Another one of the “almosts.” Liv Tyler’s transition from the teen cult hit “Empire Records” to bigger roles looked promising, The actress was even once considered a leading lady who would soon join the ranks of Julia Roberts or Meryl Streep.
While the actress even went on to star in major blockbusters like Armageddon and The Lord of the Rings movies, she never quite received that status. Perhaps she never challenged herself to meatier roles. At least she settled comfortably in TV, on the HBO series “The Leftovers.”
Tiffani Thiessen
Actress Tiffani Thiessen was perhaps never thought of as a major Hollywood star, but there was a time during the 90s that she was one of TV's hottest actresses. Her time on Saved By the Bell earned her spots on countless magazine covers, making her the teen It girl for some time, not to mention her time on "Beverly Hills, 90210."
Did you know that the actress was even supposed to play Rachel on Friends? Yep! Thiessen was pretty close to getting it at one point and even read with the whole cast. Of course, that rejection led her to Beverly Hills. Ultimately, the actress didn't manage to break out of the mold of a mild TV soap star.
Isaiah Mustafa
Actor Isaiah Mustafa shot to fame in the series of quirky Old Spice Ads. His humoristic manner and incredibly good looks seemingly made him a shoo-in A-list role. Mustafa, at one point, even seemed to be pretty close at one point as one of the candidates for "Luke Cage."
Unfortunately, the part ultimately went to Mike Colter. While Colter's career sky-rocketed, Mustafa's stayed pretty stagnant and now he is just the Old Spice guy. We hope things turn around.
Shannyn Sossamon
Shannyn Sossamon starred as the beautiful pixie dream girl in the raunchy comedy "40 Days 40 Nights" alongside Josh Hartnett and immediately stole hearts. Shortly after, she beat out Kate Hudson for the role of Jocelyn in the film "A Knights Tale." It seemed she was pretty much on her way.
She then got a leading role in "The Rules of Attraction" and received rave reviews. Sadly, after that, her reunion with Ledger in the film The Order was a total flop and contributed to her downfall. Sossamon then took a break from acting and focused on motherhood. Who knows, maybe things will turn around!
Amanda Bynes
The hottest teen star of the 90s and viewed as the more pristine Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes' career was on fire. With films like What a Girl Wants, "She's the Man", and "Sydney White", Bynes seemed destined for bigger things.
The transition did prove easy for Bynes who, instead of climbing up the film ladder, ended up getting in more and more trouble with the law. After displaying some odd behavior on social media, the actress was soon added to the spotlight. To be fair, she has expressed some battles with mental illness. We hope things turn around for her.