( CNN ) Eddie Redmayne , congratulations ! You 've won an Oscar ! Now you 'd better watch out . If there is such a thing as an `` Oscar curse '' -- that malady that suddenly grips some Oscar winners , plunging their once-bright careers into `` Aeon Flux '' -like darkness -- best actor winner Redmayne could be a likely victim . Among the newly anointed crop of Oscar recipients , the `` Theory of Everything '' star would be right to be wary . He 's young -- just 33 -- and could just as easily aim for big-budget movie stardom as chewy character roles . A few more films like `` Jupiter Ascending , '' the current Wachowski siblings ' bomb that features Redmayne in a major role , and he may be the answer to Oscar trivia questions in 2025 . Sunday 's other acting winners may not have the same challenges . J.K. Simmons , who won best supporting actor for `` Whiplash , '' has been a character mainstay for years ; he might start getting bigger billing , but the work should remain steady . Best actress winner Julianne Moore ( `` Still Alice '' ) is an established star and is probably at little risk of going off the rails . And Patricia Arquette , the best supporting actress winner for `` Boyhood , '' has made a career of combining intriguing film choices with steady TV work . Indeed , she 's the star of `` CSI : Cyber , '' which debuts March 4 . Now , `` curse '' might be a little strong . Some performers such as Mercedes Ruehl ( `` The Fisher King '' ) or F. Murray Abraham ( `` Amadeus '' ) were character types who hit it big . It would be unlikely for them to suddenly become successful headliners . Other actors prefer to pick interesting roles in small , quirky movies rather than let Hollywood 's box-office machinery pigeonhole them . On the other hand , there are any number of `` it '' performers -- especially actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow , Renee Zellweger and Halle Berry -- who had youth , looks and chops and were pegged as future leads . But whether through poor script choices , fickle audiences or movie-industry biases , their follow-ups tanked . ( Many of the entries on this list seem to be less the victim of a `` curse '' than industry preconceptions about women 's roles . ) Certainly the Oscar is a wonderful honor , a permanent prefix to an actor 's name . But some may wonder if all the red-carpet scrutiny and stress was worth it . Check out the gallery for a few examples .
An `` Oscar curse '' seems to plague some Academy Award winners . Many actors win Oscars , then see their next films flop .