Mike Meyers

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Everyone remembers the hysterical comedian Mike Meyers from his leading role in the hit movie series Austin Powers. The Star’s career blossomed in the 90’s and continued to flourish well into the early 2000’s with the children’s hit movie series, Shrek. However, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen this comedian in anything new. So where has he been?

Lawsuit Troubles

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After this former A-lister hit big success with the second Austin Powers film, he signed a contract with Universal Studios to produce a film about his SNL character, Dieter. However, during the filming, he walked out, citing major issues with the script, which he co-wrote. That didn’t sit so well with Universal Studios and Imagine Entertainment, who sued him for $5 and $30 million respectively.

Hard Battle

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Eventually, after a long and hard battle against these studios, both lawsuits were dropped. However, that wasn’t the end of Meyer’s career troubles, in fact, it was just the beginning.

Cat In The Hat

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In 2003 Meyers starred in the live-action adaptation of Dr Seuss’ Cat In The Hat, and critics ripped it to shreds, citing its crude humor. The humor was thought to be inappropriate at times and was received so poorly that Dr Suess’ wife decided there would never be another live-action rendition again.

Not only was the movie tainted, so was his reputation.

Known As A Jerk

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Not only was his character the Cat seen as a jerk on screen, but Meyers also received a reputation for being hard to work with and downright rude. In Interviews, Meyer’s co-star Amy Hill wasn’t afraid to share details about his obnoxious behavior. Apparently, one of his assistant’s entire job was to feed him chocolates, all day long.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Demanding Behavior

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Not only was he known as a diva to his own staff, but he also tried to micromanage the production team and made the entire cast bend to hid every whim. Many assume fame went to his head after all the success of Austin Powers, but apparently, he’s always been this way.

From The Beginning

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Even in his early career when filming the much-loved movie Wayne’s World, Meyer’s was difficult to work with. Director Penelope Spheeris recalls how difficult he was to work with and at times, emotionally needy to the point of unprofessionalism. Not to mention, he also had a personal snack assistant, even back then.

Even with a bad attitude studio’s continued to hire him, until one movie changed everything.

The Love Guru

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In 2008, Paramount invested $62 million dollars into the production of The Love Guru, but when it only grossed $40 million they were forced to realize their already bad year, just got a whole lot worse. That was the last time we saw a film with Meyers as the lead, as his reputation finally caught up with him.

However, his reputation wasn’t the only thing holding him back.

He Speaks

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In a 2014 interview, Meyers said he’s only received 15 offers since the 1990’s so it’s clear he’s not having to turn down offers based on time. He also stated that he’s become extremely picky, turning “virtually everything down.” He’s shared that he would accept more interesting and dramatic roles, but apparently, that’s not what he’s being offered.

Although he has played some serious roles, no one seemed to notice.

Serious Roles

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Over the years he has played in a few serious movies, like Studio 54 and Inglourious Basterds. Those roles he deemed interesting and paired with respect for directors, they seemed like a no-brainer. However, his translation to more serious acting roles didn’t translate well to fans who forever saw Meyers as a comedian.

But comedy wasn’t doing it for him anymore, but no one seemed to care.

A Documentary

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In 2014 Meyers embarked on a different kind of adventure when he made the documentary Supermensch, detailing the life of his mentor and legendary music manager, Shep Gordon. However, this too was a flop, grossing only $250,000. This only added to the Studio’s apprehension against funding any of his projects, and his problems seemed to spiral there.

Back To TV

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Against all odds, in 2015 HBO announced that they had signed a 2-year contract with the comedian, promising an unspecified project. However, as the year went on, the studio failed to release any further news about it and it quickly became obvious that the project failed before it even got started.

This was the beginning of his bizarre choices.

Hiding In Plain Sight

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In 2017 Meyer’s became the host of HBO’s The Gong Show but didn’t appear as himself. In full character, which includes prosthetics and extreme makeup, Meyer’s embodied English comedian Tommy Maitland. He appeared in full character for the press as well, which many thought wasn’t funny and in bad taste.
Was he trying to hide his identity?

Becoming An Author

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Perhaps realizing his comedic career was over, more recently Meyer’s has become an author. His book titled Canada, full of photographs that represent his home country paired with comedic anecdotes. He completed a promotional tour for the book, and it became a best-seller. Although this didn’t restore his spot on the A-list, it was a success.

But there seems to be more to his choices than meets the eye.

Becoming a Dad

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Meyer’s became a dad at the age of 47 and now has three children, which is another reason why he hasn’t really been seen on the big screen. Devoting most of his life to fatherhood duties, he’s enjoying a new role these days. Although fatherhood has kept him busy, he hasn’t given up on his career.

A Thriller

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Recently, Meyers completed filming a role in an up and coming thriller, Terminal, which plans to be released in 2018. The thriller is supposed to be something to look out for, as he acts alongside the leading lady, Margot Robbie. Let’s hope this is a good one for Meyer’s because in September 2017 he exited his part in the biopic Del, which is about his mentor Del Close.

Either way, he can always go back to what he knows, and it looks like he might.

Shrek 5

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The producers of the hit animated series Shrek have announced a fifth instalment of the series, set to hit the big screen in 2019. Although Meyer’s isn’t officially attached to the project yet, chances are he’s waiting to see how Terminal goes to see if he can finally break into the dramatic acting scene before going back to comedy.

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