English actor but Ed went on to appear in several films that never quite made their way into the mainstream.
The actor appeared in the TV series White Gold from 2017 until 2019 and more recently a film called Dark Game in 2024.
Tom Welling
Tom Welling made his name as the young Clark Kent in the Superman spin-off series, Smallville which ran from 2001 until 2011.
The actor also appeared in the movies Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 in the early noughties, but after his Superman series ended the star moved away from acting on television.
The actor didn’t return to the screen until 2017 when he appeared in Lucifer. Since then the actor has appeared in various TV shows including Professionals and The Winchesters, none of which quite captured the intense fame of his youth.
The stars who were meant to be Hollywood’s next leading man
