Why Hollywood Won't Cast Lindsay Lohan Anymore

A little more than a decade ago, Lindsay Lohan was one of the biggest stars in her generation: she acted, she danced, she sang, and she was the hottest party girl on the planet. But unfortunately, all that partying eventually caught up to her ... and the former child starlet's "play hard, then work not-so-hard" attitude made her box office poison.

With her IMDb credits suffering by the mid-2010s — Lohan didn't work at all in 2016 and had only two credits to her name for 2014 and 2015 (respectively, a guest appearance on 2 Broke Girls and the short Till Human Voices Wake Us — the singer-actress' once-promising music career also seemed to be a thing of the past. So, what exactly happened to make Lilo go from adorably playing double on The Parent Trap remake to a red-hot Hollywood redhead to an unemployed Oprah Winfrey charity project? We've got the deets. Let's find out why Hollywood won't cast Lindsay Lohan anymore.

In July 2006, Morgan Creek Productions CEO James G. Robinson sent Lindsay Lohan a letter threatening legal action due to her lack of professionalism on the set of Georgia Rule (2007). "Since the commencement of principal photography of Georgia Rule, you have frequently failed to arrive on time to the set. Today, you did not show for work (all day). I am now told you don't plan to work tomorrow because you are 'not feeling well,'" Robinson wrote (via People). "You and your representatives have told us that your various late arrivals and absences from the set have been the result of illness; today we were told it was 'heat exhaustion.' We are well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so called 'exhaustion.' We refuse to accept bogus excuses for your behavior.

"If you do not honor your production commitments, including your scheduled call time for tomorrow, and any call times thereafter, we will hold you personally accountable," the letter continued. "This means that in addition to pursuing full monetary damages, we will take such other action as we deem necessary to preserve the integrity of the Georgia Rule Production as well as Morgan Creek's financial interests. I urge you to take this letter seriously and conduct yourself professionally."

At one point, things got so bad that even her co-star, two-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda, stormed Lohan's makeup trailer to tell her off.

Lilo apparently didn't learn her lesson (or maybe just never figured out how to tell time). In 2010, an on-set source claimed to E! News that Lohan was a "total nightmare" during her stint on Glee. "She was three hours late in the morning, and when she did finally arrive, she just didn't want to be there. She did not want to work," the insider alleged. "She had not memorized her lines, and she kept disappearing so no one could find her ... she has rubbed [the staffers] all the wrong way."

Even Charlie Sheen once pointed out Lohan's tardiness on the set of Anger Management in 2013, telling Jay Leno (via The Hollywood Reporter), "Day one, she was fabulous. She was on time; she knew her lines, hit every mark, made us look off our game ... Then we had to deal with day two. It was as though she had us held hostage because she gave us half a show. She was really not feeling well [on day two]. We worked around it. She was late, what can I say? But she got to the shoot prepared with an excuse."

For her part, Lohan told Oprah Winfrey during her OWN docuseries Lindsay, "[I have this reputation] because I was so distracted in the past. I wasn't on point with that, with being on time, with appreciating my own time. I've been given a lot of chances."

It seems being late might be the best Lindsay Lohan is able to do, because sometimes she just doesn't show up to sets at all. On the set of 2013's The Canyons, filmmaker Paul Schrader confirmed to The New York Times that Lohan had several no-shows throughout the filming of the indie flick. The following year, the New York Daily News reported that the actress tweeted how she was "too ill to perform" in a London stage production of Speed The Plow, but appeared fine on Instagram — and eventually showed up. And in 2016, she was a no-show for a Christmas tree lighting in the U.K.

Lohan might also have trouble following directions. When filming The Canyons, she was asked to keep a fresh face with minimal makeup. Instead, she once showed up wearing a full face of cosmetics with a "Kabuki quality to it," The New York Times reported, with one film staffer commenting, "Her makeup looks like it's from a different movie." 

She also can't seem to fully recollect her lines during live performances. Per the New York Daily News, someone backstage reportedly fed Lohan lines during preview performances of Speed The Plow. However, she hadn't improved by her live debut, when reports claimed she needed to be fed five lines. And when Lohan appeared on Saturday Night Live in 2012, MTV News reports that she was visibly reading from cue cards.

People may be hesitant to have Lindsay Lohan because she allegedly may pilfer property that doesn't belong to her. In May 2008, she was accused of stealing a fur coat from another girl at a party. That same week, a model claimed Lohan stole thousands of dollars worth of clothing from her closet, allegedly handing them to her bodyguard in a bag. Lohan denied the allegations.

In 2009, Lohan reportedly visited jewelry designer Arielle de Pinto's showroom, where she "borrowed" several pieces for a photo shoot. The label took an imprint of her credit card just in case. The pieces were never returned, and the credit card was cancelled before they could put any charges on it. In 2010, Lohan was accused of stealing a $35,000 Rolex watch from a friend, which she denied, despite wearing the same one after it had gone missing. 

2011 saw Lohan serve time after pleading no contest to stealing a $2,500 necklace. In August 2012, she was a person of interest in a $100,000 theft of jewelry and Rolex watches, but the case was thrown out for lack of evidence; Lohan swore she'd been framed. In 2013, TMZ reported that Lohan stole various jewelry and clothing from the wardrobe department at Anger Management — then told people that the items' value would be deducted from her paycheck, a deal that sources denied ever happened. Finally, in 2017, Lohan's ex, Egor Tarabasov, accused her of stealing nearly $30,000 worth of his personal property.

To date, Lindsay Lohan's highest grossing film is 2003's Freaky Friday remake, which banked about $161 million worldwide — though her breakout role is still considered Mean Girls (2004), which raked in a cool $130 million globally. However, beyond those and 2005's Herbie: Fully Loaded, few of Lohan's subsequent star-vehicle films made their money back.

While 2006's Bobby (2006) was a box office loss, Just My Luck (2006), Chapter 27 (2007), Georgia Rule (2007), and I Know Who Killed Me (2007) were all critical flops and box office bombs. One of her only well-reviewed and profitable films around this time was A Prairie Home Companion (2006), and studios may have credited its success to co-stars like Meryl Streep and Woody Harrelson. 

Basically, if producers don't think Lohan can open a movie — and the numbers back that theory up — she's going to be relegated, at best, to supporting roles and cameos like in Machete (2010) and Scary Movie 5 (2013) or to television guest roles, like her stints on 2 Broke Girls, Anger Management, and Ugly Betty.

Lindsay Lohan's rap sheet is almost as long as her on-screen resume, according to E! News. In May 2007, she was charged with driving under the influence. By that July, she was busted again on suspicion of DUI, driving with a suspended license, and cocaine possession — and she later spent 84 minutes in jail after pleading guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use. Lohan was placed on probation for three years stemming from her July 2007 arrest, but in October 2009, her probation was extended an extra year to allow her more time to complete an alcohol education program.

In May 2010, Lohan's probation was revoked after she skipped a court date in favor of the Cannes Film Festival; she paid $100,000 to stay free. Days later, she was fitted with an alcohol-monitoring SCRAM ankle bracelet and ordered to submit to random drug testing. A month later, the bracelet was triggered at an MTV Movie Awards afterparty and Lohan was charged with violating her probation and sentenced to 90 days in jail. However, she served two weeks in prison due to overcrowding. In September 2010, Lohan's probation was revoked when cocaine was found in her system. She was sentenced to jail and days later was carted off to rehab.

If you thought Lindsay Lohan's rap sheet ended with drug and alcohol offenses, you'd be wrong. In February 2011, the singer-actress was arrested for allegedly stealing a $2,500 necklace from a Venice, Calif., jewelry store. That April, she was sentenced to 120 days in county jail, followed by 480 hours of community service. Once more, due to overcrowding, Lohan was released after a month and ordered to serve out the rest of her jail sentence under house arrest. In October 2011, her probation was revoked after she failed to perform her required community service.

In March 2012, Lohan was accused of side-swiping a car outside of a Hollywood nightclub then fleeing the scene, but prosecutors didn't press charges due to lack of evidence — and almost the same exact scenario played out six months later with an identical outcome. In November 2012, Lohan was arrested for allegedly punching a woman in a New York nightclub. Hours after the assault arrest, Lohan was charged with three separate crimes (giving false information to a police officer, obstructing or resisting an officer in the performance of his duty, and reckless driving) stemming from a June 2012 car accident in California, in which she allegedly lied to police and said her assistant was driving her rental car at the time.

According to a source cited by Page Six in 2016, Lindsay Lohan's longtime publicist, Hunter Frederick, reportedly dumped her after they had a screaming match about a news story. 

"You never know what Lindsay you're going to get," the insider claimed. "One second she's in a great mood and wanting to get things back together, and the next you can't say anything to make her happy. She's going to have a really hard time finding a new publicist not only because she's radioactive and no one wants to represent her, but the monthly retainer alone would render her bankrupt." 

However, her next manager, Scott Carlsen, denied the story, telling the tabloid, "Hunter was never working with Lindsay Lohan there was no financial or contractual relationship and this whole story is incorrect. He is shamelessly trying to get publicity for himself while throwing a so-called 'client' under the bus. Obviously not much of a PR agent."

Because of Lindsay Lohan's past struggles with addiction and the law, entertainment insurance broker Konrad Dowling told The New York Times in 2012, "Lindsay is hard to insure, but not impossible." That may be the biggest factor in her lack of work lately.

As an anonymous Los Angeles talent agency owner previously explained to ABC News, "Say you're going to make a $5 million movie, and you're hiring Lindsay Lohan as the lead. Right away, you have insurance should she fall, break a leg or get injured. But to know that she has this history — what insurance company is going to want to hop onboard? What if she doesn't come to work for three days, and you have to pay $300,000 to keep the set going?"

Film insurance broker Brian Kingman noted, "Generally speaking, for actors with insurability problems ... what we'll do is structure a program where there's a very big carrot for doing the right thing. The actor's got to defer their salary; they'll only get paid if they complete, so that's their incentive. Of course some of them get paid a lot already, so that that doesn't really matter." Kingman added, "Filmmakers put up millions and millions of dollars on a movie, studios put up hundreds of millions of dollars, and it requires everybody's professionalism. When somebody isn't professional, that gives insurers concerns. Whether it's health or lifestyle issues, those need to be addressed."

Lindsay Lohan's second attempt at a reality show (following her ill-fated venture with Oprah Winfrey, Lindsay) didn't go over well with critics or audiences. In early 2019, the Chicago Tribune called Lohan's MTV series, Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club, "a deeply sad viewing experience," while The Hollywood Reporter said the show was "vapid and tedious." Overall, critics gave it a dismal 27 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and its audience score was only slightly better, clocking in at 38 percent.

By June 2019, Lohan had ditched both the show and the beach club itself. "There was a renewal idea that producers hoped would perk it up for a second season," a source cited by Page Six claimed. "It would be turned into a show about Lindsay and [her mother] Dina and [sister] Ali, [but] that wasn't going to happen." The insider added that producers claimed the show lacked drama, saying, "They wanted 'breakdowns.' That's not where [Lohan] is at with her life anymore. Their personal business doesn't need to be aired on television; it's already in the papers anyway." We supposed that's as positive a reason as any for a reality show to flop.

2019 saw Lindsay Lohan as a judge on The Masked Singer Australia, but that gig may not last too long. According to a source cited by New Idea early that October, "She is being replaced. She was tricky with demands and had a complete lack of respect for time schedules." Yikes. Not to mention the fact that Lohan very publicly shaded Cody Simpson on the show when he performed while disguised as a robot, saying, "If it is you, we have a lot to talk about, and this is not the arena for it. I want my furniture back! Because I bought your furniture for your house in Venice!"

Simpson, who previously dated Lohan's little sister, Ali, eventually won his season of The Masked Singer Australia ... after which Lohan posted a snap of the reality star and her baby sis on Instagram. "When you realise [sic] you failed. And you settle for less," she captioned the photo (via TMZ). "Family is everything. You won The Masked Singer but you lost your future." It should be noted that Lohan quickly deleted the post, and sources close to the singer-actress insisted it was just an inside joke between friends. Hmm.

As to whether or not Lohan was actually fired from the TV gig remains to be seen, as she was later filmed gushing about Season 2 of The Masked Singer Australia in November 2019.

Lindsay Lohan, once Hollywood's golden girl, is now filming Cameo voice messages. In March 2020, Paper magazine reported that the singer-actress was recording shoutouts for the service for $350. It may not be the glitz and glam of Tinseltown, but hey, it doesn't seem like a bad way for a celeb to make a quick buck!

Her bio reads, "Lindsay Lohan is an international actress, model and recording artist & she is now on Cameo for a limited time! Request your favorite Mean Girls line, hear some business advice or love from Lindsay!" No date was listed for when Lohan would stop offering her words of wisdom (or those of Mean Girls scribe Tina Fey). In any case, it seems to be something Lohan is good at doing: she currently has 11 five-star reviews on the service, including one that reads, "This was perfect and made me cry. Thank you so much Lindsay. Got ur back till the end!"

"People do want to hire her, [but] ... everything's a crisis," The Canyons director Paul Schrader told People of Lindsay Lohan back in 2013. "And when it isn't a crisis, she finds a way to make it one. A lot of it's up to her. If she can create a reputation of reliability, and that's her number one problem, she will have a career because people do like her."

While speaking with Fox News four years later, Lohan herself said, "I am more ready than ever to get back into movies and TV. It is a true passion of mine and has been since I was a child. It is not about the limelight though, it's about doing what you love." She added, "I decided to make some big changes in my life and getting back on track with work was one of them. I changed my outlook on life — the people I was hanging out with — my management — everything combined has had such a positive outcome!"

Sources previously corroborated Lohan's good news to Page Six: "She changed her phone number and email addresses ... to weed out any temptation from old friends ... She's taken time off, really focused on her healthy lifestyle and is ready to get back to work ... There's still interest in the studios to work with her."

Lindsay Lohan has high hopes for her future in Hollywood and beyond. After spending the previous couple of years living in Dubai, the singer-actress rang in the 2020 in Oman, and revealed to Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper that she had big plans for the new decade. 

"I'm managing my sister, so I want to really focus on me and everything that I can do in my life and come back to America and start filming again, which I'm doing something soon in this new year," Lohan said during her New Year's Eve video chat appearance on Anderson Cooper 360. "And just, you know, taking back the life I've worked so hard for and sharing it with my family and you guys."

Following her successful run on the U.K.'s black comedy, Sick Note, alongside Harry Potter alum Rupert Grint, Lohan is slated to star opposite Mickey Rourke in the upcoming movie, Cursed. And, after a decade away from the recording studio, she promised her fans on Instagram (via Radar Online) that she would release her third album in February 2020. As of this writing, this still hasn't happened yet — but Lohan did release a song about anxiety, called "Xanax" in 2019 ... albeit briefly. After dropping the anticipated single on Instagram, Lohan quickly deleted it, with no other indication of when more music would be released.

If Lilo is successful in these ventures, others will likely open up — because if there's anything Hollywood loves, it's a great comeback kid.