10 actors who might have been struck by the 'Oscar Curse'

Though the magazine did not find evidence of said curse, the actors on this list might disprove those findings.

Basinger's lone Academy Award nomination and win came over 20 years ago for her role in "L.A. Confidential." It was also the last time she was nominated for any major award. She's since appeared in films like "Fifty Shades Darker," which earned an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and "Bless the Child," which has a 3%.

Berry's award at the 2002 ceremony was a long-overdue win for diversity in the film industry, as she was the first Black woman to win for best actress for her role as Leticia Musgrove in "Monster's Ball."

She then took part in the "X-Men" franchise, but roles like the one in "Catwoman" were critically panned. In fact, "Catwoman" won her a Razzie for Worst Actress in 2004.

Berry, for her part, has said her Oscar win "meant nothing" in the context of diversity, since a woman of color has not won the award since — though that might change in 2021. Both Viola Davis and Andra Day are nominated.

Brody was just 29 when he accepted his Academy Award for his performance in "The Pianist" — remember when he kissed Halle Berry on stage?

But since then, the actor hasn't been able to replicate that level of success. He followed up his win with a role in the musical comedy "The Singing Detective," which has a mediocre 39% on Rotten Tomatoes.

He's appeared in multiple movies ranging from video on demand to box-office successes, but he's never been praised for his acting in the same way.

Ruehl won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Saturn Award for her role in "The Fisher King," but she didn't have much blockbuster success after. Instead, she focused on her stage career.

She was nominated for two Tony Awards and a Drama Desk Award for her appearances on Broadway in "The Shadow Box" and "The Rose Tattoo."

Harden has been relatively successful after her 2001 win for "Pollock." She was nominated again three years later, this time for best supporting actress for "Mystic River," but lost. Since then, she's had a prolific TV career, and she was nominated for two Emmys.

However, Harden herself seems to have confirmed the curse.

"The Oscar is disastrous on a professional level," she told Premiere Magazine soon after her win. "Suddenly the parts you're offered become smaller and the money less. There's no logic to it."

Benigni wrote, directed, and starred in the 1997 film "Life Is Beautiful." He ended up winning for best actor and best foreign film at the 1999 Academy Awards. But since then, he hasn't had much success in the US.

2002's "Pinocchio," which he directed and starred in, was critically panned, with a dismal 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. He returned to the story in 2020, playing Gepetto in another live-action version which had a high 83% critic score, but just a 40% from audiences.

Mo'Nique played completely against type for her role as the abusive mother in "Precious." Some thought she would focus on more dramatic material after the win, but she has reverted back to her comedic roles.

She's only been in four movies since her Oscar, none of which reached the same level of success.

For her part, Mo'Nique believes she was blackballed from the industry after clashing with "Precious" director Lee Daniels and producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.

O'Neal is the youngest competitive winner in the history of the Academy Awards, as she was only 10 years old when she won.

Following her win, her career stalled. She appeared in five films over a period of 15 years, none of which made a big splash in Hollywood. Today, she mainly does cameos and appeared in the Christian film series "God's Not Dead."

Ngor's portrayal of Dith Pran, a Cambodian journalist, in 1984's "The Killing Fields" earned him a best supporting actor statue, making him the only Asian person to win best supporting actor in their debut performance, the second Asian actor ever to win, and only one of two non-professional actors to win.

Although he earned rave reviews, Ngor didn't appear in any other Oscar-worthy films, and his career was tragically cut short when he was shot dead by gang members in Los Angeles in 1996.

Her first movie part was in "Children of a Lesser God," which she won the Oscar for in 1987 — a rare feat. She was the first deaf actress to even be nominated for an Academy Award.

But 20 years later, Matlin's most recognizable roles are her TV parts, like Joey Lucas in "The West Wing," or her stint on "Dancing with the Stars." The parts for deaf actors are still, frustratingly, few and far between.