What The Hell Happened To Shannon Elizabeth?
From American Pie to -- well, that's pretty much it.
In our second installment of What The Hell Happened To... we again turn to the Tomatometer to chart the rise and fall of a once-promising Hollywood talent. [To read our inaugural assessment of actor Wesley Snipes, click here.] What will the Tomatometer tell us, and is there any remedy for Shannon Elizabeth?
Thirty-four-year-old Shannon Elizabeth got her first big break in 1999 as Nadia, the busty foreign exchange student in the R-rated comedy hit American Pie. Nearly ten years later, Elizabeth is now best known for... her role as Nadia, the busty foreign exchange student in American Pie. This week, following years of unsuccessful bids at television and film stardom and having devoted considerable time to her "second career" -- playing professional poker -- Elizabeth appears as a hooker in Deal, a new video release that we also note is currently enjoying a solid zero percent on the Tomatometer.
How, we ask, did this come to be? How did a ShoWest Star of Tomorrow (class of 2001) find herself in barely-released feature films and noticed more for her hobbies (and her breasts) than her craft?
Set adrift on memory bliss as we revisit ten years of career choices by Shannon Elizabeth.
First up: The Early Years
(1-20 of 101 posts) | Reply
on Aug 21 2008 07:35 PM I might be the only one, but I've always thought Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was awesome. And American Pie 2 wasn't bad either, for a sequel. But everything after that was shee-ite. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 07:42 PM haha, "full ugly." sounds like she was simply given more credit than she deserved early on, because she's really done nothing after some very nice hits. Anna Faris, whose mainstream career really began with Scary Movie (something Shannon was in) showed that if you've got talent, you can keep getting good parts, and that's why I think Shannon Elizabeth really just never had a career full of acting available. (Reply to this) |
on Aug 21 2008 07:44 PM She's done some bad movies. She's not a very good actress, but if a craptacular actress like Jessica Alba can keep getting movie deals, why not Shannon Elizabeth? (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 08:22 PM What happened to her? Here, let me wake her up and ask. (Reply to this) |
on Aug 21 2008 08:44 PM Shannon Elizabeth really didn't have much going for her besides a seriously killer body. But I'm with Ironmanstarks: if Hollywood could keep a bimbo like Alba around, why not S.E.? (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 08:56 PM Shannon Elizabeth owns the nicest rack i have seen in the movies. I'm way more attracted to her than i am Jessica Alba or Anna Faris. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 08:57 PM Shannon Elizabeth owns the nicest rack i have seen in the movies. I'm way more attracted to her than i am Jessica Alba or Anna Faris. (Reply to this) |
on Aug 21 2008 09:09 PM Sure, we loved her as Nadia, but that was due to her hotness and toplessness and not because we thought Shannon Elizabeth was a good actress. Her path to being forgotten in Hollywood is of no surprise to me. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 09:59 PM People didn't even like her on Dancing with the Stars, and that was the best acting of her career! Oh ***** it, she's still hot! (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 10:00 PM i would hit that in a second....which i prolly could after what her ex-husband looked like, girl doesnt have standards.... (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 10:16 PM Well something that stories like this never investigate, is the actor's reputation with the studios. I have some acquaintances in this line of work who've worked with Ms. Elizabeth in the past. She definitely had "an attitude". In fairness, dunno if that's still the case. However, once someone gets that reputation, producers and directors will not consider submitting scripts: why put up with that on set when there's others willing to work? One can bet that a sudden drop in vis like this is either due to a Tara Reid-like burnout; which I don't think applies here-or someone's really pissed someone off. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 10:22 PM This is what happens when actor's, especially somebody like Shannon Elizabeth, who has an advantage of being a huge star don't bother "Chanlenging" themselves with roles. Instead, they decide to do the same material, don't choose the right, or, good scripts, and are caught up by the glamour. These kind of actor's will probably never be taken serious in Hollywood. This will happen to Sophia Bush if she keeps doing the same material, and not choose the right scripts. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 10:28 PM well, lets be honest in here. she was famouse in the pie movies for having one fine rack and that is all she had from that pt on. one big hint that she was doomed fromthe beginning is her play boy spread because 99% of chicks went full monty for playboy ended up no where. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 10:30 PM Either this girl is just flash-in-the-pan eye candy or is an actress with hidden talent. If she does have talent, it's been squandered by typecast eye candy roles, bad choices, and focus on poker. I really haven't seen much of her work so I can't decide myself. But reading about her career and seeing that chart really showed how she fell quickly from grace. Maybe she never really had much talent in the first place like Jessica Alba. I do think if she wants her career back she needs to do a compelling role that shows her range. Otherwise she'll just be another washed-up, has-been on some VH1 reality show sometime soon. (Reply to this) |
on Aug 21 2008 10:46 PM Word, ck100. I do believe there's more untapped potential within Shannon Elizabeth -- judging from her poker achievements alone, she must be a smart girl -- so I'd like to see her take on more challenging acting gigs. Maybe going full nude in Playboy was a bit of a mistake for her career, and prevented her from being taken seriously. That is, if we can assume she wanted more substantial parts to begin with. But by all indications she seems like a genuinely charismatic, smart person and I'd like to see her defy the flash in the pan nature of (female) celebrity. Nobody should have to resort to Dancing With the Stars. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 10:46 PM Word, ck100. I do believe there's more untapped potential within Shannon Elizabeth -- judging from her poker achievements alone, she must be a smart girl -- so I'd like to see her take on more challenging acting gigs. Maybe going full nude in Playboy was a bit of a mistake for her career, and prevented her from being taken seriously. That is, if we can assume she wanted more substantial parts to begin with. But by all indications she seems like a genuinely charismatic, smart person and I'd like to see her defy the flash in the pan nature of (female) celebrity. Nobody should have to resort to Dancing With the Stars. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 10:48 PM how unfortunate for this to happen to such a beautiful woman...however i agree that her star power came from those perfect breasts, not her acting chops. not once have i seen her in a decent performance without some form of nudity. poker-faces not included. possible women to analyze later on in this great feature: jennifer garner(star's faded quickly after "alias"), Jane Fonda ( long, rollercoaster ride of a career), and Verginia Madsen (last movie made: Number 23. ouch). (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 11:06 PM Wow, she is doing quite well if you ask me. As long as people with no lives are commenting on your career you must be doing something right. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 11:09 PM It seemed like her career took a nose dive once she added the "No Nudity Claus" to her contract. (Reply to this) |
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on Aug 21 2008 11:23 PM Shannon Elizebeth is simply awesome. The article is very useful for discussion on movies in which Shannon Elizebeth was there. I like to meet and greet her *** wi Social http (Reply to this) |
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