Kim Basinger
Vicki Vale in Batman (1989)
Had been a Hollywood siren since 9 1/2 Weeks in 1986, and cheerfully satirised herself in Wayne's World 2 and Cool World – but disaster struck when she pulled out of Boxing Helena, Jennifer Lynch's directorial debut, and had to pay back more than $3m (£1.8m). Her career high point came in 1997 when she won best supporting actress Oscar for LA Confidential for, essentially, impersonating Veronica Lake, one of the greatest of all Hollywood sirens. Since then it has all gone a bit flat.
Margot Kidder
Lois Lane in Superman (1978) and its three sequels
Kidder had a tough time after Superman IV. She had a history of mental illness and was injured in a car crash in 1990, before being found living briefly on the streets in 1996 and placed in psychiatric care. She has continued to work since then, though, but mostly small parts in TV shows and trashy horror films.
Kirsten Dunst
Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man (2002) and its two sequels
Dunst has picked her projects since romancing webslinger Tobey Maguire, prioritising classiness over popcorn. She played Marie Antoinette for Sofia Coppola, a disgruntled employee of a memory-erasing firm for Michel Gondry in Eternal Sunshine, and a newlywed threatened by apocalypse for Lars von Trier in Melancholia. She has got another potential arthouse biggie coming up: the Patricia Highsmith adaptation The Two Faces of January.
Anne Hathaway
Selina Kyle aka Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Hathaway had been one of Hollywood's brightest young sparks since escaping her early tween-movie career specialism: roles in Brokeback Mountain, Rachel Getting Married and The Devil Wears Prada saw to that. A widely ridiculed turn as Oscar host in 2011 notwithstanding, doing the Batmovie only enhanced her prospects; she went straight on to Les Misérables, singing her heart out and winning a best supporting Oscar in 2012. Last seen in Rio 2.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Pepper Potts in Iron Man (2008) and its two sequels, as well as The Avengers
Paltrow's acting career had taken a dip after the 90s glory years (culminating in that Oscar for Shakespeare in Love). High-minded art cinema thrillers and biopics (Proof, Sylvia, Infamous) dominated her CV, to no special effect. The Iron Man films shot her into a new area of big budgets and mass audiences; her acting became almost as important as her career as a lifestyle coach. Recently gave a new phrase, "conscious uncoupling", to the lexicon.
