CBR has named Allison Mack to their top 16 “Teenage Wasteland” List.
Allison made #2 on the list.
Teenage Wasteland: 16 Young Stars Whose Fame Tanked After Superhero Roles
CBR writes:
Being a teen actor is tough. … That is, until you get that fateful call. A superhero script comes in. Now, you get to be a star…. This is it, you think: your big break. … The dream drifts away, and what do you do? Start taking bit parts? Retire outright? Become the second in command of an alleged cult/harem involving brandings and starvation? ….
16. ALICIA SILVERSTONE
15. JOHNNY ROCKWELL
14. TAYLOR DOOLEY
13. JOANNA PANG
12. SAM JONES III
11. CHRISTOPHER GARTIN
10. DRAKE BELL
9. AGUSTIN RODRIGUEZ
8. BORIS CABRERA
7. EMMA CAULFIELD
6. JOEY SIMMRIN
5. SUZANNE DAVIS
4. GERARD CHRISTOPHER
3. MICHAEL GRAY
2. ALLISON MACK
Allison Mack memorably appeared on Smallville as Chloe Sullivan, a proto-Felicity Smoak created exclusively for the show. Chloe proved popular enough not just to appear in the comics, but to merit her own web series and even get married off to the show’s Green Arrow. But for all the drama Sullivan got into on the show, that ain’t got nothing on reality.
Mack got sporadic roles into the 2010s on shows like Wilfred and The Following, but things mostly stalled for the promising actress. The answer as to why might be found in a 2017 New York Times expose that alleges that Mack is now the second in command of a bizarre sex cult called NXIVM, wherein she assists in the starvation and branding of susceptible young women in the service of pseudo-guru Keith Raniere. And we thought Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was the worst choice made by a Smallville actress.
1. Ryan Gosling
Previously, Screen Rant listed 16 ‘dark secrets’ about Smallville. Topping the list was ‘Allison Mack in a cult.’
And Gosling is one of the highest paid actors of 2017 (29 million in 2017): https://www.forbes.com/pictures/599b0ba431358e60d7768f66/14-ryan-gosling/#eb1e6d817638
So Mack at #2 is actually the real #1 on the wasteland list.
Should have been #1
Mack actually was the top listing (the #1 spot is a joke listing, Gosling is hugely successful both professionally and personally). For those unaware of Gosling, compare the awards pages for Mack and Gosling on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allison_Mack#Awards_and_nominations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Ryan_Gosling
He even inspired a funny “Hey Girl” meme that took over the internet for a while. Gosling is well-known and well-regarded.
Ryan Gosling also made Forbes’ “The World’s Highest-Paid Actors 2017” list. He earned $29 million last year. https://www.forbes.com/pictures/599b0ba431358e60d7768f66/14-ryan-gosling/