What defines great acting? Some suggest it’s adhering to techniques like Stanislavski’s Method or Chekhov’s principles of acting. Others defer to dominant styles from certain eras of cinema history, like the default approach in 1940s American movies. Some of the infinite approaches to delivering exceptional acting end up delivering widely-derided performances instead, and some of those detested performances from male artists inevitably end up scoring Razzie Award nominations for worst actor. 

This ceremony has come under understandable criticism in recent years for choosing easy and uninspired targets. It doesn’t help that the ceremony has a history of transphobic and fat-shaming rhetoric as well. But if any usefulness endures for the Razzies, it’s in serving as a time capsule of what movies and performances gripped the internet meme machine for a little while. 

The worst actor Razzie winners of the last decade exemplify this. While it’s far past time to put this awards ceremony out to pasture, most of these performances also — at least for a moment — united IMDb, Twitter, and Letterboxd users everywhere in addition to also garnering Razzie “honors.”  At least looking at the last 10 worst actor Razzie winners lets one appreciate a handful of male performances nobody will look to as examples of “great acting” anytime soon.

A recurring motif among modern Razzie ceremonies is awarding worst actor and worst picture awards to right-wing figures headlining especially atrocious movies. It’s a bit obviously meant to make the Razzies look like it’s on the “right” side of history. Of course, this approach isn’t that effective in execution. For one thing, these awards just give Donald Trump, Dinesh D’Souza, and others even more media attention. For another, the Razzies often use derogatory language in their nominations that could have emerged from the mouths of these same political figures. 

Still, this tradition endures, and one of the earliest examples of this phenomenon was awarding Kirk Cameron the worst actor trophy for his 2014 Yuletide boondoggle “Saving Christmas.” The former “Growing Pains” star has spent nearly his entire adult life headlining the worst Christian cinema imaginable, like the insufferable 2008 feature “Fireproof.” That also includes “Saving Christmas,” which follows Cameron trying to convince his fictional brother-in-law inside a car that the rampant commercialization of Christmas is a good thing. Hip hop dancing, hollow calls to action, and discussions of conspiracy theories ensue. 

After garnering dreadful reviews, “Saving Christmas” swept the Razzies that year, including worst picture. It’s no wonder Cameron also won worst actor for one of 2014’s most lambasted “movies”. Despite Cameron showing up in several other previously detested films, this was his first worst actor nomination. It’s doubtful he’ll be putting that trophy next to his Kids’ Choice Award.

Jamie Dornan winning worst actor for “Fifty Shades of Grey” perfectly encapsulates the Razzies opting for instant internet-friendly victories, but ages like milk left out in the Texas sun. “Fifty Shades of Grey” was a punchline in 2015 all over the world despite becoming a box office sensation, and leads Dornan and Dakota Johnson were initially mocked for their performances. However, much like the stars of “Twilight,” Dornan and Johnson have scored interesting careers outside of the franchise that launched them to stardom. 

Dornan, for one, has become an esteemed dramatic performer, scoring several best supporting actor nominations for 2021’s “Belfast.” He has also demonstrated proficiency in comedy with “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” and in dark crime thrillers with a turn as a serial killer in the mid-2010s British series “The Fall.” In hindsight, Johnson and Dornan were both doing what was asked of them while shooting “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Their artistic limitations reflected the restrictions of headlining an adaptation of these erotic books, and not necessarily their innate gifts as actors. 

Jamie Dornan went to great lengths to avoid “Fifty Shades Of Grey” ridicule, yet his “Grey” performance still wasn’t well-reviewed when the film came out. Even considering those initially toxic responses, handing Dornan worst actor over Johnny Depp in “Mortdecai” or Adam Sandler in “Pixels” was incredibly short-sighted.

The Academy has never nominated a documentary for the best picture Oscar. It’s a shameful fact reflecting the lack of respect this essential cinematic artform has in the larger cinema landscape, reinforced by the recurring absence of documentaries in other Oscar categories like best cinematography or best editing. 

In stark contrast, the Razzies sweatily strained to inexplicably include and reward a documentary in its equivalent to best actor. The 37th Golden Raspberry Awards awarded Dinesh D’Souza worst actor for playing himself in “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party,” although it didn’t make much sense for an on-screen subject simply playing themselves in a documentary to inhabit a category dominated by actors anchoring narrative features. 

This was part of a slew of wins bestowed on “Hillary’s America” at this ceremony, with the film also taking home awards like worst picture. This marked the first time D’Souza’s specific brand of right-wing conspiracy theory documentaries scored worst picture recognition. Previous D’Souza titles “2016: Obama’s America” and “America: Imagine The World Without Her” failed to break into either the picture or actor categories. D’Souza later claimed that the Razzie nominations and wins for “Hillary’s America” were actually beneficial to him. Presumably, he did not say the same thing about the dismal box office figures for his 2024 documentary, “Vindicating Trump.”

At the ninth Golden Raspberry Awards, Tom Cruise was given a worst actor nomination for “Cocktail.” This would be one of three Razzie nominations for Cruise, including, strangely, one for his lead role in the well-reviewed 2005 Steven Spielberg blockbuster “War of the Worlds.” His third nomination — for playing “iconic” character Nick Morton in “The Mummy” — secured his first Razzie “win” in this category. 

The fateful 2017 movie that started (and ended) the Dark Universe, Cruise’s bland work in “The Mummy” didn’t inspire the rapt excitement from moviegoers that his other, more famous tentpole exploits did. Instead, the “Mission: Impossible” leading man seemed to sleepwalk through “The Mummy,” despite reportedly having too much control over the movie. 

Endless behind-the-scenes tinkering couldn’t salvage a movie as bad as “The Mummy.” But the problems with this staggeringly dreadful Alex Kurtzman-directed effort were not just limited to Cruise’s performance. Insipid filmmaking, a lack of frightening scares, and too much world-building also capsized this box office flop. Despite Cruise being far from the sole culprit in the failure of “The Mummy,” the Razzies built off pre-existing hostility toward him to reward the man with a worst actor trophy. If it’s any consolation to Cruise, that “Mummy” trailer without music or sound effects still remains hilarious and terrifying. How many other Razzie-winning movies have such a humorous legacy?

American pop culture has not fared well, to say the least, in critiquing Donald Trump’s ascension to power. This prominent display of American fascism should in theory inspire cinema institutions, including awards shows, to make extra efforts to highlight outstanding works from communities dehumanized by Trump and his cohorts, like “Kokomo City” or “Crip Camp.” Instead, most American pop culture has settled for tepid surface-level skewerings of the former president on late-night talk shows or throwaway references to phrases like “nasty woman” in movies like “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.” 

Another great example of these eye-roll-worthy cultural protests came at the 39th Golden Raspberry Awards when the ceremony once again awarded worst actor to a documentary subject. This time, the real-life person playing himself was Trump, for showing up in “Death of a Nation” and “Fahrenheit 11/9.” Directors Dinesh D’Souza and Michael Moore, respectively, made extensive use of archival Trump footage that the Razzies used as justification for the worst actor nomination and subsequent win. 

The whole situation was incredibly bizarre and didn’t make much sense as a rebuke to Trump as then-sitting President, with the former reality show host beating out nominees like John Travolta in “Gotti” and Will Ferrell in “Holmes and Watson.” Controversy also erupted surrounding a potentially rigged nomination process, with certain heavily-voted worst actor contenders not becoming nominees. Handing Trump a Razzie for his “performances” in two documentaries capped off an especially messy and fraught year for this awards show.

The Razzies’ relationship with John Travolta stretches back even further than its long-time Tom Cruise disdain. Travolta scored a worst actor nomination back at the 4th Razzies ceremony for his “Staying Alive” and “Two of a Kid” performances. Since then, he’s dominated the ceremony, winning worst actor in 2001 for performances in “Lucky Numbers” and the sci-fi flop that ruined Travolta’s acting career, “Battlefield Earth.” Nearly 20 years later, Travolta won a second worst actor Razzie for the 2019 titles “The Fanatic” and “Trading Paint.” If neither film is ringing a bell, there’s a reason for that. “The Fanatic” and “Trading Paint” largely or entirely bypassed theatrical releases. These were staples of Redbox kiosks, not your local multiplex.

The super-pronounced, hammy, and often undeniably terrible performances Travolta traffics in have been go-to punching bags for the Razzies for years. How could the man’s psychotic delivery of lines like “your friendly bartender” not earn such scorn?  Travolta’s bizarre and often uncomfortable performance as Moose in “The Fanatic” was an especially understandable target for the Razzies. Between Travolta’s distinctive haircut, his caricatured portrayal of mannerisms associated with autistic people, and truly wretched line deliveries, his performance was roundly despised by critics. Though Travolta has continued to stand by his work as Moose with pride, the critical drubbing his “Fanatic” and “Trading Paint” performances received made another Razzie win inevitable.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic shut down movie theaters in March 2020, the entire year’s cinema landscape was drastically capsized. Trying to do traditional award season events after so much chaos and so many unorthodox release strategies sounded foolhardy. Yet major programs like the Academy Awards plunged ahead, while the Razzies also persisted in the face of adversity. With a severely shrunken slate of new releases to choose from, the 41st Golden Raspberry Awards deemed “Absolute Proof” the worst motion picture released during 2020 and the first two months of 2021. 

Another right-wing political documentary, “Absolute Proof” also won a worst actor trophy for Mike Lindell, also known as the “My Pillow Guy” and infamous for serving as a staunch Donald Trump defender. Even by the standards of movies released in the first 12 months after March 2020, “Absolute Proof” was an obscure title. This documentary reiterated various debunked and false claims of tampering in the 2020 Presidential election. Such salacious and nonsensical material didn’t even inspire a wave of hate-watchers. 

As of this writing, “Absolute Proof” has no Letterboxd page and just under 1,000 IMDb user ratings. Despite its obscurity, Lindell, who is heavily on-screen throughout “Absolute Proof,” took home that worst actor trophy instead of Robert Dwoney Jr. in “Dolittle” and David Spade in “The Wrong Missy,” among others. Given the deeply strained worst actor choice at this ceremony, the Razzies would’ve been wise to take this COVID-challenged year off.

Just as movie theaters were getting back off the ground in summer 2021, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” hit multiplexes to provide a depressing cinematic display of late capitalism excess and truly abysmal comic screenwriting. The dismal reviews for “A New Legacy” reflected its absolutely terrible pop culture reputation, with significant complaints specifically leveled at the lead performance of LeBron James.  

After demonstrating strong comic chops in Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” in 2015, James struggled mightily to exude anything resembling a remotely believable performance playing off animated co-stars in “A New Legacy.” Even the original “Space Jam” director had some incredibly harsh words for the sequel and the work James delivered in particular. After months of endless ridicule, it was inevitable that the Razzies, focused on the worst of 2021 cinema, would “recognize” the central performance in “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” 

While Netflix’s “Diana: The Musical” scored the worst picture and worst director trophies that year, “A New Legacy” slam-dunked a worst actor win for LeBron James. The NBA legend beat out such esteemed performances as Mark Wahlberg’s lifeless turn in “Infinite” and Ben Platt’s widely-mocked portrayal of a high schooler in “Dear Evan Hansen.” In the years since “Space Jam: A New Legacy” crashed and burned critically, James hasn’t taken on any further lead roles. That may be for the best: cinema may not be able to withstand a lead performance as dismal as his “New Legacy” work.

There’s a massive gulf between how Hollywood views Jared Leto and the general public’s perception of the man. Movie studios and producers keep handing Leto leading man roles in tentpoles (including 2025’s “Tron: Ares”) while supporting his “Method acting” process. Meanwhile, Leto has no box office clout among typical moviegoers, and his bizarre off-screen exploits, like starting an island “cult,” have overshadowed any discussion of his artistry. 

All the while, Leto keeps delivering incredibly tepid movie performances. Case in point: his stilted, personality-free work as Dr. Michael Morbius in “Morbius.” Playing a scientist-turned-vampire, Leto is devoid of any distinctive characteristics or fun flourishes. He plays this Marvel Comics character with a bizarre seriousness incredibly ill-suited to the shallow “Morbius” screenplay.

“Morbius” reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were a stake through the film’s heart and much of the omnipresent criticism stemmed from Leto’s dreadful performance, which eventually beat out all other 2022 leading man turns to score a worst actor Razzie win. This came less than a decade after Leto’s best supporting actor Oscar win for “Dallas Buyers Club” and under a year after he scored high-profile nominations in the same category at various award shows for “House of Gucci.” Even this sizable fall from award season grace, though, hasn’t changed Leto’s Hollywood reputation to match his low standing with the general public.

Jon Voight used to mean something. The star of “Midnight Cowboy” consistently headlined challenging works and delivered compelling performances as late as 1997’s John Singleton directorial effort “Rosewood.” Gaze upon his filmography in the 21st century, though, and Voight has consistently anchored some truly atrocious motion pictures, including “Bratz,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Roe v. Wade,” and countless more. 

Among his more forgotten modern leading man efforts is the 2023 direct-to-video title “Mercy,” a crime thriller involving the Irish mob and also starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Voight’s on-screen son. “Mercy” didn’t garner much in the way of good reviews, but it also wasn’t widely seen, even compared to Voight’s other lambasted modern movies. 

Out of the many leading man turns in 2023 that the Razzies could have chosen to win worst actor that year, it’s doubtful anyone imagined Voight would take home the award. But after failing to score worst actor for his “Anaconda” performance years earlier, he finally took home the booby prize for “Mercy.” This “achievement” made him the oldest worst actor victor ever at 85 years old. Handing outspoken Trump supporter Voight a win for such an obscure movie could be interpreted as another modern Razzie choice motivated by the ceremony’s desire for political relevancy. Whatever the reason, even a worst actor win at a despised event like the Razzies signaled how far Voight had fallen as an artist.