These days, it feels like everything old is new again, especially when it comes to the 1980s. We have newer franchises like Stranger Things making the ‘80s look cooler than ever, even as we have modern-day iterations of throwback favorites like Ghostbusters, Transformers, and He-Man.
Some ‘80s stars like Winona Ryder have made the most of this cultural nostalgia, but others haven’t been so lucky. For example, Judge Reinhold was once a staple of 1980s movies such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Beverly Hills Cop. These days, though, if you see Reinhold in anything, it’s usually some sort of bottom-shelf film that went directly to DVD (or, more likely, direct to streaming).
Just what happened to Reinhold? Why do we never see this venerable ‘80s icon in anything good anymore? Keep reading to discover the answer!
Typecast early on
When you achieve early success as an actor, it can be something of a double-edged sword. For example, Reinhold was one of the best parts of Beverly Hills Cop. But it seems like Hollywood directors weren’t quite sure what to do with Reinhold if it wasn’t in a buddy-cop comedy.
In other words, Reinhold was typecast early on. And it doesn’t help that he seemed to embrace that typecasting, reprising his Beverly Hills Cop role in a failed TV show pilot. If the actor himself can’t move past his most iconic movie, it’s difficult to expect filmmakers and audiences to believe he can convincingly play other roles.
