While today it appears as if every single actor is the leading star of their own franchise, there are still a few performers left in Hollywood who have yet to take up a role in a long-running series. Over the past 15 years of moviemaking, the franchise has overtaken all other types of movies as the predominate moneymaker at the box office, and as such, every major actor gets to play their part in at least a minor role within an ongoing film series such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But a select few have stood firm and chosen not to get wrapped in the world of movie franchises.
Some actors have yet to appear in a movie franchise due to the right opportunity never coming along, however, they are on record as stating they would not be opposed to a role in a franchise. Others have been very calculated and intentional with a decision not to appear in a movie franchise or sequels and instead pursue one-off roles or prolific creative collaborations with auteur filmmakers. Whatever the reason, there are still a few major actors who have never starred in a movie franchise.
Richard Gere
Richard Gere has consistently taken roles in a variety of genres
Richard Gere is one of the last actors of his generation who has not yet boarded the franchise train. Gere is best known for movies such as American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Pretty Woman, and despite never tipping his toe into the world of blockbuster franchises, has not entirely ruled out the idea. Gere told ComicBookMovie.com he would consider taking up a role in a superhero film only if they were not formulaic and that he would be interested “if there’s something quirky and unexpected and it doesn’t just end up with a big fight at the end of the movie.”
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda has achieved major success without the help of franchises
While Jane Fonda has taken up roles across countless genres, such as science fiction in Barbarella, Westerns like Cat Ballou, and comedy roles including Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, throughout her impressive career she has avoided movie franchises. The closest Fonda ever came to her own franchise was through her series of workout videos, which began in 1982 with Jane Fonda’s Workout and helped revolutionize the fitness industry. While Fonda is now in her late 80s, she has remained active and continues to take up starring roles in movies.
Sean Penn
Sean Penn has intentionally avoided franchises
The Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn has intentionally avoided roles in major movie franchises as he claims they have “claimed so much time in the careers of so many talented people” (via Associated Press.) Penn may have the right idea as so many incredible actors find themselves tied into years-long deals for movie franchises that end up forcing them to give up on potentially much more rewarding roles. Had Sean Penn become a franchise actor, viewers may never have got to see his incredible work both in front and behind the camera in films like Mystic River, Into the Wild, and Milk.
Michael Cera
Michael Cera may find himself accidentally within a franchise
Michael Cera made a name for himself as an awkward introvert on shows like Arrested Development and movies such as Juno and Superbad. With a litany of interesting roles, including in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Molly’s Game, and even Twin Peaks, Cera has steered clear of franchises and forged his own path in show business over the past 25 years. However, with the incredible success of Barbie, where Cera played Ken’s friend Allan, it is hard to imagine that Mattel won’t endeavor to turn Barbie into its own cinematic universe at some point in the near future and Cera may find himself drawn into the world of franchises.
Toni Collette
Toni Collette avoids repeating herself and has never been in a franchise
Australian actress Toni Collette has proved herself a versatile and talented performer across a wide variety of genres. With memorable roles in movies such as The Sixth Sense, About a Boy, and Hereditary, Collette has avoided franchises and sequels, appearing to prefer one-off roles where she can expertly shine and quickly move onto new, exciting, projects. Collette told Vogue that she never had a plan for her career but also that she would have felt weird doing the same thing twice, which likely explains her aversion to franchise work, the world of blockbuster superhero movies, and ongoing cinematic universes.
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh has done it all, excluding franchsies
Over the past four decades, Jennifer Jason Leigh has quietly demonstrated herself as one of the most versatile and interesting actresses in Hollywood. With a breakout role in the teen film Fast Times at Richmond High, to expert work as fugitive Daisy Domergue in The Hateful Eight, and the devoted mother of an autistic child in Atypical, Leigh appears to have done it all, except for franchises. While Leigh continues to take up interesting roles, Leigh appears to forgo superhero movies and ongoing series, to instead try her hand at different challenges, such as her recent appearance in the fifth season of Fargo.
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Ronan was on Marvel’s radar, but has yet to join a franchise
Irish American actress Saoirse Ronan has demonstrated herself as one of Hollywood’s most talented young performers with starring roles in Brooklyn, Lady Bird, and Little Women. Ronan has worked for acclaimed directors such as Peter Jackson, Wes Anderson, and Greta Gerwig, and has never starred in a franchise or movie series. However, this was almost not the case as Ronan was reportedly Marvel’s choice to play Yelena Belova in Black Widow and was rumored to be Joss Whedon’s “prototype” for Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch back when Avengers: Age of Ultron was in development.
John Cusack
John Cusack was almost a franchise star back in the 1980s
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John Cusack made a name for himself as a 1980s teen heartthrob in films like Sixteen Candles and Say Anything and later transitioned into interesting roles in films such as Being John Malkovich and the acclaimed Brian Wilson biopic Love and Mercy. With such a varied career, it is surprising Cusack never starred in a franchise. However, this was almost a much different story, as in 1985 Cusack was the first choice to play Spider-Man in a canceled John Hughes-inspired take on the Marvel hero.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis never chose to partake in a franchise
It is no surprise Daniel Day-Lewis has not taken up a role in a movie franchise. Before Day-Lewis’ announced his retirement from acting in 2017 he was notoriously picky about the parts he chose to play and would take method acting to the extreme to properly embody his characters. For Day-Lewis’s role in The Name of the Father, he locked himself in solitary confinement. Day-Lewis lived in the woods for The Last of the Mohicans. Day-Lewis spent 18 months training for The Boxer. If Day-Lewis had decided to try his hand at a franchise such as the MCU, one can only imagine how he would have prepared for his role.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio has crafted his career without the aid of a franchise
Leonardo DiCaprio is the biggest movie star who does not star in franchises. While it is true that DiCaprio’s film debut was in the direct-to-video movie Critters 3, since he gained mainstream recognition, DiCaprio avoided sequels and franchises and instead focused on working with auteur directors such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Nolan. The care with which DiCaprio chooses his film roles means that more than 30 years since his debut, a new DiCaprio movie still feels like an event. This care with which DiCaprio has crafted his career stands in stark opposite to the franchise fatigue so many viewers are feeling today.
Sources: ComicBookMovie.com, Associated Press, Vogue
