It’s highly unusual for an actor to have built their career on a starring role in one of the worst movies ever made, but that’s what the genuinely talented George Hardy has managed to do with style. An aspiring actor who’d ultimately decided to become a professional dentist instead, he nevertheless landed a starring role as Michael Waits in a 1990 comedy horror movie Troll 2. Not only did the film go straight to video, it quickly became regarded as a uniquely terrible film for its production standards, stilted script, and camp acting. Disheartened, Hardy went back to dentistry.
But in the mid-noughties, thanks to social media, the film gained even more notoriety — meme fans will know for with the infamous line “They’re eating her. And then they’re going to eat me. Oh my God!” As a result, it gained an army of fans and “so bad it’s good” status. Special screenings were held and the cast, Hardy included, found themselves invited as guests. In 2009, almost 20 years after the movie was made, Hardy teamed up with former co-star Michael Stephenson to star in Best Worst Movie, a documentary film that looked at the making of the film and the effect that its cult revival has had on the cast.
Best Worst Movie was a success, and it encouraged Hardy to return to film acting. As well as several horror films, he has twice reprised the role of Michael Waits, first in 2019’s Goblin: Das Ist Echt Troll and again in 2020’s Trolls World.