Athletes who cross over into film and television aren’t always a hit. Case in point, Ryan Lochte’s appearances on both 30 Rock and 90210, which were totally cringe-worthy. But sometimes it doesn’t matter if an athlete is a great actor or not because they have a je ne sais quoi about them—a certain X-factor—meaning that they already have a strong fan base that is willing to watch them in anything, and everything.
Though rare, there are athletes who happen to be good actors. More importantly, they are selective with their options and only choose the right movies to appear in. They’re like Halley’s Comet—coming around just once every 100 years. Except there are a few of them, so maybe that metaphor isn’t so great. Anyway, here’s our list of 15 Athletes Who Made It in Hollywood, for better or worse.