Now that we've all had time to get used to the idea of LiLo making a comeback, let's look at some good examples she might follow (we're looking at you, Robert Downey, Jr.!).
-Lucia Peters, BettyConfidential.com
Robert Downy Jr Drew Barrymore Jason Bateman
Have we all had sufficient time to digest Lindsay Lohan's SNL appearance from a few weeks ago? Have we gotten if not comfortable with, than at least used to the idea that all signs are pointing to her attempting to make a big comeback? Good, because we've got some schooling to take care of. Namely, if LiLo is really serious about getting back to work, today, we're going to show her exactly how to do it.
These 10 actors (well, 11 if you count the pair of twins as two separate people rather than a single entity, but you know what I mean) all had some pretty great highs early in their careers. Then they suffered some devastating lows. Some of them were quieter than others, and not all of the breakdowns were due to that nebulous, catch-all term "personal problems;" but believe you me, those lows were LOW. Happily, though, they all managed to get through the worst of it, and these days, they're going stronger than ever. So listen up, LiLo: Even if the odds are stacked against you, it can be done. These victorious folks prove it.
1. Robert Downey, Jr.
Robert Downey, Jr.
Of course Robert Downey Jr. would be at the top of the list-his is hands down the most notable comeback of all. Although he was always enormously talented, his early success in the '80s became overshadowed by his issues with drugs and alcohol in in the '90s. Happily, after a long and difficult battle, he was able to beat the addictions and come out on top during the 2000s. Now he's an A-lister, sober, married, and a new dad-AND he's Iron Man to boot. It doesn't get much better than that!
2. Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Another promising star who started to self-destruct, Mickey Rourke left acting in 1991 to go back to boxing-which, in fact, had been his original career before he fell into acting in the '70s. Eventually, though, boxing promoters began saying that he was too old for the sport; additionally, a number of injuries and a bad plastic surgeon left him with what he calls "a mess" That didn't stop him from getting back into film in the 2000s, and hey, guess what? Hey won a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and an Independent Spirit award, as well as earning an Oscar nomination for his performance in 2008's The Wrestler. It just goes to show that you can always change your career path; all it takes is a little hard work to do so.
3. Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
It took NPH a long time to get out from under the shadow of Doogie Howser (being a child star will do that to you), but what he began with Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, he completed with How I Met Your Mother. He also put in some time on Broadway along the way. Suit up!
4. Betty White
Betty White
I know, I know-comeback? What on earth are you talking about? Betty White never went out of style! She's Betty White! But then there's this: After Golden Girls ended in 1992, our beloved Betty kind of faded from the spotlight for a while. She never stopped working, of course (because she's BETTY WHITE); but it was mostly in lower-profile things or as guest shots. During the early 2000s, however, she started to bounce back, and by the end of the end of the decade, she was doing things like starring in Hot in Cleveland (for which she's won all sorts of awards), posing for calendars, and telling the world that she's totally still hot. Raise your hand if you can't wait for her Friars Club Roast this summer!
5. Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore fell into the trap that many child stars of the '80s did: Partying and substance abuse. After her early successes in E.T. and Irreconcilable Differences, she became a regular at Studio 54 while still a child, started smoking cigarettes by age 9, went to booze at 11, moved on to marijuana at 12, and graduated to cocaine by 13. She went to rehab a couple of times in her early teens, one stint of which was brought on by a suicide attempt. Happily, though, a three-month stay with singer David Crosby and his wife-"people that were committed to sobriety," as Crosby put it-and legal emancipation helped Drew get her life back on track. I may not be a big fan of her as an actress, but she's been producing, she's become an activist, and hey, she's gettin' married again! She's healthy, and that ain't nothin'-especially considering where she's been.
6. Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Like Betty White, Alec Baldwin never really went away. He did, however, suffer from some bad press during his messy divorce with Kim Basinger and subsequent battle to stay a part of his daughter Ireland's life (that whole voicemail incident probably didn't help much, either). Simultaneously, he had to deal with a career transition: There's only so long you can play a handsome young leading man, after all. Thank goodness for 30 Rock, though-as Jack Donaghy, he's been able to reinvent himself in a spectacular and hilarious way. Props for that. Now if only he could curb his crippling Words With Friends addiction…
7. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
How the heck do you follow up a success like Titanic? By taking a little time off, that's how. Between the sinking ship and Romeo + Juliet, Leo was undoubtedly the hottest teen idol of the '90s-which ended up being more of a burden than a boon. After a string of box office failures in the year or two following Titanic (remember The Man in the Iron Mask? Ouch!), he wisely took a couple of years off before beginning the next phase of his career in 2001 with Catch Me If You Can. As he's gotten older and been able to choose a more diverse array of projects, Leo has proven himself to be more than just a pretty face. He's got nowhere to go but up!
8. Jason Bateman
Jason Bateman
In 2009, Jason Bateman noted in an interview that his drug use during the '90s reached such epic proportions that "it was like Risky Business for ten years." We, for one, are glad that he managed to get through it-his early successes are one thing (awwww, Little House on the Prairie!), but his adult career has been nothing short of spectacular. From Arrested Development to Juno, he's got the rare gift of being able to play characters that you may not LIKE… but that you somehow can't stop watching anyway. Win.
9. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
In the case of these two, it may not so much be a "comeback" as a reinvention, but it still deserves notice. We're all familiar with the Olsen twins' crazy early career. We're also aware of the issues that they had when they hit their teen years; Mary-Kate in particular had a tough time of things and ultimately ended up suffering from an eating disorder. Thankfully, she got the help she needed, and the twins, now 25, later reemerged as fashion designers and style mavens. Moreover, even though Ashley officially quit acting after their notorious 2004 flop New York Minute, Mary-Kate has been spending the last couple of years getting back into the game, with appearances in The Wackness and the television show Weeds. Little sister Elizabeth seems to be the one in the family with the major acting chops, but Mary-Kate and Ashley aren't doing so badly now that they've made it out to the other side. We sort of wish they'd smile more, though…
10. John Travolta
John Travolta
Like Leo, John Travolta had an enormously successful career when he was younger… only to have it falter around the time the time he turned 30. A series of flops and failures in the '80s led to his fall from grace-but hey, at least then up-and-coming Quentin Tarantino was around, because John's turn as a bizarrely philosophical hit man in 1994's Pulp Fiction was definitely the deciding factor in his career turnaround. Sure, he later made the misstep of producing and starring in the epic failure Battlefield Earth, but besides that, he's done pretty well for himself recently. He even dipped a toe back into musicals-not as the sexy young leading man from his Grease days, but as the larger-than-life Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. Good to know that he's willing to take risks and laugh at himself a little!
