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EW Presents...

Can This Career Be Saved?

HURT SO BAD

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*Falling star: William Hurt *Career pinnacle: From his psychedelic debut in 1980's Altered States and the sweaty intrigue of 1981's Body Heat, through the boomer soul-searching of 1983's The Big Chill and an Oscar turn in 1985's Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bill Hurt was on an upward trajectory as the new WASP hunk, a Robert Redford for the '80s. *Latest misstep: A supporting role as a philandering professor in Mr. Wonderful did nothing to revive his marquee value. *Perceived problem: In between romantic misadventures-when his personal relationships sour they tend to end up in court-Hurt abandoned mainstream Hollywood, indulging instead in a series of art films. Many of them have bombed, including 1991's Until the End of the World. He seemed to be changing his tune when he played a surgeon stricken with cancer in The Doctor, but he's veering again-Hurt allegedly turned down the role of the villain who terrorizes Meryl Streep in the just-wrapped The River Wild (the job went to Kevin Bacon). Insiders are amazed. ''The guy is self-destructing,'' says a prominent agent. *Next move: Although Hurt has two upcoming low-profile projects (Second Best and Trial by Jury), super-hot director Jane Campion (The Piano) has just cast him as the male lead opposite Nicole Kidman in Portrait of a Lady, which could reestablish his critical credentials.

*Advice: Lighten up. ''He never wanted to be mainstream and turned down a lot of things,'' says a studio executive. ''What he should do for his career is a big love story.'' After all, there are worse things to be called than the next Bob Redford. -Gregg Kilday